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Troubling Jesus
Part 3 of the Translating God research project takes us into the room as young people explore and discuss five Biblical stories for the first time.
Format:
Books, Downloads
Throughout history God has spoken through young people, often using their youth to challenge and disrupt older generations’ traditions. Each generation must work out how to contextualise the Christian story within the culture and lives of young people.
In recent years the spiritual landscape has shown a rapidly ageing Church and a younger generation more likely to describe themselves as having no religion. Many haven’t so much “left” church as never been part of it. As society grows more secular, we can no longer assume young people have a framework for understanding Christian faith, its stories, or its practices. With some now reportedly turning up in church, this translation task feels even more urgent.
In this phase of Translating God we listened to how non-Christian young people make sense of Scripture. What they shared was sometimes deeply uncomfortable, unsettling interpretations we may be overly familiar with and offering fresh perspectives on God and Jesus that can sound almost heretical at first.
Yet this is where their lived experience meets the living Gospel, and what happens in that space should matter to the Church.
This 140 page report is available in a print edition or as a digital download. Downloads are available immediately in your account.
How to use
- Essential reading for church leaders, parents and youth workers - and everyone interested in how the gospel message can be best expressed to young people.
- Use as a basis for a youth worker training session to discuss the different findings of the report.
- Read as a guide alongside the new Translating God resources that put the report findings into practice.
- Share the report with young people and explore how they would have approached the same Bible passages.
