PICK OF THE MONTH
The Dating Dilemma
Rachel Gardner and Andre Adepope Intervarsity Press | £8.99
When I wrote my dissertation on how the Church prepares women for relationships I found myself greatly disappointed that the advice was either ‘Don’t date a boy unless he is “the one” and don’t even think about holding his hand’, or a book about marriage. There was nothing that I felt adequately talked about how to be in a Christian relationship and so I came to the conclusion that I would have to write that about dating. That is, until Rachel Gardner and Andre Adepope wrote The dating dilemma.
This book is everything that I, as a woman in the modern world trying to figure out how to have a godly relationship, have been looking for. It’s also everything that I, as a youth worker, have been trying to communicate to the young people I work with.
Gardner and Adefope start by discussing the myth of ‘the one’, a myth that has done a lot of damage to couples and individuals in the Church. This is that idea that we all have a soul-mate especially chosen for us by God, who will just appear and then everything will be perfect. The authors accept that for a handful of people God may tell them specifically who they are to spend the rest of their life with but they point out that this is the exception rather than the rule. The very tone of the book suggests that relationships involve work, that we have to be proactive and that, ultimately, we have a choice.
The bulk of the book is helpful criteria which we can hold ourselves to. It asks the reader to examine himself or herself, and question if they are in the right place for a relationship; it asks the question: is the idea of romance one which detracts from self-actualisation and finding fulfilment as an individual in Christ?
The writers leave space for you to question where your head and relationships are at, asking tough but necessary questions. I particularly appreciated the approach that they took to the idea that all relationships should end in marriage. The suggestion is that you should start a relationship with the hope that marriage is a possibility, but also be open to the idea that it may not work out bearing in mind that we are only human after all.
A range of subjects are dealt with sensitively and with well-educated responses, including questions about homosexuality, the ideals someone has for a relationship and even the age-old ‘how far is too far?’ Adefope and Gardner write from a place of honesty, integrity and, in some cases, vulnerability. The reader is left challenged, and from my own experience, in a better place to know how to have a godly relationship. This is a book that I would be happy to work through as a guide for a youth group.
Helen Sare is a community youth worker in Horsham, West Sussex.
Boundless: Living life in overflow
Danielle Strickland and Stephen Court Monarch Books | £6.99
Boundless is an encouraging and dynamic exploration of what it means to live the abundant (or as the book’s adjective of choice says - ‘overflowing’) life that Jesus promised. Told through an engaging collection of stories and anecdotes from Danielle Strickland and her husband Stephen Court, Boundless guides the reader through the process of pulling away hindrances and hidden reservations of our lives and plunging headfirst into the adventure of God’s ocean of grace and fulfilling life, practically and physically. The inclusion of moments of focused introspection and prayer make the book into an active experience, one in which the reader can’t just sit back and consider but is taken along for the ride.
Although Boundless reaches some very deep and challenging places, not allowing the reader to be passive and complacent, it does so in the accessible, appealing way that I for one have long associated with Strickland. For those who are on the edge of faith, at the beginning, or who find themselves at a dry or dull place in their walk with Jesus, Boundless will help you dive deeper for more.
Isla van Tricht is a student at the University of York.
Surviving Middle School & Surviving High School
Rick Bundschuh & Sharon Witt Authentic MEDIA | £5.99
The ‘Surviving’ books are aimed at young people changing schools.
The books offer practical advice to students interspersed with biblical wisdom and values. The authors do an amazing job of relaying this in a friendly and accessible way without sounding condescending. The range of topics discussed is quite comprehensive, from tips on surviving the first day to preparing young people for tough issues like drugs and sex.
As the titles suggest, these books were written for an American audience and while this does make occasional chapters less appropriate, on the whole the content transfers easily to a UK context. Their greatest strength, however, is that they show young people that their learning is in their own hands, before offering practical tips on how to deal with that responsibility.
As a youth worker, I found these books a useful reminder of the pitfalls and pressures young people face in secondary school and would encourage graduating year six students to get a copy.
Chris Walker is a youth and children’s minister at Eastleigh Baptist Church.
We are Young and Free
Hillsong iTunes | £6.99
Finally. A worship album which sounds like the music young people are actually listening to! I have been waiting – nay, longing – for someone to do something like this. And Hillsong finally has.
