A Consuming Youth: Leading Teens Through Consumer Culture - Paperback

by John Berard (Author), James Penner (Author), Rick Bartlett (Author)

Today's relentless, consumer culture--dominated by popular media's emphasis on bigger, better, and more, and catering to teenagers' every want and desire--is leaving our youth adrift in a sea of conflicting messages. Messages that youth workers and faith communities need to decode and redirect from consumption as the primary purpose of youth. Consuming Youth explores the shifts needed to move from the fragmented, isolated and consumer driven story for youth and towards a more compelling story of meaning, purpose and a life lived differently than the one served up by consumer culture. If you're involved in the lives of teenagers, whether as a youth pastor, youth worker, volunteer, church leader, parent, or students of youth ministry, you'll want to read this book to discover how a culturally invented and socially accepted version of adolescence, sustained by consumer culture, has shaped youth work and through the suggestions offered work together to discover ways in which you can re-imagine youth ministry and what it means to be a teenager.

Back Jacket

Today's relentless, consumer culture---dominated by popular media's emphasis on bigger, better, and more, and catering to teenagers every want and desire---is leaving our youth adrift in a sea of conflicting messages. Messages that every youth worker must be able to decode and redirect away from the material world towards helping young people become who God created them to be: givers instead of receivers, servers instead of consumers. Consuming Youth is for any adult who recognizes that following Jesus means leading young people through the pitfalls of consumer culture, helping them discover vocation---where their great gladness meets a world's great need, and unleashing the kingdom of God on earth.