Beyond Moralistic Therapeutic Deism

Chanon Ross has written an excellent article at The Christian Century on helping youth distinguish between the gospel of Jesus Christ and Moralistic Therapeutic Deism (HT: Notes from the Front Lines). The danger is in trying so hard to make youth activities attractive that the church's teenagers become spiritually malnourished:

Teens respond to the message that their faith offers an alternative to the world. But this realization requires a community of adults who embody this difference. Explaining that life in the Body of Christ is different is insufficient. Adults must show how to live this difference. Where are the adults and trained ministers capable of leading youth and their parents into the particular story of God's work in the world?

Truly building up youth is a task not only for youth ministers, but for the whole church. I wonder--can a congregation's youth ever be more spiritually mature than the community as a whole? I encourage you to read the whole article.