Faith for Exiles: 5 Ways for a New Generation to Follow Jesus in Digital Babylon

Discover What's Working and Find HopeNegative perceptions. Church dropouts. Prodigals and nomads. It's easy to get discouraged by all that's going wrong when it comes to Christianity and the emerging generation. Yet what's going right? In fact, signs of hope are springing up all around. InFaith for Exiles, the author of unChristian and You Lost Me unveils major new Barna research that uncovers what's working--five practices that contribute to resilience. Enter the world of resilient young adult Christians and learn how they are sustaining faith. Finally, you can find hope in all that God is doing among young disciples today.Caught Between CulturesIn a world where always-connected smart devices and search algorithms educate and entertain, digital Babylon is the new context for discipleship.Faith for Exiles reveals findings from a groundbreaking three-year research study of young Christians whose faith remains resilient even in exile. Barna president David Kinnaman teams up with former executive director of Youth Specialties Mark Matlock to help you:? Make sense of chaotic cultural changes and respond with compassion to the next generation of believers? Recognize the biblical concept of exile as an essential framework for following Christ today? Discover five research-based practices that cultivate faithfulness in digital Babylon? Prepare young Christians to be on mission with Jesus in the world? Empower Jesus followers of all ages to thrive in our current exileFrom the Inside FlapScreens disciple.The lighted rectangles in our pockets--smartphones and their bigger siblings, tablets and computers--have redefined so much about our lives, including spirituality and the pursuit of God. The ubiquity and power of the interconnected, digital age is affecting how we shape our souls. In other words, screens disciple.In a world where always-connected smart devices and search algorithms educate and entertain, digital Babylon is the new context for discipleship. That means we are all exiles now.This practical and thought-provoking book reveals findings from a groundbreaking three-year research study. Barna president David Kinnaman teams up with former executive director of Youth Specialties Mark Matlock to help you· make sense of chaotic cultural changes and respond with compassion to the next generation of believers· recognize the biblical concept of exile as an essential framework for following Christ today· discover five research-based practices that cultivate faithfulness in digital Babylon· prepare young Christians to be on mission with Jesus in the world· empower Jesus followers of all ages to thrive in our current exileJust as Scripture says, we can remain confident that God has a bigger picture in mind for those in exile. "'For I know the plans I have for you,' says the Lord. 'They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.'"** Jeremiah 29:11|David Kinnaman has authored several books, includingunChristian, You Lost Me, andGood Faith. His day job consists of leading Barna, a leading research company based in Ventura, California, and Atlanta, Georgia. David's work as a researcher and "professional listener" has led his team to interview nearly 1.5 million individuals since he began working for Barna as an intern in 1995.Mark Matlock has written more than twenty books for teens and for parents. He is the principal at WisdomWorks, a consulting firm that helps Christian leaders leverage the transforming power of wisdom to accomplish their mission. Mark is the former executive director for Youth Specialties (YS) and creator of the PlanetWisdom student conferences.From the Back CoverDiscover what's working and find hope.Negative perceptions. Church dropouts. Prodigals and nomads. It's easy to become discouraged by all that's going wrong when it comes to Christianity and the emerging generation. Yet what's going right? In fact, signs of h