According to statistics, young adults are more disenchanted with the church than ever.
Beyond the statistics are the stories—real people with real opinions and real experiences. These people are more than just numbers. They are your son or daughter, the barista at your favorite café, a young coworker, the college student you sit next to at church.
What if we took the time to listen to the voices behind these statistics? What if we sat down and talked face to face with some of these people and really heard what they had to say?
That is exactly what Jim Henderson, Todd Hunter, and Craig Spinks do in The Outsider Interviews. Journey with them as they travel the country interviewing young adults, listening to their candid stories and probing questions about Christianity. Come along. Meet these amazing young people. See the hearts behind the charts . . . and start some conversations of your own.
Guest Review by my MOM :)
While I was reading this book and watching the video, I was looking back on my youth. I was the daughter of a minister (1940's, 1950's), and felt exactly as the young people who were interviewed here. So 50 years later, not much has changed, except that now we are able to talk about our dissatisfaction with the church openly. Unchurched people have always looked for authenticity in Christians, and questioning the authority of church, parents and even government has been a way of life for countless young people since the early 1960's when the hippie culture gave permission to do so. The Christian culture, however, has most certainly changed, and now seems to operate from the head rather than from the heart in most cases. Not much really changes in the church except how we do church. The experience of seeing people come to salvation rarely happens in church anymore, so while I enjoyed the book, I don't think it provides any new or effective methods. So I think the book is well done and is worth a read, and I agree that what "outsiders" really want is to be loved into loving Jesus.
Thanks so much to Baker Books for sending me a review copy of this book.
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