Saint Mary’s Press, 2007, 112 pp., $19.95, www.smp.org
Talking about your faith can be tough for teens, especially members of pietous, highly personal faith traditions—Catholics, Lutherans and Episcopalians.
Long-time Catholic youth minister Michael Theisen thinks it’s a crucial skill nonetheless, and in his Faith Sharing for Teens he offers 25 springboards for discussion, including scripture passages, gospel scenes and pop media.The purpose is to move beyond learning doctrine and prayers to finding the ways God is present is our everyday lives.
The book is written for Catholics and contains several references to “Church teaching.” One of the reflections requires a copy of the deuterocanonical Book of Sirach—so this is not for everyone. Some of the popular media references also seem dated—Theisen’s list of songs contains nothing more recent than The Police’s “Every Breath You Take.”
Review by Steven Saint
