Not a Hopeless Case

Description

Is America the next missionary graveyard? Or is it ripe for spiritual revolution? The statistics seem grim. Every year, the decline of Christianity continues at a rapid pace, especially among young adults. Churches across the country are closing their doors, dying, or are being "adopted" by nearby larger churches. What is the story church leaders hear? We've lost the next generation.

But this decline in religious affiliation has not made us less spiritual. Young adults are still asking questions that only faith (or religion) can fully answer. Questions are like seeds buried in the rich, dark soil of our hearts. Nurtured with oxygen and water, they unfold into that which they were meant to become. Absent these conditions, they wither in the dark. Those most resistant to Christianity are those whose questions did not receive oxygen in their faith communities while they were children and teenagers.

Not a Hopeless Case is the story of questions, the questions of young adults about faith and spirituality--young adults who are lost and want to be found--and the questions of pastors who seek to find them.

About the Author

Halee Gray Scott, PhD, is an author and social researcher who focuses on issues related to leadership and spiritual formation and is the host of the syndicated radio show and podcast, Christian Curious. As the Creative Director of the Young Adult Initiative at Denver Seminary, she works with congregations as they seek to understand how to engage young adults in the 21st century. She is author of?Dare Mighty Things: Mapping the Challenges of Leadership for Christian Women. Her writing has also appeared in Christianity Today, The Washington Post, Christian Education Journal, Real Clear Religion, Relevant, Books and Culture, Outcomes, and Intervarsity’s The Well.