Pop music, piercings and peers. The familiar issues that create conflict between parents and children belie the rapid rate of cultural change surrounding family life. As society alters beyond recognition, the gap between young and old threatens to become a deep fracture in the heart of families, communities - and churches. Urgent surgery is required to mend the gap. Resisting simplistic solutions, Jason Gardner deftly analyses the reasons for the growing generation gap, including the role of the church. He provides practical steps forward for church leaders, youthworkers and parents. Underpinning this hopeful book is an unshaking belief in Christ's burning ability to inspire a 'whole big bad beautiful mix of people to follow him, regardless of their age'.

Jason Gardner

Mend the gap

Part 1 – Making the Gap: Youth Culture and Consumption

Part 2 – Mind the Gap: Generational Tensions and the Church

Part 3 – Mend the Gap: Being God's Kingdom Community

INTRODUCTION

Stark change creates static

Notes

Part 1 Making the Gap: Youth Culture and Consumption

1. In the Beginning: Empire Ideals and Adolescence

Fake expectations?

Empire ideals

Education, adolescence and more expectations

Conclusion

2. The Cost of Cool: The Impact of Consumerism

The branding of youth

In the beginning

The global young person

Consumer pressure today

Promoting brand youth

Wrapping up

3. Swapping Loyalties: The Rise of Peer Influence and Youth Management

Subcultures of youth

From child to adult?

Connected cocooning

Empowering peers

Us and them: the management of youth and the selling of teen rebellion

Moral panics

TV and stereotyping

Moral vacuum?

Part 2 Mind The Gap: Generational Tensions and the Church

4. Technology and the Transfer of Power

Adults as redundant 'filters'

Good advice?

TV and choice

The generation lap

Pop culture

The children of Nintendo

5. ‘Mummy, What’s an Adult?’

The erosion of adulthood

Teenage experience in the East

Rite of way

6. Family Life and Discipling Young People

What's our role?

'Cradle' period

Separate worlds

The way ahead for discipling young people

Inherited faith

Young people and discipleship through the ages

7. Church and the Generation Gap: A Growing Conflict and Challenges to Discipleship

Holistic worldview

Whole-life discipleship

The sacred/secular divide

Inviting people to 'accept' Jesus or 'follow' him?

Sin and Superman

Evangelism and young people

You, me and the kingdom of God

A new monasticism?

Can the church compete?

New mission fields?

Conclusions

Part 3 Mend the Gap: Being God’s Kingdom Community

8. Generational Tensions: Can the Gap Be Bridged?

Generation X – the 'bridge' generation

Generational myopia

Meeting generational expectations

Generation X – a difficult child

Testing reflexes

9. A Family Affair

Strategic ideas for integration

Enabling integration

Making it work

10. Mend the Gap

Culture bomb

It takes a village to raise a child

The future of intergenerational church

In conclusion

Bibliography

Appendix 1: Glossary

Definitions of generations

Appendix 2: Resources

1. Restore confidence in our ability to pass down the faith

2. Emphasize the role of family as sacred community

3. Train parents

"Jason offers a vision of an intergenerational church where people of all ages worship together, learning with and from each other ...You need to read it." - Jenny Baker, Sophia Network  
   
 "I couldn't put this book down." - Matt Summerfield, Urban Saints  
   
 "A compelling insight into the challenges of creating and cherishing multi-generational church." - Jill Rowe, Oasis UK Church   
   
 "This book takes on the absolutely vital task of bringing the generations back together again, and does so with cultural insight, biblical rigour, love for young people and confidence in the potential of the local church." - Mark Greene, LICC  
   
 "Born out of a deep concern, yet brimming with optimism, the pages of this book contain a wake-up call. Read it and act!" - Phil Green, Evangelical Alliance

The Good Book Stall

I have to be honest this book is touted as an analysis of the generational gap aimed at youth-workers, Church Leaders and Parents in order to stop the rot, for want of a better term. However for me, though it may be a book for Youth Workers and church -leaders it isn’t one that really helps in the generational rebalance. It is an interesting book for a youth-worker, but (though not simplistic) much of it is obvious and it is biased to the youth with the emphasis being on change being needed within the older generations to solve the problems. Definitely an interesting book for a youth-worker as it does have some good material on youth spirituality and society.

Mend the Gap

Navigation Bar

Header Default

Download the Christian360 App to read eBooks and listen to Audiobooks bought at Christian360

Download the App

Mend the gap

Description

Need support?

Customer reviews

Download the App

Download the App