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Written by Alan Witchalls
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Thursday, 31 January 2008 22:31 |
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 Youth and children's ministry in the UK today is a struggle. Volunteer leaders and youth workers strive to reach children and young people with the 2000+ year old Gospel whilst meeting the expectations of relevance placed on them by our society and culture. This tug-of-war between biblical reliance and cultural relevance is often won by the louder and more pressing voice of cultural demands.
Christian Youth Work by Mark Ashton and Phil Moon is like a 22 stone giant pulling for the side of biblical reliance. Not only has it been a strong voice for biblical youth ministry since the 1980s, but it also puts into sharp focus the need to stop giving the voice of our culture centre stage of our attention. For instance, the book has (in my opinion) one of the most succinct and hard hitting quotes to challenge us on how we approach youth ministry: 'The most serious weakness in Christian ministry amongst teenagers today is not a failure to understand our culture. It is a failure to take the Bible sufficently seriously.'
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