This past Thursday Wesley Theological Seminary hosted The Foundation for Evangelism’s 2012 Wallace Chappell Lecture. Dr. Andrew Root, Associate Professor of Youth and Family Ministry at Luther Seminary, spoke about the task of evangelizing young people in a culture of quick thrills and flashy imagery.
Dr. Root claims that previous generations defined themselves by their work and commitments. For example, a man might define himself as a “company man” and a “husband”. However, today’s young people define themselves as consumers, by what the buy. Instead of defining themselves in terms of love and their relationships, they seek intense feelings of intimacy in seedy romance novels or in casual hook ups. With young people constructing their identities around what they consume and feelings of intimacy, this provides certain challenges for evangelism and youth ministry.
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