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Evaluating the “Word According to GenZ” Controversy

The Word According to GenZ is a devotional for teenagers published by LifeWay. It’s written by a ministry named “Sunday Cool,” headed up by Carll Hooper, who is well known for their YouTube videos. “Cool Carll” and his crew are known for their over-the-top depictions of today’s teenagers and often include some form of biblical message intertwined into the video, though some of them are simply intended for comedic relief. Their videos are obviously meant to be caricatures and should be taken as satire.

The book was cancelled by LifeWay only a few days after its release when there were significant complaints about it being irreverent and disrespectful. It seems that many who were in uproar didn’t realize this was a devotional book, not a new bible translation – although I doubt that would have changed their opinions. Further, it was cancelled very shortly after Lifeway Students had concluded a livestream for youth workers that featured a segment with Cool Carll and the Sunday Cool team, discussing this very resource. Needless to say, the response from the youth ministry community felt like a whiplash and they were left confused. It came off like youth pastors were being called into the Senior Pastor’s office after parents started complaining about their ministry based off a partial truth.

As a veteran, theologically-minded youth pastor who’s still in the trenches, I’ve been watching this conversation with interest and am sympathetic to both camps. I don’t actually have a copy of the book. Now that it’s unavailable, it looks like that won’t be possible for quite some time (Sunday Cool seems to be working on its own distribution plan for the book, apart from LifeWay). Here’s my attempt to capture what we can learn from this controversy.

What’s Good About The Word According to GenZ

The devotional was based off the ESV translation and included a devotional message for students. This is a good and helpful way to engage students with Scripture and to guide them into further reflection about the Word of God.

Screenshot from a youth pastor, shared on a Facebook group
(I was unable to locate the original poster, sorry!)

As the image above shows, each day’s devotional included a devotional intended to help a postChristian generation consider the truth of Scripture. There was never any intention to provide an actual “translation” of Scripture. The section headed as “GenZ Translation” is a tongue-in-cheek way to draw students in. As students read the ridiculous “translation,” they need to refer to the actual ESV translation to make sense of the GenZ version, and then read the devotional to understand what the passage means for life.

GenZ is composed of today’s teenagers through early 20-year-olds. They are the least Christian generation in American history, many of whom have very little familiarity with Christian teaching or the contents of Scripture. Gone are the days when pastors and youth workers can assume any biblical foundation off which to build. Statements like, “As you know…” and “You’ve probably heard this verse/story before…” only makes GenZ feel like they don’t belong, because they don’t know and they haven’t heard. A resource like The Word According to GenZ might actually be compelling enough to draw unchurched teenagers to read it.

Cool Carll, and Sunday Cool, understands the worldview of GenZ and is committed to the call of the Great Commission. These should be affirmed and cause Christians to have a posture of graciousness towards their ministry.

What’s Concerning About The Word According to GenZ

Today’s generation of teenagers have a sarcastic and irreverent sense of humor. As someone who tends towards sarcasm, I can easily get drawn down those paths. That also means I know how easy it is for sarcasm and jokiness to overshadow something that’s valuable and meaningful. This is my chief concern here. The form may be overshadowing the function.

Even if we give The Word According to GenZ the benefit of the doubt and view the “GenZ translation” as a type of teaching-hook or introduction into the actual content, I’m skeptical that students would remember that content. More realistically, I think they’d read through the GenZ translations, laugh about it, then close the book. And then what are we left with other than turning the words of the Bible into a joke?

This is where I can sympathize with the critics. I think it’s a stretch to say this devotional is blatantly disrespectful to Scripture, especially when you consider the intended audience and purpose. Indeed, the very purpose is to point students to the timeless truth God’s Word, rather than to try and re-create it to be palatable to a new generation.

And this reaches my primary concern. Much about youth ministry over the years has been very well-intentioned, but the actual ministry didn’t measure up with the mission because it has been so clothed in the culture that the gospel has been overshadowed. Consider students who attend a high-energy evangelistic event with lots of giveaways and food where the materialism of the night actually counteracts the treasure-in-heaven that was proclaimed. God can (and does!) use any opportunity where the gospel is proclaimed to transform lives, but that doesn’t mean it was the best vehicle for evangelism.

Consider the video below. Although I do think it’s funny and entertaining, I’m also somewhat uncomfortable with that. Not uncomfortable because I feel the need to impress anyone or be accepted by the “serious people,” but because it actually does make the Bible into a punchline. Although it’s funny, it’s the type of funny joke that slowly erodes the foundations of what is good and true and beautiful.

