Daniel Darling

The great challenge for second-generation Christians is to make the faith of their parents, their own. So often, children of first-generation Christians struggle with their Christian identity due to the nearness of it all. The question becomes, “Is this what I believe? Or do I believe this because this is what my parents believed?”

In Real: Owning Your Christian Faith, Daniel Darling combines his story with that of such notable second-gener’s as: Jon Acuff, Tullian Tchividjian, Jerry Jenkins, Trevin Wax, Tim Challies, and Sean McDowell among others. Each chapter looks at an aspect of embracing the Christian faith and then ends the chapter with an interview pertinent to the chapter topic.

Second-generation Christians have the benefit of being raised in a Christian home, whose parents uphold Christian values, and who develop a Christian worldview from childhood. All these are good things. The struggle, then, is that once the bubble is popped – once they are challenged by different values and worldviews – there is often a difficulty of identifying the moment that they embraced these values. When they realize those values to have been the atmosphere they breathed growing up, often they choke trying to breathe different air.

In Real, Darling offers a tremendously helpful resource to those struggling to breathe something else while they decide whether their parents air is adequate enough.… (more)

Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com

TEEN PEOPLE OF THE BIBLE is, without a doubt, geared towards Christian young adults. That being said, though, I think that the appeal of the book will cross over to both the old and the young, the church-going and the non. Although its layout is that of a daily devotional meant to be used alongside the Bible, it can also be used as a simple reference guide that is both accurate and entertaining in the way it gets its message across -- and that is its greatest strength.

Historical figures were not perfect, and this applies even to those whose stories are narrated throughout the Bible. I think people, mainly younger people, forget that the men and women who lived before, during, and after the time of Christ were fallible humans just as we are. Everyone is a sinner, and the youth of the Bible were no exception. From an arrogant (but well-meaning) Moses to a self-sacrificing (yet sometimes still annoyed) Jeremiah, there were teens and adults who served Christ imperfectly.

This is a book meant to be used daily, with "journal" type spots to work through scenarios and to jot down your thoughts. There is an abundance of Biblical verses that you can use to study further, along with a "did you know?" section, a deeper delve into each scripture and character, and a daily prayer.

All in all, TEEN PEOPLE OF THE BIBLE is a must-have for Christian teens, but it's also a "you might want to check this out" for every teen, regardless of whether they're a Christian or not.… (more)