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Faith Formation in a Secular Age: Responding to the Church's Obsession with Youthfulness (Ministry in a Secular Age) Paperback – October 3, 2017

by Andrew Root (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 122 ratings
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A Top Ten Book for Parish Ministry in 2017, Academy of Parish Clergy

The loss or disaffiliation of young adults is a much-discussed topic in churches today. Many faith-formation programs focus on keeping the young, believing the youthful spirit will save the church. But do these programs have more to do with an obsession with youthfulness than with helping young people encounter the living God?

Questioning the search for new or improved faith-formation programs, leading practical theologian Andrew Root offers an alternative take on the issue of youth drifting away from the church and articulates how faith can be formed in our secular age. He offers a theology of faith constructed from a rich cultural conversation, providing a deeper understanding of the phenomena of the "nones" and "moralistic therapeutic deism." Root helps readers understand why forming faith is so hard in our context and shows that what we have lost is not the ability to keep people connected to our churches but an imagination for how and where God could be present in their lives. He considers what faith is and what steps we can take to move into it, exploring a Pauline concept of faith as encounter with divine action.

This is the first book in Root's Ministry in a Secular Age series.
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Previous page
  1. Book 1 of 5
    Ministry in a Secular Age
  2. Print length
    240 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Baker Academic
  5. Publication date
    October 3, 2017
  6. Dimensions
    5.98 x 0.6 x 8.9 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    0801098467
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0801098468
  9. See all details
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From the Publisher

Cover of The Pastor in a Secular Age Cover of The Congregation in a Secular Age Cover of Churches and the Crisis of Decline Cover of The Church After Innovation Cover of The Church in an Age of Secular Mysticisms Cover of When Church Stops Working
The Pastor in a Secular Age The Congregation in a Secular Age Churches and the Crisis of Decline The Church after Innovation The Church in an Age of Secular Mysticisms When Church Stops Working
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Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

How Faith Can Be Formed in Our Secular Age

"This is not a 'youth ministry' book. This is a book that holds up a mirror to the contemporary church to help us see how we've come to reflect the culture around us and how that has changed our approach to faith formation. While this shift has had significant impact on youth, none of us are immune. With his typical combination of careful scholarship, pastoral wisdom, and lively prose, Root not only diagnoses the problem but also constructively charts a way forward. If we care about the future of faith formation, every seminarian should be reading this book."
--James K. A. Smith, Calvin University; author of You Are What You Love: The Spiritual Power of Habit

"With a little help from Charles Taylor's notion of transcendence, Root offers a corrective to mere 'authenticity' in a kenotic theology that views Christian formation not as affiliation but as union 'in Christ' in ministry. More than any living writer, Root has sparked the theological imagination of a generation of youth ministers. In a field of practice notorious for 'tips, tricks, and techniques,' this book promises not an easy way forward but one that is faithful nonetheless."
--David F. White, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary

"Root uses the current lament over the loss of the 'nones' to lay bare the ultimately secular understandings of faith that these concerns are grounded on. In exchange, he offers a more biblical, theological, and philosophically coherent vision of faith formation that is grounded in transcendence through participation in Christ. A volume worthy of careful study and consideration for the contemporary American church as a whole."
--Dave Scott, School of Intercultural Studies, Fuller Theological Seminary

"Root's book is the perfect response to anyone looking at Moralistic Therapeutic Deism and wondering how in the world we got here. It is a masterful weaving together of history, the social sciences, and theological disciplines. Simply put, this book epitomizes what it means to be a practical theologian and ultimately leaves the reader knowing and loving God more."
--Amanda J. Drury, Indiana Wesleyan University

About the Author

Andrew Root (PhD, Princeton Theological Seminary) is Carrie Olson Baalson Professor of Youth and Family Ministry at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. He is the author of more than twenty books, including Faith Formation in a Secular Age, The Pastor in a Secular Age, The Congregation in a Secular Age, Churches and the Crisis of Decline, The Church after Innovation, and The End of Youth Ministry? Root is also the coauthor (with Kenda Creasy Dean) of The Theological Turn in Youth Ministry. He is a frequent speaker and hosts the popular and influential When Church Stops Working podcast.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Baker Academic (October 3, 2017)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0801098467
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0801098468
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.98 x 0.6 x 8.9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 122 ratings

About the author

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Andrew Root

Andrew Root

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Hey, my name is Andrew Root (I go by Andy), I teach classes on youth ministry, young adults, family, church, and culture (all with a deep theological bent) at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN. I've written twelve books that are out (and two on the way). You can see those below. I live in St. Paul, my wife Kara is a Presbyterian minister and we have two kids (Owen and Maisy) and our dog (who is the best!). When I'm not teaching and writing I watch a ton of TV and movies and I'm a huge Twins, Wild, and Gopher hockey fan. Check out my webpage, find me on Facebook, or follow me on twitter.

www.andrewroot.org

www.facebook.com/andrew-root

www.twitter.com/rootandrew

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
122 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Shannon G.
5.0 out of 5 stars The Kenotic Model of Christ as the Basis of Faith Formation
Reviewed in the United States on November 8, 2017
Verified Purchase
I heard Andy Root speak last month on the topic of this book. Intrigued by his presentation, I bought the book and began reading it. I have to say, this is one of the best theology books I've read this year. Nearly half of my copy is highlighted.

The first part is a little tough to get through, but it is important because Root lays the historical and sociological foundation for the age in which we find ourselves: this post-modern, post-Christian, secular era.

