Great article (Bonhoeffer’s Discipleship by Jon Wassonin Immerse Journal) and great thoughts. What I have also found linked with radicalism is emotionalism; that somehow the level of emotion that one experiences in their worship, prayer, testimonies, etc, is an accurate gauge of our discipleship and growth as believers.
I speak as one who was quite susceptible to this as a teenager in the youth ministry. Discipleship was about who generated the greatest emotional response to a sermon, music set, at a retreat, an alter call, and so on. One particular night I remember my youth pastor challenging us during a time of corporate confession around a fire to "not hold back and be real before Jesus." As students began to share, I was well aware of my sin and didn't want to 'hide my sin from Jesus.' So, as a 17 year old teenager I shamefully admitted to everyone my battle with lust in front of a group that consisted partially of 12 year old girls. While I believed I was being obedient at the time, I look back at the whole experience and cringe, even though what I shared was definitely the most 'radical.' Fast forward several years and I find myself as a youth minister. My first year at my church, we attended 'Acquire the Fire' because "that is what our youth group did every year before you became our youth pastor." With the help of smoke machines, loud bands, and youth speakers who can tell gripping stories, ATF has mastered the skill of evoking an emotional response from teenagers. And just like all highs, it is and was just a matter of time until the crash.
My church no longer attends ATF. Every once in awhile a parent or student will come up to me and ask why we don't go anymore or why other churches go and we don't. While my response obviously varies depending on who is doing the asking, my most common response is, "Because discipleship is a marathon... It is a daily decision and a daily directing of our paths toward Christ and in general, I believe ATF suggests something different." Up until just a year or so ago, I experienced quite a bit of guilt and shame when I would compare our student ministry with that of the one I was a part of during my teenage years. I remember the emotion filled testimonies... I remember worshiping with my peers... I remember some great retreats that we went on together. Honestly, I don't see that as much with the youth ministry at my current church. However, what I have begun to see is something that has less highs and lows and something that appears to be more true and lasting. I have concluded that emotion/emotional response is not something to be avoided, however, it must not be abused in order to evoke an emotional response, which is manipulation.
Jay well said. Since you and I grew up in the same youth group, I understand and appreciate your honest reflections and feedback. Its funny but when I first arrived on the scene in NY I tried to model my youth group around the one we grew up in, only years
down the road to discover the futility of such attempt (not to mention the futility of emotionalism and radicalism) You are on a good track my friend. May we value, respect, appreciate, and learn from our past but also discern today's teens and where the Spirit
of God is moving in student ministry. keep up the great work
How tempting it is to evoke emotion. How guilty I've been of attempting to do so. In a world of measuring by the numbers, how many people cried the last youth group is a tempting, but cheap way to measure the value of a youth ministry. I began a year and
a half ago in my first role as youth pastor and it was so very easy and tempting to drop the bombs that would evoke that emotional response. I've found that the marathon is a much better guide in discipleship. I've been learning to assess my students growth
more by the questions they ask than the emotions they portray. Thanks for this thoughtful piece. -Sam PS: I went through the same process with ATF. Thanks for making your thoughts known.
Jon Wasson takes aim at the ideal of radicalism in youth ministry in his recent article for Immerse Journal, “Bonhoeffer’s Discipleship: Reframing the Language of Radicalism in Adolescent Contexts.” Jon, via Bonhoeffer, is concerned with the rhetoric of radicalism and the ideology of radicalism in youth ministry because it shifts the orientation of discipleship away from Christ. I value Jon’s contribution to the theological practice of youth ministry and took it up in my own reflections and engagement with youth.
Personal Reflections
My first impression upon reading Jon’s article was doubt. I wondered if Jon just created a straw man here. The reason for such a reaction was that I haven’t knowingly been part of a youth ministry that used the explicit language of radical as Jon presented. So I started searching for how pervasive this rhetoric is in the youth ministry blogosphere and on church websites. After about 30 minutes of searching, I was sold on Jon’s characterization.
Upon further reflection, I believe I too was exposed to a certain ideology by my faith community. My rural, conservative and fundamentalist introduction into the body of Christ exposed me to a super-Christian ideology that reflects some of the characteristics of Jon’s radicalism.
I was 17 and listening to a teenage girl talk about her extreme act of trusting God. In a small, country church, she explained how she hadn’t thought it was possible for God to provide the money for her to go to Guatemala. She shared stories of tribal-like people groups being converted to faith in Jesus by simple Sunday school lessons. She painted a picture of the impossible situation of giving up a whole summer, spending a lot of weekends in preparation, praying daily for unknown people and finally seeing God transform lives by the power of the proclaimed Word. Having recently been converted to faith in Jesus Christ, her story quickly became my image of being a radical Christian.
