What book should you put on your summer reading list? We asked Intersect contributors this question, and we’ll share their recommendations over the coming weeks.
Today, Intersect contributors highlight books on iGen, women’s discipleship, diversity and philosophy.
Editor’s Note: You can download two Intersect-exclusive ebooks from Bruce Ashford for free. Details>>
iGen: Why Today’s Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant Less Happy—and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood—and What That means for the Rest of Us
by Jean M. Twenge (Atria, 2017)
Aaron Earls: Just as many church leaders feel they are starting to get a handle on millennials, the next generation of emerging adults have arrived. Born in the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s, iGen (or Generation Z) shares many traits with millennials, but they also have unique generational traits that present new challenges and opportunities for the church.
Jean Twenge’s iGen explores the latest research on today’s teenagers and young adults. This new generation will be the first to have come of age in the time of smartphones and social media. Christians need to be aware of how that is influencing students today (and probably us adults as well). Having children in this generation, as well as working with college students at my church, made this book especially relevant. While I didn’t always agree with Twenge’s conclusions, I appreciated her analytical approach to the research, but also her concern as a fellow parent of iGen-ers.
Disciple Her: Using the Word, Work, and Wonder of God to Invest in Women
by Kandi Gallaty (B&H, 2019)
Ashley Gorman: Though Kandi certainly has fun and relatable stories in this book, the bulk of it is a blueprint for how to disciple women in your church. I think her book is especially helpful for students transitioning out of the campus context of discipleship. Usually students have a totally different schedule and perspective on life than the average local church congregant, and this book helps readers stay committed to making disciples outside of the seminary/academic context.
Disciple Her is the book I wish I would have had as I transitioned out of college ministry and into older phases of adulthood, where women are juggling a million different things and have a lot less time to offer. This book helps readers see that discipling others really is possible for them with the right tools in hand! Discipleship isn’t just a college or seminary thing. It’s a whole-life thing. It’s a local church thing. Kandi’s book helps you make a graspable and reproducible plan for the Great Commission in your everyday life.
The Minority Experience: Navigating Emotional and Organizational Realities
by Adrian Pei (IVP, 2018)
Eddy Wu: Adrian Pei writes from the Asian American perspective on the struggles and challenges of being from a different ethnic or cultural background than the majority. The experience of being a minority in an organization can lead to feeling marginalized or misunderstood.
Pei does a fantastic job of highlighting the ways organizations (including Christian organizations) can be intimidating for minorities to feel like they are valued and heard. I would recommend this book as a helpful introduction to better understand the challenges that minorities face and ways to help overcome those challenges.
An Introduction to Personalism
by Juan Manuel Burgos (Catholic University of America Press, 2018)
Josh Herring: Burgos provides an engaging introduction to an important philosophical conversation occurring within 20th century philosophy.
Personalism supports Christian philosophy by beginning with the value of image-bearing human being as a person, and building a philosophical framework from that foundation. Burgos hits the sweet spot of carrying forward an academic discussion while also being readable by educated laymen.
What book do you recommend? Comment below and let us know.
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