Devotionals are good and helpful resources for those of us who are committed to passing the faith on from generation to generation. This is especially true when discipling students who didn’t grow up attending church and have little (or no) biblical background. But, despite Cool Carll’s good intentions, I have a hard time seeing this as the best resource for the job. Students who would actually read the devotional portions would be better served by other resources, while students who won’t read the devotionals are merely laughing at the GenZ translations.

All this said, I do not believe The Word According to GenZ deserves the hate and criticism it’s receiving. There are many books that actually mislead readers, teach false doctrine, and should be cancelled immediately for teaching heresy. This is not one of those books. While I don’t plan on using the devotional with my students, I am thankful for Sunday Cool’s ministry. I merely believe they’ve missed the mark on this particular project because the form has overshadowed the function.

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Four Ways to Read Your Bible

“Read your Bible.” It’s common advice to hear in church. Let’s pretend that you’re a new Christian hearing this advice, so on Monday morning you wake up half an hour early to do it. As you sit at the kitchen counter and set your english muffin and coffee down, you grab your Bible to wonder… “Ok, what now?” 

This raises a very practical question that I’m concerned we often overlook in church. Maybe we’ve told people what they’re supposed to do, and maybe we’ve even persuaded them to want to do it… but have we equipped them to know how to actually do it? In a previous post I covered a few basic ideas about How to Read Your Bible, but in this article I want to give four different methods that can help you realistically start reading your Bible. For other options, check out this post from my friends at LeaderTreks, How to Teach Students to Study the Bible.

Four Important Questions

These are four helpful questions to ask when studying the Bible. Usually, it is most effective to use these questions with a journal at-hand so you can write down some basic thoughts and reflections along the way. 

  1. What? Understand the original meaning. This involves working through basic “Who? What? Where? When? Why? How?” types of questions. Resist the urge to jump into application until after you’re sure you know what this Scripture passage actually means. 
  2. So What? Next, uncover the teaching of the passage. Do this by asking questions like, “What was the author trying to say to the original readers?” and “Of all the things that could be included in Scripture, why is this in here?” 
  3. Where’s the Gospel? Since all Scripture is about Jesus (Luke 24:25-27), any understanding of a passage that overlooks its relationship with Jesus is an incomplete understanding. Does this passage foreshadow the type of salvation God would offer, or display people’s failure to save themselves, or highlight our sinful depravity and need for salvation? For more on this, see Bryan Chapell’s article 4 Ways Your Whole Bible Points to Jesus or The Bible Project’s ebook The Scarlet Thread Through the Bible.
  4. Now What? Now it’s time for explore what the passage means for you. Based off the first three questions, what can you learn about God, yourself, the world, and the Christian life? Consider both general and specific ways this passage should shape your head/thoughts, heart/emotions, and hands/actions.

Read Until You Hit The Next Lightpost 

When non-runners want to become runners, one of the common methods they employ is to run the distance between a lightposts, then walk to the next light post, then keep repeating until they’re able to run the distance between two lightposts, then three, etc. When people start reading the Bible, it’s helpful to follow a similar approach. Instead of starting off with an in-depth approach, simply read until you reach something worth chewing on. Keep a journal to write down some notes. Turn your reflections and meditations on that keyword or idea into a prayer.

Bible Journaling

Find a fresh journal, a comfortable pen to write with, and your Bible. After reading a passage through, probably two or three times, write out a key verse or phrase that stands out to you. In your journal, write about why it catches your attention. More importantly, write about what that verse or phrase actually means in the text, not just about how it makes you feel. One of the benefits of journaling is it can guide us into deeper reflection, even if our mind tends to wander from time to time – once you get back on track, simply resume where you left off. 

It may also be a helpful practice to write out your prayers. Using the pages at the end of your journal, you can create a list of prayer requests others have shared with you, along with the date when you entered it. Then, during your Bible reading time you can journal about the Bible passage on the front of a page, and then write out your prayer (with the prayer requests in the back to remind you who to cycle through in your prayer-list) on the back-side of that same page. Remember, you aren’t writing a book, so don’t feel pressure to write significant amounts or use perfect grammar. The chances of anyone else reading what you write is very very slim – so resist the temptation to write as if you’re writing the next “My Utmost for His Highest” or anything like that. Simply read your Bible, write out your meditations, and pray. 

Study a Book of the Bible

If you are interested in studying a book of the Bible or a portion of Scripture (like the Sermon on the Mount) over the course of a month, this may be a helpful method to consider. 

