Nyquist, Carson

This is definitely a tale of two books. The son, a Millennial, writes the first half and the father, a Boomer, write the second half. The two halves couldn't be more different. I was ready to throw the book away at the end of the first half but the second half really redeemed it.

The premise of the book is that there is a basic disconnect between the Millennials and the Boomers. I believe this could be said about any two generations but the son in this book seems to think it is deeper between these two than between any other two. As he explains where he believes the Millennials are coming from and why they are leaving the church, he comes across as very arrogant and just as judgmental as he is accusing the older generation of being. He claims his generation wants to be relational but he does not seem to want any type of relationship with the older generation. He makes sweeping generalizations about that are far too broad to be of any real practical help to a local situation. He speaks very negatively of the church as if he could be a follower of Christ and not be part of the church. If local congregations are what he wants to criticize, he should say so, not rail against the church, which includes every believer including him. I can see where he's coming from and I've heard the same issues from people in my church so I know they are real but I've never heard them expressed with such arrogance.

The father writes the second half of the book and addresses many of the issues that I thought of as the son was writing. This is the reason it gets 3 stars and not 1. His obvious hope to help bring the younger generation into the church and address their issues really comes through. He gives concise answers to theological problems that are raised by the son. I was impressed by his deep understanding of the problems involved and his willingness to answer them honestly in a very scriptural way.

I would not recommend the first part to any of my friends because of the attitude that comes through but I will be using answers provided in the second half to help Millenials in my life come to a deeper understanding of the role they play in the church.

This book was a Goodreads giveaway and I appreciated the opportunity to read and review it. ( )

Thank you for writing and sending your book! While I understand that this book helps to bridge the gap between younger and older generations, I personally did not find it that helpful (although I was not raised in a Christian home and have a different spiritual outlook than most people do). If I were a traditional Christian I just know that this book would be a great asset to me.

I do believe that this book is a great read for pastors and preachers to help them understand the obstacles between their older and younger members. Great ideas are incorporated into this book! ( )