YouthWorker Journal - March/April 2009 - (Page 59)

The Gospel Remix: Reaching the Hip-Hop Generation Ralph C. Watkins with Jason A. Barr Jr., Jamal-Harrison Bryant, William H. Curtis, Otis Moss III Judson Press, 2007, 144 pp., $15.00, www.judsonpress.com FOR PARENTS examples and discussion questions offer an effective, affirming and hopeful counter to destructive myths our culture—and sometimes even our churches—subtly enforce. —Jenn Cavanaugh “How do we love our brothers and sisters who are not among us or with us? How do we reach up and out with love and not condemnation?” asks seminary professor and DJ, Ralph C. Watkins, as he challenges the church of the “Afristocracy” to engage the hip-hop culture with the Gospel. Admitting his own initial repulsions to some of the music and behaviors of hip hop, Watkins outlines a movement toward hip hop, which is incarnational, sacrificial and authentic. He offers an insightful introduction to the culture and raises many questions to guide churches and pastors through contextualizing ministry to and with hip hop. The contributing authors offer examples from their churches, which have effectively reached the hip-hop generation in unique ways. This is a valuable and timely resource. —Paul Randall Parenting Is Your Highest Calling: And Eight Other Myths That Trap Us in Worry and Guilt Leslie Leyland Fields WaterBrook Press, December 2008, 228 pp., $13.99, www.randomhouse.com/waterbrook Reality Gap: Alcohol, Drugs, and Sex—What Parents Don’t Know and Teens Aren’t Telling Stephen Wallace Union Square Press, August 2008, 336 pp., $19.95, www.sterlingpublishing.com Leslie Leyland Fields, professional writer, commercial fisherwoman and mother of six, debunks nine myths of Christian parenting, making the case that children are not put on this earth to fulfill us; we aren’t here to be God to them. The inherent complexity and difficulty of raising children, Fields asserts, should drive us to God rather than to grasp at formulas, pretending unconditional love comes naturally, idealizing a single family model as godly, or idolizing family itself. The depth to which some of these myths are ingrained becomes evident in the author’s own occasional inconsistency. Overall, her major points, scriptural Most teens are having sex…just not mine. That’s the heart of Reality Gap, a scathing look inside the real lives of today’s teens. In terms of the statistics presented, you won’t find much to surprise you. Most teens are now drinking, experimenting with drugs and having sex. The shocker: clueless parents who are either too authoritarian or too obsessed with being a “friend” to their kids. Wallace encourages parents—and anyone who cares about today’s teens—to engage in dialogue and ask open-ended questions. (Why do you think so many kids are drinking? vs. Isn’t it ridiculous that so many teens are drinking?) Good people at work. Pursuing a dream takes real courage. That’s why Southeastern University has designed programs with your needs in mind. Our convenient, accelerated, welcoming programs of study are personally enriching, professionally relevant, and grounded in the Christian worldview. Let your dream do its work. Let it do good work– with people whose dreams are much like yours. Evening & Weekend Programs Online Programs Graduate Studies ■ www.seuniversity.edu 1000 Longfellow Blvd. Lakeland, Florida 33801-6034 863.667.5018 toll free 800.500.8760 http://www.judsonpress.com http://www.sterlingpublishing.com http://www.randomhouse.com/waterbrook http://www.seuniversity.edu http://www.seuniversity.edu

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of YouthWorker Journal - March/April 2009

YouthWorker Journal - March/April 2009 Contents Feedback Youth Culture Update Culture Watch Encountering God Campus Ministry The Urban Take Sight Unseen Worldview Soul Care Managing Your Ministry 10 Minutes in God's Word From IQ to CQ Caring Amidst Crisis Risky Business When Tragedy Gets Personal Deaths in the Family Stopping Suicide Blessed Are They Who Mourn Healing the Healer Resources for Working with Crisis Tools Stirring it Up

YouthWorker Journal - March/April 2009

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