PARENT RESOURCES
The world is a wild and crazy place for our students. Here are some Christian resources to help you navigate everyday topics in the midst of cultural chaos.
Websites:
Axis - Axis creates Christ-centered resources that are timeless from great thinkers like CS Lewis while keeping our pulse on very relevant shifts in culture. They call this “Culture Translation.” They have three types of resources: written, audio and video. Axis does a great job engaging parents with culture issues. You can also sign up for their Culture Translator Email ($5 per month) and use it to start relevant conversations your teens.
Barna Group - Barna Group is a visionary research and resource company widely considered to be a leading research organization focused on the intersection of faith and culture. Barna Group provides spiritual influencers (such as parents) with credible knowledge and clear thinking, enabling them to navigate a complex and changing culture.
Focus on the Family - Focus on the Family is an outreach that has grown to include a wide variety of broadcasts, podcasts, telecasts, films, websites, blogs and radio drama programs. These outlets feature information, guidance and practical insights on everything from adoption to marriage to media discernment to pastoral concerns. Their vision is: Redeemed families, communities, and societies worldwide through Christ.
The Gospel Coalition - The Gospel Coalition is a network of evangelical churches founded in 2005 by Christian pastors/theologians D. A. Carson and Tim Keller. The mission of TGC is to encourage and educate "current and next-generation" Christian leaders by advocating "gospel-centered principles and practices. The Gospel Coalition has an entire resource library full of gospel centered blogs, editorials, podcasts and so much more.
Approaching the Culture:
Podcasts:
Helping Teens Think and Talk About Politics in a God Honoring Way - It’s important to help teenagers think about and talk about politics in a way that honors God (1 Corinthians 10:31) and makes the Gospel look good (Titus 2:9-10.) There’s so much anger, hatred and just plain meanness online, that it’s easy to avoid the subject of politics altogether. But it’s vitally important to show the next generation from the Scriptures, how to engage on issues, yes even political ones, in a loving, humble and compelling way. This article shares the 4 Big “E’s” when it comes to helping teens think and talk about politics in a way that pleases God.
Podcasts:
This Cultural Moment Podcast - John Mark Comer and a Pastor from Melbourne talk about culture changes, this podcast is about following Jesus in the post-christian world.
Youth Culture Matters Podcast - This podcast has some great resources in dealing with heavy topics. It is from CPYU (Center for Parent/Youth Understanding) discussing issues related to the world of youth culture, children, teens and young adults.
Books:
Reimagining Apologetics by Justin Bailey - How should one proclaim of the gospel of Jesus Christ in a secular age? For many Christians, the traditional approach of apologetics has grown stale. Reimagining Apologetics is a great way to think about sharing the Truth with people who are skeptical and helps us think through how to go about that in a world that "feels its way into objective truth" which is often opposite of our approach. Justin Bailey seeks to address this dilemma by infusing apologetics with an appeal to the imagination, the aesthetic, and the affective.
Red Button Issues:
Books:
Embodied - Transgender Identities, the Church and what the Bible Has to Say, Preston Sprinkle- Written for Christian leaders, pastors, and parents, Embodied fills the great need for Christians to speak into the confusing and emotionally charged questions surrounding the transgender conversation. Compassionate, biblical, and thought-provoking, Embodied is an accessible guide for Christians who want help navigating issues related to the transgender conversation. Preston Sprinkle draws on Scripture as well as real-life stories of individuals struggling with gender dysphoria to help readers understand the complexities and emotions of this highly relevant topic.
People to be Loved & Living in a Gray World, Preston Sprinkle - In today’s world, the topic of homosexuality seems to be part of daily conversation in the media, in politics, and even inside churches, with pressure to accept one view or the other. And if you’re a Christian teen, you may feel overwhelmed by the opinions. New York Times bestselling author Dr. Preston Sprinkle has encountered these same questions, and as a theologian and a college professor he has dealt with these issues firsthand.