  1. Read it in large sections quickly. If possible, set aside time to read it through in one sitting, potentially two days in a row. This will help you see the big picture.
  2. Read it in medium-sized sections. Slow down the reading by reading through chapters or other medium-sized sections of the passage in order to dig into the different emphases throughout the book. 
  3. Read small portions very slowly. By slowing down to read just a few verses at a time, you’ll pay careful attention to key words that stand out. At this level it is especially helpful to pay attention to conjunctions (if, therefore, because, but), because they connect the various sections together. 

Whichever method you choose, reading the Bible consistently over a long period of time will be of immense benefit to your soul.

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How to Not be a Heretic

What you believe matters. Your beliefs about the world, yourself, and God are always operating in the background of your mind, shaping your decisions and passions. Especially today, where tolerance is often talked about but little practiced, talking about religious belief is difficult and tricky.

Being a Christian means you believe certain theological statements are true while rejecting other claims about God and religion are not true. Of course, that’s not unique to Christianity. Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and even Atheism have their own “theological walls” that set the boundaries… and if you pass those boundaries then you can no longer be considered a part of that theological camp.

For example,

  • An Atheist cannot believe in intelligent design.
  • A Buddhist cannot believe the Jesus is the only way to heaven.
  • A Christian cannot believe there are multiple paths to heaven.

While some people throw the word “Heretic” at anyone with whom they have a strong disagreement, that doesn’t capture what heresy is. Heresy is a teaching that undercuts and contradicts the essential teachings of a religion. This is why Christians may disagree regarding Baptism or the Lord’s Supper, but Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses are considered cults who are outside the bounds of true Christianity. airplane-wreck Continue reading “How to Not be a Heretic” →

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What is the Bible?

 

Steve and Rob are friends who are discussing the meaning of life. Steve is convinced the purpose is to simply do good, be happy, and leave the world a better place than it was before you were born. Rob generally agrees with his friend, and he prods Steve for clarity over what it means to be good, what happiness is, and what the world “should” look like.

In the end, they agree their disagreements flow from a big difference in their epistemology (ep-iss-ta-maw-lo-gee), or, “how you know what you know.” Steve believes that we each determine our own truths, so long as they don’t do harm to others around us. Rob is a Christian who believes the Bible is the final authority and measure of truth. In his frustration about Rob’s continual mention of the Bible, Steve expresses, “What even IS the Bible? It’s just a book, and it’s not even trustworthy. People made it up and threw it together, stop talking about the Bible!”

According to a joint-study of Barna Group and American Bible Society’s on The State of the Bible,

  • 80% of Americans consider the Bible sacred literature.
  • 1/3 of Americans claim to read the Bible at least once a week.
  • 62% have a desire to read the Bible more frequently.
  • 50% of American Christian Millennials believe it is the Word of God and has no errors (some verses were meant to be taken figuratively, and not every verse is literal)
  • 27% of American Millennials who are not Christians believe the Bible is a dangerous book which promotes oppression.
  • 19% of American Millennials who are not Christians believe the Bible is completely outdated and has no relevance to life today.

The impact of the Bible on history cannot be disputed. But what is the Bible? Is it any different from other books? And is the Bible trustworthy?

The purpose here is not to persuade anyone new that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, but to clarify historic Christian teaching about what the Bible is.

bible Continue reading “What is the Bible?” →

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How to Read Your Bible

The Christian who doesn’t read will always struggle to hear God speak. Because God has chosen to give us his Word in written form through the Holy Bible. And as Mark Twain is supposedly said, “He who does not read has no advantage over he who cannot read.”

While it’s helpful to remember that God speaks through his Word, I have a feeling that many Christians open their Bible, read the passage, and then think, “Ok… now what?” So then they re-read a few verses, pray, and then close their Bible after wondering if they just failed at reading their Bible.

Fellow pastors, we need to stop telling people what to do without equipping them how to do it!

As a youth pastor, for many years I was far more guilty of this very thing than I’d like to admit. Over the last few years I’ve started prioritizing teaching students how to read the Bible, not just convincing them that they should read it. So whether you’re a teenager or retired, I trust the following could help you grow in your ability to read and understand the Bible in your personal life. bible-study Continue reading “How to Read Your Bible” →

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Christians & the Old Testament

I hate the word “old.” It makes it automatically seem like the thing that’s old isn’t any good anymore. If something’s old, maybe it’s still around for a reason – it’s worth keeping around!

Look at your Bible and you’ll notice one binding. One book… all Scripture. 1 Timothy 3:16-17 famously declares, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” While this may be familiar, it’s important to remember the “Scripture” being referred to is what we call “the Old Testament.”