That rural community of believers taught me that the point of the Christian life was to move hundreds of miles away from home and make a huge impact in a foreign land for Christ. The entry point into that way of life was short-term missions. If you chose not to go on a short-term mission trip, then you were choosing to live a common Christian life. The role of the common Christian life was to support the super-Christians in other lands through money and prayer. And to ensure that we had effective prayers, we were to rigidly keep the rules of holy living found in our literal reading of the Scriptures and our community’s rules for Christian living.
This type of ideology is what Jon writes against. Jon asserts that “what student ministry has done with its abuse of radical terminology” is to create “an ideal social dream for students instead of calling them to encounter the living Christ.” This critique follows his reading of Bonhoffer’s ideology of Christian brotherhood. And ultimately, the critique is that to set up any “end other than the person of Christ is to create an ideal as an ultimate reality.”
What Jon’s critical theological reading of youth ministry reveals for me is that youth workers both explicitly and implicitly adopt ideologies in order to communicate the gospel in relevant ways. This is nothing new for the church, though. My personal reflection mirrors much of what I found out there in terms of radicalism in youth ministry. The foreign missionary was my community’s image of radical Christianity. It was communicated as a life of total self-sacrifice for God, extreme focus on the gospel in every aspect of life and overflowing with the miraculous, transformative presence of God in the world. For others, it may be radicalism or another ideology that has taken the place of Christ as the ultimate reality.
The radical idea (pun intended) that Jon puts forth is that we marry our idea of radical with a particular concept of ordinary. The ordinary radical in Jon’s proposal is his way of saying a disciple of Jesus Christ. The true disciple carries the cross each and every day. In other words, Jon wants us to stop modifying Christian and embrace the gospel as a call to death.
From Deconstruction to Construction
So what?
That’s the question I ask in my head when someone deconstructs something. What I’m typically asking myself is, So what am I supposed to do about this? The following are two practical movements following Jon’s critique of radicalism in youth ministry.
Evaluate
Let’s begin exploring the reality of our use of radicalism in youth ministry. The pitfalls Jon points out serve as a great rubric in order to engage in the process of discovery.
1. Do we make radicalism the end of Christian transformation?
This is a big-picture question, and we have a lot of places in youth ministry where we can subtly paint this picture. In our preaching and teaching times, we can communicate that the ultimate goal of the work of God in our lives is for us to become radical. This typically comes when we illustrate the ideal Christian teen living out radical faith. We don’t always communicate that what we mean by “radical faith” is simply Christian faith.
We also paint the big picture in the art and images in our worship spaces. Specifically, I think of those youth rooms that are plastered with blockbuster movies that communicate the message of radicalism. Comic book movies, the underdog sports icons, the passionate acts of redemption—all communicate that what we are called to is extreme acts of witness and not the ordinary acts of witness in the world.
2. Do we create positions of power through our use of radicalism in youth ministry? This point for me is about inside and outside language within the Christian narrative. I first encountered it when a person taught me to distinguish between “real Christians” and “cultural Christians.” What the person meant was well meaning, but what I learned was that some believers are on the inside with Jesus and some are on the outside.
Messed up, right?
This is what a power structure does. It gives one part of the community—radical Christians—the ability to dictate what following Jesus is about to another part of the community—non-radical Christians.
3. Do we exploit students in our language of radicalism?
We can do this in our personal counseling of youth or in our invitations to make decisions about life and faith with youth. We can make statements that play on adolescents’ developmental and cultural impulse for risk taking. We can pump them up with high-energy activities and games then ask them to make radical commitments of faith.
Discover
Engage students with the whole concept of radical in order to discern if they have received radicalism rather than the gospel of Jesus.
Youth workers need to explore the critiques that Jon’s article proposes. This is not to assert that Jon has entirely figured out the issue of radicalism but rather to suggest that we need to discern whether we are staying faithful to Jesus in our life together. It is in exploring the economy of our life with youth that I hope will reveal ways we can grow in our faithfulness to Jesus Christ. By Paul Sheneman
What
is theology? I can see the blank stares of teenagers in my mind as I
ask that question. The ones I’ve asked typically don’t understand the
question, and few have heard the word theology prior to it. But for me—and I hope for them one day—I understand that theology is remembering and telling meaningful stories.
I
was taught that the nature of religion was humanity’s search for God. I
was also taught that God is the matter of ultimate concern. (Gotta love
Paul Tillich!) And theology is our sorting through the gods in order to find a true God. But how do we sort through the gods? We sort through them in our storied reflection on our experience of those gods.
Take
Vinnie—name slightly changed to slightly protect his identity—as an
example of a teenager telling a meaningful story. He retold several
accounts of his lucrative lawn-mowing business. He proudly pulled his
wad of cash from his pocket and smiled as peers gawked at the spoils of
his toil. He talked about working hard in order to get what you want. He
identified himself as a shrewd business person. The money he earned
provided him praise from others, attention from peers, and the power to
buy.
