Emerging Voices
Helping College Students Reclaim Christian Proclamation
Foreword by Paul R Alexander
Imprint: Wipf and Stock
Recent research has demonstrated a loss of verbalization, or grasp of the Christian language, in the emerging generations of Western Christianity. As contemporary culture rejects Christian identity more and more, subsequent generations are losing the ability to proclaim their faith well. This is particularly troubling for those on the theological campus seeking to train and disciple today's emerging adults as the next generation of ministers.
Emerging Voices attempts to identify factors behind this phenomenon and to map out a better way forward, particularly for the theological campus. As contemporary issues such as the elimination of faith from public discourse and the ubiquitous influence of technology shape students in the years before college, what can be done to reclaim the Christian language for students tasked with preaching the gospel?
This project combines a deep dive into some of the leading research regarding religion and spirituality in youth and emerging adulthood, alongside of a focused study group. In uniting these approaches, Emerging Voices attempts to give expression to those who most need to be heard in the coming decades of the Christian church in Western culture.
Barry L. Saylor is Associate Professor of Biblical and Theological Studies (Family Ministry) at Trinity Bible College and Graduate School in Ellendale, North Dakota. He has written for the Journal of Youth Ministry, Biblical Higher Education Journal, and Pentecostal Education. He and his wife, Jessica, have two daughters, Peyton and Olivia. He also serves as executive director for the World Alliance for Pentecostal Theological Education, an educational alliance of Pentecostal associations and denominations.
“Saylor’s work demonstrates that simply being a theological school does not guarantee a significant spiritual impact in the life of a student. Theological schools can be life-changing, destiny-shaping places that help students put words (and feet) to their faith, but in order to maximize their potential, they’ll have to move beyond curriculum and the classroom, to conversation, relationship mentoring, and coaching. That represents a new, more difficult, path for many schools, but it’s the only way forward if we want to set the next generation up for success.”
—John Davidson, Director of Leadership Development for the Assemblies of God
“Want to know how teenagers and college students think, especially in relationship to sharing their faith? Then this book is for you! Drawing upon the latest research, Barry Saylor posits that Christian young people—especially those on Christian college campuses—are really exiles in a strange secular land. As a result, they need a creative faith community that equips them to relevantly share their faith. This book is for all college professors, youth pastors, and volunteers who are working with young people and who truly desire to lead them into a vibrant faith-sharing Christian adulthood.”
—Larry W. Caldwell, Chief Academic Officer and Dean, Sioux Falls Seminary
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