Friday Review (12/12/25)
Each week we compile a list of helpful articles from other sites, in a variety of categories, for youth workers to read, reflect on, and/or discuss with parents and volunteers. If you have any articles you’d like to suggest, we’d love for you to share those in the Youth Pastor Theologian Facebook group. That’s a great way to bring them to our attention and to discuss them with like-minded youth workers! (Inclusion in this list does not imply complete agreement with the publishing source, but we have found these articles to be beneficial.)
Youth Ministry
Two Truths and an Opportunity to Disciple Young People in the Age of the Smartphone, by Jez Field (Think Theology)
In a world like this, one where more than twenty-four thousand minutes of new user video is uploaded to YouTube every minute of every day, how can the church ensure we’re doing what we can to disciple our young people? Here’s two things every parent, pastor and youth worker needs to know, followed by one opportunity not to be missed:
Let The Young Man Come To Church With Mixed Motives, by Steven McAlpine
Has there ever been a cohort more scrutinised for seeking out the message of the gospel and the refuge of the church than The Young Man cohort at this particular point in history? Has there ever been a level of scepticism levelled towards seekers than towards this particular type of seeker – The Young Man?
Biblical & Theological Studies
Doug Wilson vs. Public Schools: On the Freedom of the Gospel, by Owen Strachan (To Reenchant the World)
The Lordship of Christ does not mean that we eject from the world and create a parallel Christian universe. The Lordship of Christ means we engage our world with God’s grace and truth, doing so not from a posture of fear or antagonism, but faith and love.
My Top 10 Theology Stories of 2025, by Collin Hansen (The Gospel Coalition)
Looking back on 2025, we see a year of commas, not periods. Not much has been settled in the last year. Almost all major news stories pose the question “So what’s next?”
Cultural Reflection & Contextualization
Gift Giving in an Age of Abundance, by O. Alan Noble (You Are Not Your Own)
There is something powerful about gift giving. It’s part of what makes Christmas magical: the sacrifice of self for another, the excitement, the offering. But what if the offering is an empty vessel? What if we’re just buying different shapes of plastic for each other?
Two Politics, One Table, by Greg Stier
Our world might be different, but the dynamic is the same. Believers today sit in the same pews, holding very different opinions about policies, candidates, and cultural debates. And once again, Jesus invites all of us, regardless of where we’re starting, to follow Him first.
Pastoral Ministry
A Plea to Older Women, by Barbara Harper (Stray Thoughts)
Instead of ridiculing or talking down to younger women, let’s edify them. Instead of sharing what we think of as our better ways, let’s share from our own failures and faults how the Lord gave us grace and helped us overcome.
Preparing Future Ministers, by Kyle E. Sims (Gentle Reformation)
How can we encourage young men to explore and answer a call to ministry? How can we ensure that they are prepared to pastor our denominations in the years and decades to come? Here are a few suggestions.
Family & Parents
Mama, You Don’t Have to Save Christmas, by Staci Eastin
But even though the stressors many young moms face were absent for me, I always seemed to face the holiday season in a state of low-key panic that I wouldn’t be able to pull it off. I certainly have bigger regrets as a mother, but I do wish I could go back and tell my younger self to take a deep breath.
Your Wife Is Beauty: The Song’s Response to Male Sexual Distortion, by Joe Hussung (Biblical Counseling Coalition)
I’m afraid that many of us who counsel men regularly encounter this issue with husbands, and there is often mixed messaging in the way we think about physical beauty. However, the Scriptures give us a foundation for beauty, offer a better focus for beauty, and help undo the distortions caused by our sin in our perception of beauty.
From YPT this week
ep.122: The State of Theology in Youth Ministry
We filtered results of the State of Theology 2025 report to represent those who tend to serve as volunteer youth leaders. We need to discuss what these results uncover.
Teaching the Advent Theme of Peace, by Cody Cagle
Even when surrounded by noise and busyness, teenagers are starving for peace. The good news of Advent is that the Christmas story speaks directly to this need.