To
Vinnie, making money through manual labor was meaningful. His stories
revealed that it was a matter of ultimate concern for him. He told his
stories with an absence of the God revealed in Scripture, expressing his
belief of God to be just a god.
His identity flowed from what he created by the work of his hand, so he
believed humans to be autonomous individuals who create their own
fortunes or demises. He believed those who worked hard were blessed and
those who didn’t were cursed.
Vinnie
experienced the god of working for money. That god made sense to him
and quickly became his God. So he talked about his God in meaningful
ways.
Theology
is remembering and telling meaningful stories. Sometimes teens share
stories of their experiences of the God and Father of the Lord Jesus
Christ. Sometimes teens share stories of their experiences of the gods
of fame, money, sexuality, pragmatism, etc. The key for youth workers is
to listen and shepherd teens through their meaningful stories in order
to point out the God who is.
Ahh
yes, theology. It’s the eight-letter word good Christians are taught
not to use. Sure, some of those questionable people talk about it in the
dark corners of the foyer. And there is the occasional legalistic guy
who harps on it in small group. But every true Christian knows that what
we need is less talk about God and more relationship with God, and I…half-heartedly agree.
In
school, I was taught to distinguish between stated theology and
grassroots theology. Stated theology is what is in the books, on the
websites, and spoken about in polished lectures. Grassroots
theology—or, what I like to refer to as everyday theology—is
what actually gets lived out, prayed, and talked about. Both are
important in the church, but as a youth worker, my main concern is to
promote and guide everyday theology.
One
way I attempt to promote everyday theology in youth ministry is to ask
simple theological questions. Just recently, I asked a small group of
high school students, “What does it mean to share God with a friend
(i.e., evangelism)? Don’t we believe God is everywhere and so God is
already in your friend’s life (i.e., omnipresence)?” We had some
conversation about those questions, and they agreed that sharing God
happens when we help people become aware that the God of Scripture is
present in their lives.
I
asked them, “What difference has knowing that God is present in your
life meant?” One teen told a story of how knowing that a powerful God is
looking out for him is a comforting thought and makes him happy.
Another teen told a story of how God has given him purpose to live life.
He acknowledged that living for selfish things like money and fame
didn’t make sense to him. Still another shared a story about how she
feels free, knowing Jesus forgave her. She went on to tell us how that
freedom allows her to love her friends.
Then
I said, “This is the gospel of God’s presence that you have to share
with your friends. The Bible might say a lot more then what you just
shared tonight, but none of that has the significance that your story of
God has for your friends.” In
other words, their stories are their everyday theology of the
redemptive work of God. Their stories might not be theologically precise
in the halls of the academy, but they are theologically honest.
Everyday
theology is the starting point for theological education and spiritual
formation. Youth workers need to value and honor everyday theology in
order to promote the growth of students in their knowledge and wisdom in
the Lord.
Questions to Consider: What is more important in youth ministry—stated or everyday theology? How do you teach theology in youth ministry? Where is your starting point for teaching theology? By Paul Sheneman
With the advent of the contemporary youth ministry model over 30
years ago in North America came the warning that youth
workers ought not forget the rest of the local church in reaching and
teaching youth. Rather than heeding this word the professionalization
of youth ministry saw the rise of more sophisticated ways for youth
workers to say one thing and do the opposite. Two things that continue
to hinder youth workers from connecting teens to the entire local church
are professionalism and public education’s formative effect on human
development.
The
professional nature of youth ministry has continued to increase the
split between discipleship of youth and the discipleship of local
churches. The unique language, artifacts, and culture of the
professional youth worker hinders potential youth workers from engaging
youth because they fear not being equipped. Thus the rise of national
and regional youth worker training organizations who seek to equip
volunteer youth workers to engage in the specialized area of youth
discipleship. All too frequently, these training organizations equipped
youth workers with models and techniques that increased the divide
between youth discipleship and their local church discipleship.
I
may be talking myself out of a job but I think that what is needed are
local church leaders who integrate youth into the discipleship of the
whole church. This will definitely mean greater communication between
all age specific pastors and the lead pastor. It may include some
staple youth ministry activities (fall retreat, mission trip) fading
away. It would certainly mean that training would need to be a local
and grass roots activity rather than national or regional.
Public
education is one of the key reasons that youth ministry emerged as an
activity of the church. We are not going to see this cultural activity
end anytime soon but we must practice ways of being in the church that
counters its formative effect on our view of humans. A powerful
assumption that the public education system has formed in many North
Americans is that people learn better in age specific groups. One
counter practice many youth workers are beginning to implement are
intergenerational activities and learning. Thus the rise of mentoring,
intergenerational small groups, and family service project within local
churches.