As Christians, we need to remember that the Old Testament is just as authoritative Scripture as the New. The problem is, we don’t always know how to interpret the Old in light of the New. Here are some reminders that will serve you well.

ecclesiastes
Finding Jesus in the Old Testament
There is much to say about this particular topic and there’s no way to do more than scratch the surface in such a short summary. If there are  questions about this in the comments then perhaps I can address this further in a future post. The following big-picture review of the Bible should help you discern how each verse of Scripture points to or flows from the gospel.

Continue reading “Christians & the Old Testament” →

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Who are the “Sons of God” in Genesis 6:1-4?

This is the first post in what I hope to become a semi-regular feature here at Living Theologically… reader questions. If there’s something you’ve been wondering or confused about, please go HERE to submit your question.

Here’s today’s question:
Who are the “sons of God” & the Nephilim in Genesis 6:1-4?

When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, 2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. 3 Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” 4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown

This is a strange passage of Scripture which has confused Jewish and Christian believers for centuries. By no means do I profess to have it all “figured out,” but after studying this passage in seminary and over the last few weeks, I’ve been reminded that we only lose when we avoid difficult portions of the Bible.

Processed with VSCO with acg preset Continue reading “Who are the “Sons of God” in Genesis 6:1-4?” →

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Can the Bible Correct You?

I had a conversation a while ago with a friend who a Christian and is struggling through some difficult doctrines. In the midst of our conversation he said a few things I’ve been thinking about:

1. “I just don’t like it when people have an ‘I’m right and everyone else is wrong’ attitude.”

2. “I just don’t want to believe it.”

Ultimately, I think these comments come down to this question: Will you allow Scripture to correct your thinking. Here’s why I think this is the foundational question.

1. As Christians, we must be people who stand upon God’s revealed Word (the Bible) rather than our own opinions. 

2. When our opinion and God’s Word seem to be at odds, we need to be honest as we dig into Scripture to unveil the original intent (exegesis). Yes, there are cultural differences between our lives today and the culture of the Bible, but we need to be honest and have the integrity to resist merely saying, “Oh, well that was for them, not for us.” We need to honestly examine why it was for them and not for us and dig deeper than “Because that’s how I want it.”

3. When we refuse to believe what the Bible reveals, what we claim to believe about Biblical Authority and what we really believe are at odds with each other. It’s good to affirm the inspiration and authority of Scripture, but if we will not allow God’s Word to correct us then we do not really believe what we think we believe.

4. Truth brings joy. Yes, there are times when it is difficult and painful to believe some things in Scripture, and there are times when I wish I could believe differently because it would be a whole lot easier. But God’s truth brings joy… eventually. Once we see God for who He is and we understand what He has done and what He is doing then even in the midst of the difficulty of faith, we rejoice in who God is and what He has promised.

If you are wrestling with something in Scripture that you do not want to believe… that’s ok. I think we should all be in that position, because it shows that we’re being honest about our beliefs and our preferences and we’re bringing them before God.

A few tips on wrestling with Scripture:

1. Pray. Ask God to increase your faith in Him and not in yourself or in your own preferences. We need to be people who are finally and ultimately devoted to God. We may know that, but are we truly willing to be that kind of person?

2. Interpret Scripture through Scripture. That may sound confusing, but the best way to understand difficult things in the Bible is by understanding what other verses/portions of the Bible have to say about that same thing. Interpret what is obscure or unclear through what is consistently and clearly taught. This also means we should interpret the Old Testament through the lens of the New Testament (but that’s a whole other blog post for another day).

3. Dig Dig Dig. God gave you a brain, he wants you to use it. Study, research, and read what has been written. There are many sites online that provide free Bible Study tools (crosswalk.com is probably the most well known; GotAnswers.com has great Q&A type of articles too).

4. Don’t think you’re alone. You are not the first person to ask the question your asking or to study the passage you’re studying. Read what others have written, but also talk to other Christians about this. Maybe they’re wondering the same thing but think they’re alone… study it together.

5. Finally, have faith. There are some things we will simply never fully understand because we aren’t meant to. That’s not an excuse to avoid intelligently pursuing truth. Instead, it’s a call to remember that God is infinite and you are finite. God is mysterious, but He has made Himself known… in part. If you think you can explain everything about who God is and what He has done (and will do) then either your wisdom is infinite or you have made God finite. There comes a point where you may need to humbly say, “I don’t know everything I want to know, but I know enough to confidently trust God.”

One of the greatest ways we can honor God is by trusting Him when we don’t want to.

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
Hebrews 11:1

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