What kind of Christians should we—and our kids—become? In today’s current Christian cultural landscape, our answer might actually be more shaped by the culture, than by the will and way of God. In response to that reality, James Emery White issues a much-needed corrective challenge to the church in his wonderful little book, A Mind for God (InterVarsity Press, 2006, ISBN # 12:978-0-8308-3392-7).

The book begins with White contrasting the “Christian mind” with the “cultural mind,” a mind that is marked by moral relativism, autonomous individualism, narcissistic hedonism and reductive naturalism. He challenges readers to recognize and break through the cultural captivity of these forces in order to assume the God-honoring posture of using the minds He’s given us to think Christianly. He then proceeds to flesh this out in practical terms by calling readers to engage in the disciplines of reading, reflecting and thinking, all with the goal of developing a distinctively Christian worldview through which to see and live all of life.

A Mind for God is not only a book that will guide the process of corrective self-evaluation, but it can serve as the source of information to communicate with young people. Because they are in their formative years, heeding and embracing White’s message will not only bring them into deeper conformity to the will of God, but will equip them for a lifetime of Kingdom living that will impact the world.

If nothing else spurs you on to develop the lifestyle of thinking Christianly, perhaps White’s thought-provoking quote from Billy Graham will give you a push: “I’ve preached too much, and studied too little.”

—Walt Mueller

Available in the CPYU Resource Center.

The Center for Parent/Youth Understanding grants permission for this article to be copied in its entirety, provided the copies are distributed free of charge and the copies indicate the source as the Center for Parent/Youth Understanding.

For more information on resources to help you understand today's rapidly changing youth culture, contact the Center for Parent/Youth Understanding.

                ©2007, The Center for Parent/Youth Understanding