These
are great steps in counter practices yet we have still not tapped into
the greatest counter practice, communion. The gathering of the whole
body of Christ in all of its diversity at the table is a powerful
counter practice to age specific formation. The action of communion
forms in us the reality that being together in our diversity is the
greatest crucible for learning.
A
youth worker that seeks to connect youth discipleship to the whole
church must address these two challenges. It will take prayer, trust,
creativity, and hope that God will work even in the midst of such
powerful cultural forces.
How are you connecting youth to the whole life of your church?
The Barefoot Ministries team was out at NYWC in San Diego this last weekend. It was a busy and high energy time for all.
We were all over the place from meetings to workshops and bookstores to hangout times. The one thing that stuck with me through the whole weekend was a series of interviews that we did. Kara Powell, Brad Griffin, Eric Iverson, Marko, and Andy Root were gracious enough to sit down with us and chat about youth ministry.
One interesting question that all of them answered was, "What is one of the greatest encouragements that you see in youth ministry?" I won't bore you with my thoughts on their comments because we will have some great videos that will be posted on the Barefoot Ministries site in the coming weeks. However, I want to share this strand that moves through all of their answers...youth.
Youth encourage youth workers in ministry. Youth workers from professional to volunteer are being formed with a hope in the ones they serve. This is nothing short then the work of God. Youth workers are taking on the perspective of Christ, who saw fit to hope that God could use a group of Jesus people to change the world. Youth workers reflect Christ when they hope that God will do the same with young people who live in Christ.
Question to the youth group: We learned about the Exodus a couple of months ago. Who led the people out of Egypt?
Youth Group Reply: Silence. Blank stares.
The youth workers worse fear. We think that we have taught and we find out no one learned. We assumed they were getting it and we find that they were being polite as they quietly nodded during those months of lessons.
The need for evaluation in youth ministry is known by most youth workers. Some stumble into the need through experience and others are taught to evaluate lessons, activities, and events from the beginning. Either way evaluation is important.
The Pew Institute has recently evaluated the U.S. on Religious Knowledge. Most of the headlines report that Atheists know more about religion than religious people. The reports state Christians, Protestant and Catholic, are some of the least knowledgeable.
Whether you think that the 32 question survey is incomplete like Rick Meigs or you see some of the results as shocking like Chris at Gospel.com, you have to admit that the evaluation is necessary. Therefore, I think that the Pew Research Center's survey on U.S. Religious Knowledge affords youth workers a unique opportunity to evaluate teens basic religious knowledge online. Pew has placed a 15 question quiz here. The 15 questions are similar to the 32 questions presented in the survey.
I suggest that youth workers could use this online quiz as a discussion starter and an evaluation. The discussion might lead to some unexpected holy conversations. The evaluation aspect might lead to a great set of lessons on world religions which lead your students to live faithful lives in their pluralistic society.
A few years ago I wrote an article for one of the youth ministry journals challenging leaders to give a test to their students to see what they actually learned. You can't believe the negative response I got from people who told me I was expecting too much.
Great article! Keep it up!
Glen
john dettoni commented on 24-Nov-2010 01:02 PM
ah, yes: evaluation. In my now no longer available textbook on Youth Ministry is a whole chapter on evaluation. Sadly, the book is a textbook, something that most youth workers avoid in their attemtp to keep the circus of attracting youth until the kids leave for college and then often leave their "faith." All because seldom is any reasonable evaluation even attempted. Just keep the numbers up and the kids happy --until they happily depart.
I was going to write a blog article on how alarming this information was too but after really digging into the data I found that most of the headlines in the secular press was completely misleading.
While they seemed to be stating that Christians today a dummies about their religion the data actually show that Christians don't have much knowledge of other world religions. In any case it has been my assertion for a long time that our teens (tomorrows church) does need a better historical education about their faith. The good part about the study showed that Christians today are very spiritual. We've been concentrating on the relationship with Jesus/God not necessarily the knowledge of God.
Evaluation is essential to strike a balance and build the Spiritual Armor we all need.
Barefoot Training is designed to inspire, challenge, and equip you to guide your students into Christian
formation for the mission of God. Each training experience offers an interactive environment where you are
able to design, create, and nurture a biblically based, Christ-centered youth ministry in your church and
community.
Comments
down the road to discover the futility of such attempt (not to mention the futility of emotionalism and radicalism) You are on a good track my friend. May we value, respect, appreciate, and learn from our past but also discern today's teens and where the Spirit
of God is moving in student ministry. keep up the great work
a half ago in my first role as youth pastor and it was so very easy and tempting to drop the bombs that would evoke that emotional response. I've found that the marathon is a much better guide in discipleship. I've been learning to assess my students growth
more by the questions they ask than the emotions they portray. Thanks for this thoughtful piece. -Sam PS: I went through the same process with ATF. Thanks for making your thoughts known.