Growing Up Christian: Some Concluding Observations

Here it is: the last post on Growing Up Christian. This is an excellent book that deserves to be in every library of a parent, teenager, or pastor. One of the great things about this book is that it is so unique. I know of no other like it written from a Reformed/Biblical perspective.

After a tough week of studying the entire book, my students are raving about this book. They are saying how much they have been challenged and are thankful for a book written just for them.

If you forced me to outline the entire book, here is how I would do it:

The dangers of growing up Christian:
1. False assurance
2. Lack of appreciation for the saving and forgiving grace of God
3. Loving the world
4. Pride or self-righteousness
5. Mimicking our parent's convictions
6. Forgetting the familiar (taking blessings for granted)
7. Being too shallow
8. Trusting in ourselves and others instead of trusting God
9. Not taking sin seriously
10. Lack of discipline (laziness)
11. Lack of faithfulness (not using our gifts and talents)

The only qualification to my outline is that it seems much more negative than the book itself. While Graustein does share these dangers, he does a great job explaining the blessings of growing up Christian. Church kids have been blessed with so much.

I am thankful for these things about this book:
1. It is God-centered.
2. It is Bible-saturated.
3. It is extremely practical.
4. It is chalked full of powerful quotes and illustrations.
5. It maginfies our weakness and God's sufficiency.
6. It is Gospel-driven.