We are young and free is a dance-y, pop-esque album with worshipful lyrics. It is a combination of live and studio recorded tracks, all of which are up-tempo and beautifully produced. The lyrics are simple, but I don’t think that matters: the key thing is that young people will want to listen to this album.
What We are young and free gets spectacularly right is that the songs have been written particularly for this album. They have not taken an existing hymn (or worse still an existing recorded track) and then simply attempted to remix it. These songs are written to be dance, pop or folk tracks – and that’s why it works.
They have possibly tried to do too much – attempting to meet both the wants of dance music lovers (in tracks like ‘Alive’ and ‘Back to Life’) and folk, acoustic lovers (with ‘Gracious Tempest’ and ‘Sinking Deep’) - but, hey, you can’t blame them for trying. This is a fantastic start, and I look forward to seeing where they go with it next.
I would thoroughly recommend passing it on to your young people. More please Hillsong!
Phoebe Thompson is the editor of Youthwork.
TV SHOW The Bible CHANNEL 5
After being seen by over 100 million viewers worldwide, The Bible has arrived in the UK. The budget is big, the scope is massive and the focus is switched to ‘dramatic’, - but is it any good? Well, ish.
First things first, it’s brilliant that a major American network, and now a top UK broadcaster have decided that Bible is worthy of a primetime slot. And it doesn’t pull any punches; wives are turned into pillars of salt, sons are almost sacrificed, Egyptians are swept away, and bearded men talk to the sky.
In many ways, I’m the wrong person to review this. I know what’s going to happen. Spoiler alert – Abraham doesn’t kill Isaac and the Israelites are freed from Egypt. Perhaps in the more biblically literate US this isn’t an issue, but that’s not the same here, and if you don’t know what’s about to happen, I’m not sure how much of an easy watch it is.
Three other small criticisms, and then we’ll be back to saying how great it is. Firstly, it’s a bit ‘steroidy’. There’s no denying that there’s a lot of fighting in the Old Testament, but not to the extent that’s shown here. Fortunately there’s no sign of the Philistine foreskin cull, but there’s still enough sword swinging to occasionally stray into 300 territory. Secondly, it doesn’t give the most positive depiction of faith. In fact, it mainly seems to be emotional men with facial fungus shouting upwards and then hearing voices. There’s nothing about a faith that pervades the entire existence of a person; faith is some kind of divine, airborne sat-nav, and seemingly only for men. And that’s the final point: women are somewhat marginalised. I’m not naïve enough to pin all the blame on the show for this; the Old Testament culture gave a narrow definition to the role of women, but the show misses the opportunity to explore some of the female characters in interesting ways.
Perhaps that’s the thing, the show’s good. Genuinely. The production values are high, it’s gripping, the stories are compelling (obviously), but it’s all a little bit safe. The nature of television means you’ve got to play for big audiences, but it doesn’t offer the fresh angles that would have made it really interesting. Fifteen years ago, this may have been one of the best things around, but in the so-called ‘golden age’ of television, it’s a little bit lacking.
I’m nit-picking. Anything that helps millions of people interact with the biblical narrative is a good thing. It’s not going to change the world, but it might point a few people in the direction of he who came to change the world.
Jamie Cutteridge is the journalist at Youthwork
60 seconds with: Melodie Wagner
Youthwork meets ONE OF THE LADIES the lady behind Hillsong’s We are the young and free
YW Where did the album come from?
MW The album started from writing songs to fill the need for something new and fresh in our youth ministry. The first song we wrote was the single ‘Alive’ and it snowballed from there. We started writing more and found ourselves with about 15 songs that we were trialling at youth on a Friday night.
YW What were the musical inspirations behind the album?
MW We just listened to the charts and to what was being played on the radio, and saw that young people were responding to this sound. But the lyrics weren’t bringing life and encouraging them. So we asked: ‘Why can’t we make this into music that glorifies God and lifts up the name of Jesus?’
YW How involved were young people in the process?
MW Having young people around and getting their opinion was part of the writing process. We like to think they were co-written by the youth ministry. It was through their response to the songs that shaped how we wrote and recorded it.
