Youth

With more and more of America’s youth leaving the church at a rapid rate, some ministries are crossing traditional boundaries to stay “culturally relevant.” But is there such a thing as going “too far” to attract believers to, and keep them engaged with, Christ?

In some extreme cases, churches have incorporated tattoo parlors into their ministries or founded “Christian” night clubs for believers who want to get their groove on in a non-secular setting. These moves, despite their good intentions, do not come without criticism. Some critics say such attempts to stay culturally relevant blur the boundary between Christian worship and a sinful lifestyle.

One ministry changing with the times is The Bridge church, located in Flint Township, Mich., which has incorporated the Serenity Tattoo Parlor into its community. more >>

LAKE FOREST, Calif. – A colorful and moving tribute to the life of Jessica Joy Rees, a 12-year-old Southern California girl who led a national campaign to help children suffering from cancer before she herself succumbed to brain tumors last week, was attended by thousands of people at Saddleback Church Wednesday evening.

More than 3,400 inside the Orange County church’s main worship center, hundreds more in two overflow venues on the church campus, and a live webcast audience size yet to be determined, shared tears with Jessica’s father, ministry pastor Erik Rees, as he led the service. Later, near the end of the service, lead pastor Rick Warren gave a message centered on Bible verse John 3:16.

Jessica began a tremendous following after being diagnosed with cancer 10 months ago and then, a few months later, launching her “Joy Jars” campaign aimed at bringing hope to children with cancer across the nation. more >>

A new law proposed in the California State Assembly would dispose of gender segregation in schools, allowing students to attend "elementary and secondary school classes and courses, including nonacademic and elective classes" and related facilities in accordance with their "gender identity."

The legislative piece, Assembly Bill 266, would require schools to allow students to play on sports teams according to their "gender identity" and not their biological sex. It would also provide them with access to necessary facilities, like locker rooms.

If the law, proposed by Assemblyman Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco), passes, a boy who claims a female "gender identity," for example, would have the right to try out for a girls sports team. The new law would require "that participation in a particular physical education activity or sport, if required of pupils of one sex, be available to pupils of each sex." The bill would also require "that a pupil be permitted to participate in sex-segregated school programs, activities, and facilities, including athletic teams and competitions, consistent with his or her gender identity, irrespective of the gender listed on the pupil’s records." more >>

Jamie Grace records hit singles when she isn't completing a full course load in college.

The 20-year-old singer songwriter, who goes by the stage name of Jamie Grace – short for her full real name Jamie Grace Harper – starts her final semester at East Point, Georgia’s Point University this week. It will be hard concentrating, she said, as there's a possible Grammy award to worry about besides senioritis. The child and youth development major is competing next month in the category of 2011's "best contemporary Christian music song," for "Hold Me," a single she recorded with tobyMac of DC Talk and solo artist fame.

"I have always wanted to share God's joy and love with young kids in the hopes it will inspire them," said Jamie Grace. "I feel blessed to do something like this at my age. It's rare." more >>

For the average 12- to 14-year-old American girl, adolescence is a time of growing and learning – a carefree existence – however, for thousands of others, it marks their entry into a living hell of pornography and prostitution.

“Modern-day slaves,” as victims of human trafficking are called, are often forced into domestic servitude, farming labor, factory work or the commercial sex industry. Jan. 11, National Human Trafficking Awareness Day, is dedicated to spreading knowledge about this growing problem in the U.S.

Nearly 293,000 of America’s youth risk becoming victims of the sex trade, the U.S. Department of Justice reported. Research also shows that many of the sexually exploited were runaway or “thrown away” teens who saw prostitution as their only opportunity to survive the streets. However, ministries across the country are working to show these “lost” young adults that “love with no attachments” does exist. more >>

Joel Tanis, the creator of the children's TV series "Come on Over," believes the Bible couldn't have started any better.

The image of God drafting history by designing heaven and earth is one that's always stuck with Tanis. The beauty of it, the Holland, Michigan-TV actor and producer said, is seeing God's imagination interact with existence firsthand. It's a message of creativity Tanis hopes rings loud and clear in "Come on Over" to kids of all ages.

"We know right from the start that God is creating and relational," Tanis said of Genesis. "Part of being made in God's image is that we're creative. I think people are inherently creative and inherently made to be creative with others. We should start developing those things early." more >>