David Kinnaman and Mark Matlock: Faith for Exiles

Faith for Exiles: 5 Ways for a New Generation to Follow Jesus in Digital Babylon
(Baker, 2019)

WHO: David Kinnaman, president of Barna Group, and Mark Matlock, principal at WisdomWorks.

THEY SAY: “Today’s society is, for many reasons we will explore, especially and insidiously faith repellant.”

THE BIG IDEA: Distilling a decade’s worth of research, this book presents five formational practices common to young adults of resilient faith.

THE PROGRESSION:
The book’s chapters follow the five practices: “To form a resilient identity, experience intimacy with Jesus,” “In a complex and anxious age, develop the muscles of cultural discernment,” “When isolation and mistrust are the norms, forge meaningful, intergenerational relationships,” “To ground and motivate an ambitions generation, train for vocational discipleship,” and “Curb entitlement and self-centered tendencies by engaging in countercultural mission.”

“The allure of the screen age has surely undermined so much of what we as Jesus followers are trying to do. And yet …”

Order this book from Amazon.com »
Read an excerpt from this book »

Greenwood Baptist Church: No Strings Attached

The church leadership purposefully lowers what they ask their people to do so that anyone—introverts, kids, the elderly—can be involved.

How Can We Avoid ‘Believing’ the Bible While Denying What It Actually Says?

We need to learn, and teach other people, not just to read the Bible but also how to interpret it, so they don’t end up being Bible-believing heretics or Jesus-followers who follow a Jesus different than the real Jesus of the Bible and history.

Is Gen Z Coming Back to Church?

When people born between 1997 and 2007 go to church, they attend, on average, about 23 services per year.