- The ability to read and understand faith related or theology articles.
- The chance to practice thinking about what they believe.
- We want them to develop curiosity and find reading about faith issues interesting.
Before you say no, and write this idea off as something they'll find boring, give it a chance, and that's more than one week. Here's how it works.
- Take some time to collect some good faith magazines. You can have people donate them or check out your local library or see if there are any other sources that might have back issues. They do not have to come from your denomination. Keep in mind that some Lutheran magazines will not be your denomination, which is a good thing and should provide some interesting discussion.
- Let kids take 10-15 minutes to flip through the magazines and choose an article they think is interesting. Give them 15 minutes to read the article, then ask them what they read.
- Do they think it matches your doctrine? Why or why not?
- Can they see what may or may not be unbiblical?
- If one person has an article they find really interesting, see if someone else has one and ask what the similarities or differences are.
- You may find some unexpected connections. Of all things, make sure there are Bibles and catechisms in the room. It doesn't matter what other people think, it matters what the Bible says.
As you do this, you may find they start looking forward to it and recommending articles to others. The greatest thing that can come of it is for kids to become curious and feel confident in reading faith issues critically. If it's high school, they may find the most interesting articles are about social issues. It'll be great to have time to talk about them. Make the time.
Give it a try and let me know how it goes!