The second part was incredible. In these chapters, Root uses the narrative of Paul's encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus (and Paul's subsequent visit by Ananias) as the basis for rethinking faith formation. As Root asserts, faith today can no longer be seen as merely believing in a particular set of ideas or making a commitment to a church body (such as in confirmation or membership). Instead, faith must be formed in the kenotic shape of Christ--just as Christ gave up his privileges as God and became a human to minister to us, we too must join our personhood with Christ (be crucified with Christ), be stripped of ourselves, and minister to those around us (Philippians 2, Galatians 2:20).

Ultimately, what the Church needs today is not more things: more programs, more words, more marketing. Instead, the church needs a good dose of negation--stripping away the consumerism, the greed, and the individualism and, instead, laying down our own lives for the sake of others and for the sake of the world.
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5.0 out of 5 stars A Paradigm-Change for Ministry to all Ages
Reviewed in the United States on January 31, 2020
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Faith Formation in a Secular Age introduced me to a whole new paradigm of thought for the Christian faith. By mapping out the history of secularism in our culture, and how far faith formation has come in the last century, Root brings fresh insight to the present. Root encourages us to seek the transcendent God acting within history even now. He points us to the power of sharing stories as a potent method for faith formation in an age where we have no room for anything outside of our closed, empirical, world. I read this book for a class, but have discussed its contents with friends and family, asking them as well as myself where we have functioned in life and ministry under the guise of moral therapeutic deism...operating as if our lives were just a string of cause-and-effect...and where our hearts and our churches might become open to the work of a self-giving God.
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Brian Sturtz
3.0 out of 5 stars Great insights
Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2020
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The book has 2 parts. Part 1 develops the interesting argument that authenticity and youthfulness are interlocked. In our culture being authentic is connected to youth and youth is connected to being authentic. In current culture what is real and true is always connected to youthfulness. Think Pepsi V Coke. Pepsi marketed itself for a while as the "choice of a new generation." That meant Coke was old and not real or authentic. Pepsi was real cause it was youthful. Root makes a compelling connection to how this same idea plays out in our lives and the devastating effects it has had on Churches. Part 2 of the book is a deep dive into how Christians, and the Churches they attended, think/live out faith formation. Root points out that faith is not just trust it is also loyalty. He offers the following as ways that Christian can embody faith formation:
be grateful
discover your gifts for ministry and mission,,
rest; and understand its importance in this age,
be a kind and godly person,
and share and listen to personal stories of ministry.
Root does not offer up any kind of program (which he might say is part of the Church's obsession with youthfulness - we just need a new program). Root reminds the reader that ministry is a gift not a program. That is refreshing. Gift and talent are not the same things. All Christians are gifted. What are you gifted and how might you use them to minister to others using your gift via the above embodied ways of faith formation.
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bellconnor12
5.0 out of 5 stars An essential read for faith leaders today
Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2021
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It's not the easiest read. It's not the most fun read. But Dr. Root's work here is incredible. Through the articulation of our modern cultural via a biblical, sociological, and historical lense, Dr. Root creates a framework that the modern minister can build on. As someone who has experience working in both conservative and progressive church spaces in the United States, the accuracy of Dr. Root's descriptions of both are astounding.

This is exactly the type of work that is essential to ministry today- thoughtful reflections of "both sides" with a reminder and call to action that is rooted (pun unintended, but welcome) in the core Connection with Christ as our minister.
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verlinda baity
5.0 out of 5 stars MTD is like a weed that invades the garden of Faith Formation (Root, 12)
Reviewed in the United States on January 24, 2020
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In this book, Andrew Root (Ph.D., Princeton Theological Seminary) is Carrie Olson Baalson Chair of Youth and Family Ministry at Luther Seminary. Root explores the Western History of the church and finds in the Age of Authenticity, where Moralistic Therapeutic Deism (MTD) begins to surface and the cultural obsession with youthfulness. If youthfulness is authentic, then, youthfulness would be an idol which opposes faith formation. The Age of Authenticity translates as a consumer’s mentality that has been a challenge to the church, that works against the formation of faith (Root, xi). The MTD serves as a kind of faith, but absent of divine action that reflects as artificial-type faith. Faith Formation/Spiritual Formation serves with divine action. I encourage those interested in ministry to read this book.

Verlinda Baity, Memphis Theological Seminary
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Top reviews from other countries

Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars The van Halen of ministry books
Reviewed in Canada on September 11, 2018
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Root's work kept reminding me of van Halen as I was reading, he continues to hit notes in rapid succession and hit them clearly and perfectly on key. This book is one of those hybrid books (in the vein of James K.A. Smith's Cultural Liturgies) that will likely challenge most clergy in both depth and breadth, while leaving the scholar looking for more footnotes (although there are still plenty of those in this book).

Anyone who has read "Practical Theology" knows that it rarely lives up to that title, too often it is simply practical talk, backed up by some sociology, but Root scratches deep down to form a theological framework and then apply it to the church setting of the twenty-first century.

Roots work is a fantastic application of Charles Taylor's monumental work and helped me bring ideas from that volume to have flesh and shape my ministry.

I was pleasantly surprised by Root's adoption of a wide array of scholars, but most impressive for myself was Root's introduction to Michael Gorman's work on Faith, Theosis, and Kenosis.

This is the sort of book that pastors and lay leaders should be reading, deeply thoughtful, attached to significant scholarship, paradigm shifting, while being playful and applicable in Western Society.

As someone who ministers in a predominately mature setting, I have to admit that I was slightly skeptical that this book would have anything to say to my direct context (I am in my mid thirtys while the average age of our church is well north of 60), but I instantly perceived my error that many of these now retired Baby Boomers have been formed not by the faithfulness of Jesus but the values of youthfulness of the 60s counter culture.

All said, my only complaint is I am wondering when the next volume in the series is due.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 12, 2018
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Great product!
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