Questioning Your Way to Faith: A Book Recommendation for “Discover”
“[Here’s] the beauty of helping young people discover faith: you never know what’s going on in a student’s head until you make it okay to ask their questions.” - Mike McGarry
There’s a fresh wind blowing for a new generation that longs to see the church become a safe and welcoming place to admit doubts and ask questions—deep questions about faith. Part of this change is cultural. Part of it is generational. But much of it is spiritual, signaling a hunger in Christian young people who want to discover for themselves that their Christian faith is truth worth dying for, and Jesus worth living for.
This is what makes Discover: Questioning Your Way to Faith such a great resource for the next generation. From nearly two decades of youth ministry experience, Mike McGarry (from Youth Pastor Theologian) provides clear, concise answers to real questions that teenagers ask. And, McGarry answers them in a way that connects with teens. Not dumbed down. But straightforward and direct, in language they can understand.
Each chapter is only 3 to 4 pages long, covering these important faith questions:
- What Is the Gospel?
- Can I Be Sure of My Salvation?
- Can I Trust and Understand the Bible?
- What is the Trinity?
- Is It Okay to Doubt?
- How Can a Loving God Send Anyone to Hell?
- Why Did Jesus Need to Die?
- How Do We Know Jesus Rose from the Grave?
- Will Jesus Really Return?
- Who (Not What) is the Holy Spirit?
- Why is the Church Important?
- How Do Christians Interpret the Old Testament?
- Should Christians be Tolerant?
- What Does the Bible Teach about Sex and Dating?
- What Does the Bible Teach about LGBTQ+ Issues?
- Can Christians Believe in Evolution?
- How Should Christians Think about Mental Health Struggles?
- Does Committing Suicide Condemn You to Hell?
- Why Pray If God Will Do What He Wants?
- Why Does God Allow Suffering?
McGarry wrote Discover because teens have tough questions that need answers. But they also need to know that having questions and asking them is ok. He writes:
“Teenagers ask great questions. When I think about the most difficult questions I’ve been asked in nearly two decades of youth ministry, they’re usually prefaced with, ‘So, I know this is a stupid question…’ or ‘I feel like I should already know the answer to this question, but…’ and then they ask a nuanced theological question that’s been debated by the greatest theologians and philosophers for two thousand years.”
(p. 9)
What makes Discover so valuable is that it’s a book you can put in the hands of your teenager. It’s the questions they ask and the answers they need.
You can find Discover: Questioning Your Way to Faith by Mike McGarry here.