DAVID ADAMS comes to grips with some key issues for teenagers in Unshakable…
Unshakable: Following Jesus in your teens and beyond
Richard Beeston (ed)
Fervr (Anglican Youthworks), Sydney South, 2016
ISBN: 978-1925041972
“It’s not easy being a teen.” So sings Rev TimTom on US TV sitcom, The Middle, as he dispenses his pithy advice to ever needy adolescents.
Christian youth ministry Anglican Youthworks agrees and in Unshakable draws on its extensive library of articles on the popular website Fervr to tackle on some of the key issues teenagers – and in particular teenagers who have made a commitment to follow Christ – face in today’s fast-paced, technology obsessed, time poor world.
The book is broadly divided into four sections – faith, church, life and future, although the first and third sections receive the most attention.
Subjects covered include everything from reading the Bible (and how to put in place some good practices when you’re finding it a struggle), to why you should go and get involved with a church (we particularly like Mark Boyd’s debunking of ‘Seven reasons to skip youth group this week’), what responsible use of social media looks like for a Christian and even whether a Christian should be worried about being cool (that’s right, you shouldn’t).
Responses are presented in more than 50 bite-sized essays taken from the ministry’s website and there’s several different responses for each issue (more than 30 authors are represented in the book including, as well as Richard Beeston, editor of Fervr, Dave Miers, Kristen Young, Mike Everett, Ronnie Campbell and Andy Judd). The chapter ‘Should I use technology?’, for example, has four articles looking why you should ‘keep it real’ on social media, some tips for honouring God when using social media, how to use technology ‘for good’ and the problem with pornography.
The subjects covered do represent a broad range. But the focus is largely on the self and while issues like generosity are touched on, we would have liked to read some more about a Christian’s responsibility to love their neighbour, whether that’s others in the school, their local neighbourhood or even overseas, and how that can translate into action and help shape their life.
Ideal for short attention spans, this is the sort of book teenagers might sit on their bedside table and dip in and out of when they need to. It’s worth noting that as well as the responses in the book, each section also has some further reading possibilities for those who want to take their research beyond what’s in the book itself.
Unshakable is a great resource to help the adolescent in your life to engage with Christianity in a greater way. And while it’s aimed at teens, Unshakable will also be helpful for anyone older who is looking to take their faith more seriously with the sections on faith and the church particularly useful for those new to Christianity.
