Youth Culture Matters - A CPYU Podcast

Frederick Douglas once said, “Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.” And that famous philosopher, Dr. Suess once gave this directive for a flourishing life: “Fill your house with stacks of books, in all the crannies and all the nooks.” One of the greatest gifts God has given to us is the ability to read. But in today’s world, constraints on our time and our increased focus on screens has crowded out reading for most of us and for most of our kids. We need to recover a love for reading, as good reading will shape and form us in good ways. It’s because we believe this to be true that we’re chatting with author Karen Swallow Prior about the power of good books to shape our lives, our kids, our families, and our youth ministries, on this episode of Youth Culture Matters.

For many if not most of us, Superheroes played a significant role in our childhood. It was Adam West’s TV portrayal of Batman that I remember from my elementary school years. Since then, Superheroes, comic books, and an almost endless stream of superhero films have played a significant role in pop culture, not just for kids, but for adults as well. Because we have been made to love stories, we are drawn into the tales of these mythical characters. Why is that? And how can we leverage these cultural artifacts in our ministries with kids? Today, we have fun with the lively and winsome trio from the Thanos to Theos podcast, about Superheroes, comic books, movies, theology, and our kids, on this episode of Youth Culture Matters.

One of main developmental tasks of the adolescent stage is the journey to forming one’s identity. In today’s world, some of the most compelling, dangerous, misdirected cultural messages are leading kids down wrong paths as they look for answers to the question, Who am I? Dr. Carl Trueman has written a great new book that helps us understand and address these issues. We love chatting with Carl about his practical, hope-filled, and theologically informed cultural observations. Today is no exception as Duffy Robbins and I learn from Carl and his new book, The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self: Cultural Amnesia, Expressive Individualism, and the Road to Sexual Revolution, on this enlightening episode of Youth Culture Matters.

As Christian parents and youth workers, our greatest desire for our kids should be to see them come to know and serve Jesus Christ in every nook and cranny of their lives. For those of us committed to this path for our kids it is discouraging when kids grow up to serve the cultural script for life rather than going deeper in their faith. I’ve always wondered if part of the issue is that our desire to lead them to Jesus, even though well-intentioned, isn’t informed and directed by good theology. Today, we invite you to dig more deeply into the value of theology for parenting and youth ministry, as we chat with my friend from Ligonier Ministries, Dr. Steve Nichols, on this episode of Youth Culture Matters.

Abuse makes it’s ugly presence felt in all kinds of ways and places. Fortunately, the curtain if being pulled back to expose the secretive and destructive world of abuse in our culture. Alarmingly, there has been a secretive world of abuse in the church. And, it’s a good thing that this is being exposed as well. What forms does power take? How is power abused, particularly in the church? And, how should we respond to abuses of power? Stick with us as we shed light on the dark world of abuse as we converse with Dr. Diane Langberg about her new new book, Redeeming Power: Understanding Authority and Abuse in the Church, on this episode of Youth Culture Matters.

When I was engaged in full-time local church youth ministry, it was obvious to me that my greatest youth ministry asset was my volunteers. They were nothing short of awesome. One of the mistakes we make in today’s youth ministry world is believing that the best youth workers are those who do it full-time with large budgets and lots of kids. That’s just not true. Here at CPYU, we believe that part-time youth workers, volunteers, and bi-vocational youth workers are essential and effective. That’s why we’re focusing today’s conversation on answering some of the unique youth ministry questions being asked by those who aren’t full-timers. Stick with us as bi-vocational youth worker Jordan Martin picks the brains of veteran trainers Duffy Robbins and Marv Penner, on this episode of youth culture matters.

On my shelf sits a Bible concordance that was given to me as a Christmas gift by my parents back when I was twenty years old and getting ready to embark on a lifetime of youth ministry. I recently opened it up and saw the words of Proverbs 19:20 that my mom had written inside the front cover. “Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom for the future.” That imperative has served me well over the years, reminding me of my need to always be listening and learning. For those of us in youth ministry, it’s important that we remain teachable, listening to wisdom and advice of those who have gone before us, loving Jesus and ministering to kids. Ron Belsterling is one of those wise voice in our youth ministry world. Stick with us as we talk to Ron about his new book, A Defense of Youth Ministry, on this episode of Youth Culture Matters.

On the night before his crucifixion, Jesus prayed for his disciples in all times and all places, that we would be in, but not of the world. He knew that in our sinfulness, we would be prone to forsaking our duty to be a counter-cultural presence in the world, by allowing the culture to establish it’s presence in the church. In today’s world, the culture infiltrating the church through what’s called progressive Christianity. What is progressive Christianity? And why are people, especially young people, drawn to it? And, how can we as parents and youth workers point our kids to embracing and living the truths of historic Christianity? We talk to Alisa Childers about her own story, progressive Christianity, and her new book, Another Gospel? A Lifelong Christian Seeks Truth In Response to Progressive Christianity, on this episode of Youth Culture Matters.

Recent research tells us that about half of our eleven to twenty-one year old girls regularly alter their photos to enhance their appearance online in order to find acceptance. Researchers also tell us that our girls are much more likely to experience anxiety and depression than their male peers. What are cultural forces that are shaping and even mis-shaping girls in today’s world? Why are more and more of our girls struggling to figure out who they are and how to live in the world? And what can parents and youth workers do to guide girls through the earthquake of adolescence and into an adulthood where they flourish? Stay tuned as we chat with physician, counselor, and author Dr. Leonard Sax about his new book, Girls on the Edge, on this episode of Youth Culture Matters.Full episode notes here: https://cpyu.org/resource/episode-116-girls-over-the-brink-with-dr-leonard-sax/ 

I once heard someone say that judging from how Christians choose to live these days, the ten commandments God gave to Moses should be relabeled as the 10 suggestions. That’s certainly justified when it comes to the fourth commandment which tells us to remember and keep a Sabbath. Who does that anymore? Our kids have no idea what is means to Sabbath. The frantic pace of life in today’s world has combined with other trends to undo a commitment to Sabbath-keeping. Sadly, we’re coming undone as a result, and we realize we’re weary. What is Sabbath? Why is sabbath important? And how can we rediscover Sabbath-keeping so that we can once again find rest in the midst of our busy lives? We’re chatting with A.J. Swoboda about our Sabbath dilemma, and his book, Subversive Sabbath, on this episode of Youth Culture Matters.