How to Move Bible Readers from Passive to Active Participation
Participation takes many forms. Understanding the different stages can help as you mobilize others toward a more robust understanding of Scripture. The following types of participation are adapted for Scripture engagement from an economic model, Jules Pretty’s Typology of Participation. When I was doing… Read More
How Not to Talk to Teens About the Bible
I remember one of the first youth retreats I attended as the featured speaker. The retreat center was located in Pennsylvania, and I lived in East Texas. Instead of flying, my wife and I drove the entire way. In the snow. Inclement weather had closed several of the roads,… Read More
Talk Less, Smile More
“Talk less. Smile more.” That piece of advice, from the smash-hit musical Hamilton, is given by the politically astute Aaron Burr to the overly verbose Alexander Hamilton. Spoiler alert: That relationship doesn’t turn out so well. But that line has been running through my head lately, as I’ve been thinking… Read More
Beyond Tweeting
It’s nice to tweet a Bible verse. In a cyberworld of tense news, negative comments, and harsh attacks, it’s encouraging to see Scripture on social media. But the 140 characters available on Twitter miss an important component—the same element that’s missed in any verse-of-the-day platforms, many songs, and… Read More
Together2016: Ways to Ignite Bible Engagement
Half a million people filled the National Mall in Washington, DC, on a hot summer day to reset their focus on Jesus. The event was targeted at millennials, uniting them around the shared belief that “Jesus changes everything” and encouraging them to continue Jesus’s work in the world. Read More
The Millennial Adventure
One of the things that makes us powerful as followers of Jesus is in his tribe we always keep our hearts open to the new person God brings in. In his tribe we always understand that God is touching the fringes and bringing the edges into the center to… Read More
How to Help Millennials Read the Bible
The Rich Young Ruler appears to have it all, but he comes to Jesus searching for answers to life (Matthew 19:16-22; Mark 10:17-22; Luke 18:18-23). Notice Jesus is not searching this young man out to tell him what to do; rather he makes himself available to the young man and… Read More
Coming of Age with the Bible
As a 16-year-old, I read two books that changed the way I looked at life, faith, and God. Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon. I had been a good church kid, paying attention in Sunday school, memorizing verses in Vacation Bible School, even competing on a Bible quiz team with Youth… Read More
How to Use Technology to Help Millennials Read the Bible
I have a love-hate relationship with technology. Purchasing my iPhone several years ago simplified and enlarged my life. With a GPS in my hand, I could go anywhere. I could know what was going on in the world at any given moment, just one app away! I could calculate… Read More
Nasty, Nice, or Not Into It
It’s increasingly clear that the younger generation is a significant mission field. As we plan effective ministry in the coming years, we will have to address the unique traits of the millennials, people now thirty and younger. The “Millennials and the Bible” survey commissioned by American Bible Society and InterVarsity… Read More