Staying on track - reviews by Miriam Mathie
Addressing topics within the three primary areas, Doctrine, Culture & the Christian Life, the Track series is accessibly written for students today without the usual watering down that comes with other resources. As a student myself, I approached reading them with the readership in mind – my fellow students.
Anxiety
This booklet by Ed Welch addresses the issue of anxiety: a blanket term which covers the feeling of fear and unease, sometimes in short bursts or, for some, an elongated period. He balances real experiences, set at the same age-range as the readers, with biblical stories to help them understand his points without coddling them. While it does have a positive and practical tone throughout, it also mentions serious topics like drugs, alcohol and pornography, that I think a youth worker should be made aware of to allow for any follow-up questions that the students may have.
Missions
Emilio Garofalo Neto lays out ‘mission’ clearly and effectively throughout this booklet, emphasising to young Christians that mission doesn’t always have to be grandiose ideas but in our everyday, menial actions. The chapters are short and could work as a small group study at church youth groups or Sunday schools to help encourage young people to act on mission from where they are now – transitioning from childhood to adult mission. The author puts all his points into biblical context, pairing them with key verses so the readership understands the weight of mission in God’s word.
Justification
While this booklet was slightly longer than the others, it could prove to be a great resource for a Bible study that looks at theology and doctrine in a digestible way, particularly for older youth. It utilises major terms like ‘covenant theology’ and ‘justification’ in bite-sized chunks so that the younger readership can start learning and recognising them within a biblical context. Greg Meyer has balanced this book very well, allowing readers to reflect on their thoughts after every chapter; providing references and other resources to check out if they want to dive in further.
Navigating Culture
Culture is something that shapes an incredible amount of who we are: how we dress, what music we listen to, what references we make and what actions are acceptable in our daily environment. It is crucial for young people to know how to navigate this, and Walt Mueller’s book provides a great starting point. He supplies his readership with good imagery and easy definitions without the text feeling oversimplistic. However, an available adult to discuss the aspects of gender and other topics mentioned within this booklet would be advised.
Sanctification
This booklet was sourced from an article entitled, ‘The Good News of Progressive Sanctification: 21 Encouragements’ which means that its layout differs slightly to the others, but it is still equally as effective. It is shorter than the other booklets within the series but is a great starting point for young Christians to learn, break down and understand big words like ‘sanctification’. Ligon Duncan provides relevant and age-appropriate examples so that young believers can find encouragement from his words and implement the teaching into their lives.
Gaming
In society past and present, video games have been met with much criticism and stigma, which is why Reagan Rose’s booklet was a refreshing read. Taking a neutral tone, the author talks about the negatives of gaming without overlooking the benefits it can have in our lives. It approaches the topic of violence later in the booklet without being condescending to the young readership, and provides honest real-life examples that help the reader know that they are not being chastised. It leaves you thinking, ‘Is gaming a side quest that is distracting us from the main quest with our Lord?’
Miriam Mathie is currently [at the time of writing the reviews] a final year French and Journalism student at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow. Alongside her studies she works for the Gospel Literature Outreach (GLO)’s social media and writes freelance reviews.
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