A Strange New World!
Worth Your Time!
Resource Recommendations to Help You Parent and Mentor Most Effectively
This Week’s Recommendation:
“Strange New World”
by Carl Trueman
“The modern self assumes the authority of inner feelings and sees authenticity as defined by the ability to give social expression to the same. The modern self also assumes that society at large will recognize and affirm this behavior. Such a self is defined by what is called expressive individualism.”
Sometimes I feel like this, and maybe you do too! While the seemingly rapid changes in the world sometimes surprise us, perhaps they shouldn't.
In his 2022 book "Strange New World," Carl Trueman argues persuasively that the culture in which we live is merely the culmination of 300 years of a philosophical shift that exalts the “true self” over everything else.
Why It's Worth Your Time
Trueman will help you understand teens' intuitive thoughts (the thought patterns and assumptions they have without even realizing it), which will enable you to have more effective conversations with them.
Strange New World also makes sense out of our cultural moment. It's like putting on a new pair of glasses - by understanding the philosophical root issues, you will see other issues in a new way.
"I think this is important for people who are boots-on-the ground with kids (youth workers and parents) to understand that we tend to be drawn to learning about the cultural trends - "Hey, I want to know about transgenderism," or "I want to know about what's happening with kids with social media," or why they're curating themselves. There are deeper, long-standing strains of thought-development that have resulted in this that I really think we need to understand if we're actually going to, well, first understand what these issues are, but then address them in very practical ways." - Walt Mueller, President of The Center for Parent/Youth Understanding
How To Use It
Let’s be honest… You probably didn’t like being lectured to by adults when you were a teenager, and neither do teens today! That doesn’t mean you can’t challenge their thinking during a conversation with them with a good, well-timed, calmly-asked question like, “Why do you think that?” Use what you learn in "Strange New World" to challenge their thought patterns and assumptions.
When something relevant comes up in conversation, you could also say something like, “I was reading this book recently, and the author said blah blah blah blah. What do you think about that? Why?” Listen well to their answers, and respond with additional questions that require more than one-word answers. They might not give you the answers you want, but it doesn’t mean they won’t think more later on about your questions. Pray for follow-up opportunities!
As an added bonus, by engaging in a deeper conversation with a teen and listening to them (not lecturing them), they’re going to feel valued and respected. They'll probably even appreciate that you challenged them, which will strengthen your relationship.
Want to hear more before committing to the book?
Listen to Episode 122 on the Youth Culture Matters (CPYU) Podcast
Listen to Episode 34 on the Gospelbound Podcast
[Note: The podcasts will refer to the book "The Rise and Triumph of Modern Self," which is Trueman's earlier and longer version of "Strange New World."]
Disclaimer:
This might be you after reading it! "Strange New World" is probably NOT beach-reading material. While it’s written for a layperson, the material is still challenging. But... it's worth your time! And headache. Yeah, maybe a headache too.