Faith Forward: A Dialogue on Children, Youth, and a New Kind of Christianity

by David M. Csinos (Editor), Melvin Bray (Editor)

Overview

Knowing how to nurture faith in young people is a challenge, particularly when we want to encourage a faith that is generous, innovative, and contextual. Faith Forward gathers 21 presentations from the 2012 "Children, Youth, and a New Kind of Christianity" conference held in Washington, D.C., and makes them available for those in ministry with children and youth, pastors, parents, professors - anyone called to help young people on their journey of faith. Authors and attendees alike came from several countries and many denominational inflections. Likewise, the chapters express various contemporary takes on Christian faith and discipleship.

This book is a gold mine of information and inspiration for those seeking to engage children and youth in respectful conversation, exploration, and learning in today's complex world. If you are seeking grassroots, forward-thinking, ecumenical, innovative, and collaborative ways to do children and youth ministry, then this book provides the material to move you in that direction.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781770645745
Publisher:	Wood Lake Publishing Inc.
Publication date:	07/25/2013
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Melvin Bray is founder and Director of Kid Cultivators, a missional youth development organization concerned with training youth and the adults in their lives in habits of sustainability (related to ecology, faith, art, etc.). He is a contributing author to The Audacity of Faith and coordinating author of The Stories in Which We Find Ourselves. www.melvinbray.com

David M. Csinos is founder and Executive Director of FaithForward, the organization spawned by the 2012 Children, Youth, and a New Kind of Christianity conference. He is the auothor of Children's Ministry that Fits and co-author (with Ivy Beckwith) of Children's Ministry in the Way of Jesus. www.davecsinos.com

Table of Contents

Foreword Shane Claiborne 15

Introduction 19

Signpost - Unloading Our Ideological Guns 25

1 After the Maps Change: Children, Youth, and a Church Yet to Be Brian D. McLaren 27

2 Confessions of a Sunday School Superstar Janell Anema 39

3 In Search of a Raceless Gospel Starlette McNeill 49

4 Welcoming Rainbow Kids Melinda Melone 61

5 Rescrip ting Youth Education Carl Stauffer 73

6 God Moves Sideways Samir Selmanovic 85

Signpost - Cultivating a New Imagination 95

7 Reason for Hope Ivy Beckwith 97

8 Expanding Children's Imaginations for Peace Amy Gingerich Rebecca Selling 107

9 Nurturing an Imaginative, Inquiring Spirit Susan Burt 119

10 Girls and God when Everything's Changing Joyce Ann Mercer Dori Grinenko Baker 131

11 Missional Youth Ministry Todd Hobart 141

12 Beauty in Brokenness: One Family s Story of Serving Children and Youth through United Compassionate Action Steve Park Mary Park 153

Signpost - Infiltrating the World 165

13 Personal Jesus, Public Faith: Cultivating a Generation of Young Public Theologians Almeda M. Wright 167

14 Inheriting the Earth Ben Lowe 183

15 Bringing Sexy Back: Forging a Theological Framework Dave McNeely 193

16 A Letter to My Granddaughter, Growing Up as a Christian Tony Campolo 207

17 Jesus on the Autism Spectrum Dixon Kinser 213

18 Let's Say Grace Joy Carroll Wallis 225

19 Yours, Mine, and Ours David M. Csinos 233

20 Drawing Future Maps in Pencil Melvin Bray 245

Signpost - Mapping a Lifelong Journey 255

21 So the Gift Can Be Given: The Journey of Faith Formation John H. Westerhoff, III 257

Notes 269

Permissions 288