Friday Review (3/13/26)
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
Why Youth Ministry Needs Seasoned Saints, by Katharine Rose (Rooted)
We often overlook the older generations sitting faithfully in our pews. These men and women’s lives are rich with spiritual depth, hard-won wisdom, and a steady faith formed over decades. What if we find one of the greatest untapped resources for youth ministry not in the newest curriculum or the most charismatic leader, but in the seasoned saints of our churches?
Biblical & Theological Studies
The Dispensational Lens, by Kyle Borg (Gentle Reformation)
As a millennial who grew up in broad evangelicalism, I don’t remember my pastor or teachers using the label "Dispensationalism." But it shaped the way many Christians were taught to read the Bible.
What to Learn from the Decline of Young Earth Creationism, by Marc Sims (Mere Orthodoxy)
One is pressure from without, the other pressure from within. I want to argue that the decline in young-earth creationism is a symptom of external cultural pressures (without), but also due to missteps on the part of young-earth advocates (within).
The Value of Physics for Christian Theology, by Chandler Collins (Center for Faith & Culture)
Admittedly, physics may not interest every Christian, and I am not going to argue that all Christians should study it. I will simply contend that there is great value in the findings of physics for theological reflection. Here are two specific insights I have gleaned from physics for the study of theology.
Cultural Reflection & Contextualization
The Cost of Affirmation: A Response to Messiah University's Student Magazine, by Josh Wood (Everyday Interpreter)
Imputing the motives of deeply religious people, people whose institution has held a consistent theological position for over a century, rooted in a denomination whose convictions long predate this cultural moment, is a remarkable editorial choice. To print it without comment is not brave journalism. It is cowardice parading in the costume of fairness.
How Hollywood Ruined Men for Dating, by Joseph Holmes (Aaron Renn)
The truth is, it’s so easy for self-improvement just to be another way to avoid pain. The fantasy of “becoming the chad” is the fantasy that it’s possible to become the kind of guy that girls won’t reject, who won’t call us the “mediocre men” in every Sabrina Carpenter song. It’s avoiding the pain of feeling worthless because you’re always the person desiring, not the one being desired.
Pastoral Ministry
Preach the Sermons That Algorithms Don’t Reward, by Benjamin Vrbicek (Gospel Centered Discipleship)
I’m not advocating that preachers always find the middle way or seek the supposed safety of avoiding all language someone might deem too left-or right-leaning. May it never be. Instead, I’m advocating not being so tethered to one ideology or another that Jesus can no longer critique your own leanings or your own tribe.
“Let the Little Children Come”: A Brief Case for Welcoming Children into Corporate Worship, by Zack DiPrima (9Marks)
While including younger children may initially have its challenges, the opportunities it provides for evangelizing and discipling the next generation far outweigh any potential costs. The church’s gathering shapes children as they are exposed to God’s Word and the gathered worship of his people.
Family & Parents
What a Good Marriage Sounds Like to Your Children, by Tim Challies
The question every parent needs to ask is this: What does my marriage sound like to my children? What is my marriage teaching, even when it is offering no formal instruction?
The Birds and the Bees, Babies and Me, by Karen Swallow Prior (Christianity Today)
Childlessness can be a calling in the same way that being a parent is a calling, or as marriage or celibacy can be callings. Not to be called to something is inherently to be called to something else, even if that something else is elusive for a while.
From YPT this week
ep.132: Teenagers and Mental Health, with Danny Kwon
Mike and John welcome Danny Kwon onto the podcast to discuss how mental health can affect the discipleship process, and how to care for students who struggle.
How to Prepare and Plan a Youth Missions Trip, by John Wiley
Leading a group of students on a missions trip is an amazing privilege, but it is also a weighty responsibility. Because of this, we need to plan wisely.
