Young, Woke and Christian: Words from a Missing Generation

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This is an important book that could lead to widespread change. As Victoria Turner says, it shouldn’t be seen as a yet another capitalistic marketing venture designed to attract more customers. It may, I suggest, be a liberation theology for the post-modern age. JPIT is a partnership between the Baptist Union of Great Britain, the Methodist Church, and the United Reformed Church. The 21st century American church has been both passively and actively incorporating woke ideology into their institutions and practices. Strachan observes that some Christians have started apologizing for and repenting of their "whiteness." Often these actions are prefaced with the proposal that we should change the gospel to fit with woke ideology so that brothers and sisters of color will be more comfortable in the church. While true racial reconciliation is an important outworking of the gospel (Eph. 2), wokeness changes the gospel by teaching that white people are never able to fully repent for their actions because they are inherently racist by nature of being white. But the gospel says all have sinned, and everyone can be fully redeemed through the work of Christ. With its different view of sin and redemption, wokeness undermines the gospel. This is why Strachan argues, "[W]okeness is not a prism by which we discover truths we couldn't see in a Christian worldview. Wokeness is a different system entirely than Christianity. It is, in fact, 'a different gospel.' But it is not just that. In the final evaluation, wokeness is not just not the Gospel. Wokeness is anti-Gospel." Shermara Fletcher is the Principal Officer for Pentecostal, Charismatic and Multi-Cultural Relations at Churches Together in England, and steers CTE’s Racial Justice Working Group. Young, Woke and Christian’ brings together young church leaders and theologians who argue that the church needs to become increasingly awake to injustices in British society. It steers away from the capitalistic marketing ideas of how to attract young people into Christian fellowship and proclaims that the church’s role in society is to serve society, give voice to the marginalised and stand up to damaging, dominating power structures.

Shermara J. J. Fletcher’s chapter on homelessness is one of the most challenging pieces of writing I’ve read this year. I often think that as well as a ‘top books of the year’, I should write a ‘top chapters’– this would be a strong contender. Fletcher offers a genuinely fascinating chapter, rooted in meaningful theological reflection and practical experience, that opens a door for something that I think a vast majority of Christians simply haven’t thought through. For example: “ The Church should practise Christian diakonia, which is a deeper type of koinonia that describes a community that ‘works for the welfare of all its members as well as helping to build the reign of God throughout the entire world’. This implies that homeless and hungry people should be wholly inside the structures of established churches.” Summary: this is a strong chapter on an issue and question that needs to be engaged with. We’re trying to help the church align itself with the eyes of someone who lives under the boundaries, the liberation theology idea,” she said. Young people are often referred to as the church's 'missing generation'. But perhaps it is not them that are missing from God's mission, but the church itself. Young people are often referred to as the church's ‘missing generation’. But perhaps it is not them that are missing from God's mission, but the church itself. Anna Twomlow, a seventh-generation Methodist, wrote about food poverty, a reality that should not exist. It was an embarrassment, she said.Matt Ceasar works on the Joint Public Issues T e a m (JPIT). JPIT is a partnership between the Baptist Union of Great Britain, the Methodist Church, and the United Reformed Church. The purpose of JPIT is to help the Churches to work together for peace and justice through listening, learning, praying, speaking and acting on public policy issues Professor Anthony Reddie, who wrote the book’s foreword, agreed. “I see being young as a form of marginalisation within the life of the church,” he said, with people listened to only if they have experience and authority, something that comes with age.

For preachers reading this book, it contains a wealth of personal stories and experiences that invite us to consider these topics from a new angle. We were all young once and yet the world has moved on and we can no longer presume we know what it feels to be ‘young, woke and Christian’” Each chapter also provides useful further reading within the notes for those who are interested. Molly Boot is a theologian, broadcaster and musician. They write and speak on medieval mysticism and the arts, trauma theology, queer theology and neurodiversity.I think it’s almost a call to arms to the suffragettes to those of us who can no longer be peaceful, to those of us who can no longer sit in that dialogue and be not spoken down to, but not fully listened to you either” – Anna Twomlow In her chapter on “Waking up to Ableism in Christian Communities”, Chrissie Thwaites points out that many churches lovingly accept people who are disabled, but more is required, as “disability is not just an issue of inclusion: it is also one of justice. And this is where the Church falls short.” But she, too, found the church failing: “I think that the church should be encouraging its participants to be involved in political movements: it should be encouraging protest, and it should be encouraging large-scale systematic change, which recognises that these issues that create food poverty are based on different inequalities in this country”.

Instead, this chapter offered an alternative view, saying a resounding “yes” to the notion of loving God erotically. “Eros, this way of loving which is passionate and embodied, and takes the whole of ourselves, is absolutely the way in which we love God,” Molly said and this had been a thread through the scriptures and Christian history.

Shaping debate on religion in public life.

May we all heed this timely warning and put on the full armor of God (Eph. 6:10-17) to stand firm against all unbiblical ideologies in our day and proclaim the gospel of truth. Young, Woke and Christian' brings together young church leaders and theologians who argue that the church needs to become increasingly awake to injustices in British society. It steers away from the capitalistic marketing ideas of how to attract young people into Christian fellowship and proclaims that the church's role in society is to serve society, give voice to the marginalised and stand up to damaging, dominating power structures. I think it’s almost a call to arms to the suffragettes to those of us who can no longer be peaceful, to those of us who can no longer sit in that dialogue and be not spoken down to, but not fully listened to you either. He was concerned that direct action polarised society. “We’ve got to be very, very careful that we do things in a way in which is itself loving and caring, and open to transformation and transition to allow the Spirit’s work”.