Come & See: Radical Devotional

10 snips

Aug 24, 2025

Fr. Shannon discusses his upcoming book aimed at youth, exploring the impact of traditional devotionals on young people's faith. He critiques their limitations, emphasizing context and the potential for harmful theology. The conversation highlights the importance of innovative spiritual practices, encouraging young people to engage critically with scripture. The book includes journaling prompts for reflection, promoting a communal experience and empowering readers to ask questions and deepen their understanding of faith.

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ANECDOTE

Early Devotionals As Pop Culture

Shannon remembers youth devotionals as easy, packaged 'quiet time' tools tied to 2000s Christian pop culture.
He recalls they often used tiny, out-of-context Bible snippets and didn’t teach how to read scripture properly.

ANECDOTE

Quiet Times As Proof Of Faith

Brian shares receiving youth devotionals from leaders and feeling 'quiet times' became a proxy for devoutness.
He describes pressure that doing quiet time signaled you were a 'real believer.'

INSIGHT

Devotionals Always Have A Lens

Devotionals carry implicit interpretive lenses and often present one denomination's read as 'just Christian.'
Recognizing the author's lens matters because different traditions shape selection and meaning of passages.

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Fr. Shannon has a new book coming out soon, “Come and See: An Invitation to a Radical Encounter with Jesus,” which is a devotional aimed at youth and young adults. We talk about the role of traditional devotionals in shaping young people’s faith, especially how our experiences with devotionals have impacted us. We get into the limitations of these devotionals and their practices, and the importance of understanding how limiting they can be- especially since they often leave out the Bible’s context. Shannon shares his motivations for writing the book, emphasizing accessibility, justice, and the need for young people to engage with scripture meaningfully. This book is aimed for a younger audience, but anyone can engage with this as a means for deepening a personal understanding of scripture and faith.

Takeaways

Devotionals are often seen as a proxy for faith.
Many youth devotionals lack depth and context.
Understanding the Bible requires recognizing its complexity.
Devotionals can reinforce harmful theology if not critically engaged.
There are various ways to engage with spirituality beyond devotionals.
Shannon’s book aims to provide tools for understanding scripture.
The book encourages readers to ask questions and wrestle with faith.
‘Come and See’ is designed to be accessible for young people.
The book includes journaling prompts for reflection and discussion.
Engaging with the Bible can be a communal experience.

Chapters

(00:53) Devotionals: A Personal Journey

(10:36) Alternatives to Traditional Devotionals

(14:05) Introducing ‘Come and See’ Devotional

(17:41) Understanding the Bible: Context Matters

(21:09) Target Audience for ‘Come and See’

Resources:

Pre-order “Come And See: An Invitation to a Radical Encounter With Jesus” by Fr. Shannon TL Kearns
Check out books about faith and the Bible that we recommend
Rituals for Resistance and Resilience
Join our online community at Sanctuary Collective Community

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