Reading While Black, Esau McCaulley - Incredible resource that looks at issues in the Black Community and puts it through a Biblical lens. Ultimately McCaulley calls the church to a dynamic theological engagement with Scripture, in which Christians of diverse backgrounds dialogue with their own social location as well as the cultures of others. Reading While Black moves the conversation forward. A great read, important perspective and brings the reader to healthy conclusions.
Social Media:
Articles:
Safeguarding Your Child's Smartphone or Tablet - “So, your student got a smartphone or tablet for Christmas. How do you safeguard them from unsavory websites and inappropriate interactions with strangers...or friends?”
3 Technology Tips for Parents - This article walks through the 3 L’s of technology: Limit it, Learn it, and Leverage it. It asks and answers the question, “Am I going to treat technology like it’s simply out of my control or am I going to be intentional and proactive about teaching my children how to use it properly?”
Podcast:
Wisely Navigating Smartphone Use with Tony Reinke -Hear about the challenges affiliated with smartphone use to how we can actually use them to do what God has called us to do more effectively. Also discussion about how we can wisely disciple our children in regard to their use of technology. Tony is an author and a non-profit journalist in the Twin Cities. He writes about many things but especially the intersection of where technology and digital media meet the Christian life.
Books:
Glow Kids: How Screen Addiction Is Hijacking Our Kids - and How to Break the Trance, Nicholas Kardaras -In Glow Kids, Dr. Nicholas Kardaras will examine how technology―more specifically, age-inappropriate screen tech, with all of its glowing ubiquity―has profoundly affected the brains of an entire generation. A growing mountain of clinical research correlates screen tech with disorders like ADHD, addiction, anxiety, depression, increased aggression, and even psychosis. Most shocking of all, recent brain imaging studies conclusively show that excessive screen exposure can neurologically damage a young person’s developing brain in the same way that cocaine addiction can.
Competing Spectacles by Tony Reinke -”What images should I feed my eyes? We often leave this question unanswered— because we don’t ask it. Maybe we don’t want to ask it. But viral videos, digital images, and other spectacles surround us in every direction—competing for our time, our attention, our lust, and our money. So we let our lazy eyes feed on whatever comes our way. As a result, we never stop to consider the consequences of our visual diet on our habits, desires, and longings.”
12 Ways Your Phone Is Changing You by Tony Reinke - “Within a few years of its unveiling, the smartphone had become part of us, fully integrated into the daily patterns of our lives. Never offline, always within reach, we now wield in our hands a magic wand of technological power we have only begun to grasp. But it raises new enigmas, too. Never more connected, we seem to be growing more distant. Never more efficient, we have never been more distracted.”
Videos:
The Social Dilemma - Netflix documentary in which tech experts sound the alarm on the dangerous human impact of social networking.
Gospel Centered Resources:
Books:
Gospel Centered Life for Teens, Robert H. Thune & Will Walker - This 9-lesson Bible study, adapted from The Gospel-Centered Life by Bob Thune and Will Walker, gives teens and young adults a road map for living a life centered on God and the gospel. This book offers the chance to center your life on the only thing in the universe that actually has the power to define you, give your life meaning, and shape how you live each day. Incredible resource for Bible Studies with students.
Podcasts:
The Kanakuk Podcast - We hope you’ll be encouraged to have an I’m Third approach as you navigate marriage, family, leadership, and spiritual growth. That’s God First, Others Second, and I’m Third.
Videos:
The Bible Project -The Bible is one unified story that leads to Jesus, but we don't always treat it that way. The Bible Project, makes animated Youtube videos that explore the books and themes of the Bible in a way that is easily understandable and engaging for all ages.
Family Life:
Videos:
Why Should We Read the Bible With Kids?
How Do We Respond to Children's Big Questions?
Guide:
Family Discipleship Guide - “Helping your household establish a sustainable rhythm of time, moments, and milestones.”