Today’s show is led by Kerby Anderson. He welcomes Dr. John Seel and Matthew Soerens.
John, an expert on Millennials, has a new project and book called, “The New Copernicans.” Matthew Soerens has co-authored a new book, “Welcoming the Stranger: Justice, Compassion & Truth in the Immigration Debate.”
Our guests and the current topics on Kerby’s list will make this a great show!!
Please call us with your opinion at 800-351-1212 or contact us on facebook at facebook.com/pointofviewradio.
Analyst, Entrepreneur, Author - New Copernican Conversations
Dr. John Seel is a cultural analyst and cultural renewal entrepreneur, and the founder of a social impact consulting firm working with people and projects that foster human flourishing and the common good. The former director of cultural engagement at the John Templeton Foundation, Seel is a national expert on millennials. He is a fellow of cultural engagement at the Windrider Institute at the Sundance Film Festival and directs the New Copernican Empowerment Dialogues at The Sider Center at Eastern University.
Seel has a Ph.D. in American Studies from the University of Maryland (College Park), and a M.Div. from Covenant Theological Seminary. He and his wife live in Pennsylvania. He’s the author of the recently released book, The New Copernicans: Millennials and the Survival of the Church.
The New Copernicans: Millennials and the Survival of the Church
Warning: There is a fundamental frame of reference shift in American society happening right now among young adults. You may think of this group as millennials—those born between 1980 and 2000—but millennials resist this label for good reason: the national narrative on them is pejorative, patronizing, and just plain wrong.
Here's what we do know:
Of Americans with a church background, 76 percent are described as "religious nones" or unaffiliated—and it's the fastest growing segment of the population.
Close to 40 percent of millennials fit this religious profile.
Roughly 80 percent of teens in evangelical church high school youth groups will abandon their faith after two years in college.
It's unlikely that the evangelical church can survive if it is uniformly rejected by millennials, and yet:
Millennial pastors and youth ministers are disempowered; their perspective is often not taken seriously by senior church leadership.
Most millennial research is framed in categories rejected by millennials; that is, left-brained, analytical communication is lost on right-brained, intuitive millennials.
Evangelicals' bias toward rational left-brained thinking makes the church seem tone-deaf.
What's next? Read on. John Seel suggests survival strategies—communication on-ramps for genuine human connection with the next generation. It can be done.
Author & US Director of Church Mobilization - World Relief
Matthew assists churches in understanding the complexities of immigration from a biblical perspective. He previously worked as a Board of Immigration Appeals accredited legal counselor at World Relief’s local office in DuPage County, Illinois and, before that, worked with World Relief Nicaragua. Matthew is the co-author, with Jenny Yang, of Welcoming the Stranger: Justice, Compassion & Truth in the Immigration Debate. He also serves as the Field Director for the Evangelical Immigration Table, a coalition of Christian organizations of which World Relief is a founding member. Matthew earned his bachelor’s degree from Wheaton College and a master’s degree from DePaul University’s School of Public Service. Originally from Neenah, Wisconsin, Matthew now lives in suburban Chicago.
Welcoming the Stranger: Justice, Compassion & Truth in the Immigration Debate
Immigration is one of the most complicated issues of our time. Voices on all sides argue strongly for action and change. Christians find themselves torn between the desire to uphold laws and the call to minister to the vulnerable. In this book World Relief immigration experts Matthew Soerens and Jenny Yang move beyond the rhetoric to offer a Christian response to immigration. They put a human face on the issue and tell stories of immigrants' experiences in and out of the system. With careful historical understanding and thoughtful policy analysis, they debunk myths and misconceptions about immigration and show the limitations of the current immigration system. Ultimately they point toward immigration reform that is compassionate, sensible, and just as they offer concrete ways for you and your church to welcome and minister to your immigrant neighbors. This revised edition includes new material on refugees and updates in light of changes in political realities.
Moral Standards on the Decline
By: Alex Chediak - stream.org - June 9, 2018 Americans are becoming more permissive on moral issues like smoking pot, same sex relations, divorce, pornography, even polygamy. That’s according to Gallup’s annual Values and Beliefs ...