You Were Made for More
Our hearts yearn for teenagers to know that they are valued, loved, and created for a purpose. Currently, our culture is feeding the younger generations so many lies – telling them that they are defined by what others say about them, how they perform, what they have to offer to others, or how they fit a certain image.
The Truth speaks of a completely different narrative. Our identities are found in one thing, and that one thing, changes everything: Jesus. That’s a POWERFUL, transformative statement. When this idea gets from our heads to our hearts it shifts how we live, what we believe, and how we do relationships with others. Our mission is to consistently speak about the abundant life that is freely offered to us because we have seen + believe that when teenagers know what they are worth AND whose they are, they will be more inclined to live for Jesus – following His commandments and walking in His ways. God says that you are valued, loved, and created for a purpose! That changes everything.
This podcast hosts conversations on tough, relational topics - while connecting relationships, identity, and the Gospel, in profound ways that encourage critical-thinking as we navigate the world around us, always pointing back to the hope that we have because... we were made for more.
Music Credit: Matt Stewart from the band Soldiers and Sons (Waynesburg, PA)Check them out on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialsoldiersandsons/
This podcast is a project of Abundant Life: You Were Made for More and Anglicans for Life.
You Were Made for More
Episode 54: "Identity in Christ" & What We Need To Get Right (With John Stonestreet)
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At Abundant Life, we're passionate about equipping students to believe that they were made for more - that their identity changes everything - the way they live, the choices they make, and how they live into relationships. That they were made for more.
Recently, an article was published by Caleb Morell critiquing how Christians often talk about identity, under the provocative title, “Stop Finding Your Identity in Christ.”
Here's what we cover in this episode:
1. Is “finding your identity in Christ" unbiblical?
2. How do we rightfully connect our identity with the identity of creation - in other words, how do we rightfully connect our identity with the Creator, without turning into a postmodern attempt at self-discovery?
3. How should our realization of our identity in Christ change our relationships with other people?
Some key takeaways from our conversation:
- We need to teach the creation story as if it is definitive about what it is to be human.
- WHAT DOES THE IMAGE OF GOD MEAN IN LIGHT OF THE LARGER STORY? That is the question we have to hone in on. For many, the "image of God" is a piece of trivia and not a deep reflection of Scriptural truth.
John Stonestreet serves as President of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview - the Colson Center exists to help you understand your place in God's story and serve God with clarity, confidence, and courage. John is the daily voice of BreakPoint, the nationally syndicated commentary on the culture founded by the late Chuck Colson. Before coming to the Colson Center in 2010, John served in various leadership capacities with Summit Ministries and was on the biblical studies faculty at Bryan College (TN). John has co-authored four books: A Practical Guide to Culture, Restoring All Things, Same-Sex Marriage, and Making Sense of Your World: A Biblical Worldview. John holds degrees from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (IL) and Bryan College (TN). He and his wife, Sarah, have four children and live in Colorado Springs, CO. Connect with John at BreakPoint.org, or follow him on Twitter (@jbstonestreet).
Here are some things we mentioned during this episode:
- The Colson Center
- Strange New World by Carl R. Trueman
- John's response to Morell's article
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