Is Youth Ministry Biblical?
Most of us who have grown up within American evangelicalism have fond memories of youth group. We remember camp messages that focused on our response to the Gospel. We remember youth pastors calling on us to take our purity seriously. Whether it was an all-night lock-in or songs around a campfire, we remember our time in youth group as equal parts fun and spiritual growth. For good reason, we often look back to our 4-6 years in a...
Everyone’s A Winner: Raising a Generation of Losers
by Anna McAffee In our world today, there is a governing philosophy to educate youth with the idea that they can do anything they set their mind to do. “Believe, achieve, succeed”—this is what my former alma mater engrained in me as we would repeat this refrain during morning announcements. No one loses, and everyone wins. But is this true? And is it right? Have we created an impossible reality for a fallen creation? Mentally,...
From Goofs to Glory
Have you as a church leader ever stepped in front of a congregation to discover that things aren’t going as expected? Perhaps something didn’t quite come out right in your preaching or teaching; or you began playing a song in the wrong key, or your instrument was out of tune. Whatever the mishap, we’ve all been there at some point. And usually our only option is to grit our teeth and get through it. We may feel embarrassment,...
Ancient Mythology, Creation, and Hermeneutics
by Matthew McAffee What is ancient mythology, and why does it matter for biblical interpretation? This question has become an increasingly difficult one for evangelicalism in its attempts at interpreting the narratives of Genesis 1-11. Many within the academy have largely abandoned the notion that the Biblical materials reflect actual historical events. Instead, they argue that these texts represent an Israelite version of the ancient...
Pastoring the Aging Church
Aging is no simple matter. At one end of life, a year’s passage ignites celebration and signals newfound freedom; on the other, it signals the difficult, inevitable nearing of the end. If we focus on this latter end, we observe that aging reaches a point where forgetfulness, unpleasant physicals, and a decline in efficiency become regular experiences. The elderly have their own jargon (geriatrics), institutions (assisted/retirement...
Top Posts 2014
by Helwys Society Forum 2014 has been a good year for the Helwys Society Forum. We began a new feature, entitled Reflections, wherein we occasionally post a 75-150 word reflection, usually from something we’ve been reading. Additionally, we have published about 75 posts. We have added a regular contributor, Zach Maloney. We featured numerous guest contributors, including Jeffrey Cockrell, Matthew McAffee, Frank Owens, and many others....
Recent Comments