“I turned to What’s Next What’s Now hoping to find some resources to help post-college Christians understand and apply their faith to the stage of life they occupy. After all, the Reformed tradition has been a thought and practice leader in understanding and engaging culture with the Gospel. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. There are plenty of resources on the site, but none that explicitly relate to things like belief, faith, the Gospel, discipleship or spiritual formation – things that classical Christianity has viewed as central to the purpose of the church.”

When I learned that the Presbyterian Mission Agency was launching a new web site dedicated to young adults ministry I was excited. After all, I’ve dedicated the last 10 years to ministry with them. In my current call I continue to work with our congregation’s growing young adult ministry. Like many, I’m always on the lookout for resources that will help young adults learn to follow Christ faithfully in a fallen world.

I’m also aware that fewer young adults are meaningfully connected to the institutional church than ever before. I’ve read broadly in the area of ministry to younger adults – from Ross Douthat to Diane Butler Bass; from Kevin deYoung to Rachel Held Evans; from Tony Jones to Gabe Lyons. Each of these writers gets some things right and some things wrong. What they have in common is that they’re conversation partners who seem to be taking the content of faith seriously. I disagree with Tony Jones’ panentheism, but I respect how his understanding of the nature and character of God influences his views on emerging culture. I’m not Roman Catholic, but I respect Ross Douthat’s insight into our current cultural moment captured in his book Bad Religion.

I turned to What’s Next What’s Now hoping to find some resources to help post-college Christians understand and apply their faith to the stage of life they occupy. After all, the Reformed tradition has been a thought and practice leader in understanding and engaging culture with the Gospel. Unfortunately, I was disappointed.

There are plenty of resources on the site, but none that explicitly relate to things like belief, faith, the Gospel, discipleship or spiritual formation – things that classical Christianity has viewed as central to the purpose of the church.

Further, as I reviewed the site, I found no references to God. In other words, there is precious little that differentiates this site from a resource site hosted by a political organization. I expect more from a Christian church. You should too.

The Reformed tradition is quite clear in articulating that: “The chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever” (Westminster Shorter Catechism Q/A 1). For Reformed Christians there is no part of our lives – or the life of the world – that can be categorized as somehow divorced from the rule and reign of God.

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