Recommended Reading
ASK recommended reading for group leaders and facilitators:
General
"No book in recent memory has as much potential to transform the practice of youth ministry...[T]he results overturn nearly every piece of conventional wisdom about teens and faith."--Christianity Today
The Universe Next Door: A Basic Worldview Catalog by James W. Sire
For more than thirty years, The Universe Next Door has set the standard for a clear, readable introduction to worldviews. In this new fifth edition, James Sire offers additional student-friendly features to his concise, easily understood introductions to theism, deism, naturalism, Marxism, nihilism, existentialism, Eastern monism, New Age philosophy and postmodernism. Included in this expanded format are a new chapter on Islam and informative sidebars throughout.
Origin
God's Undertaker: Has Science Buried God? by John Lennox
If we are to believe many modern commentators, science has squeezed God into a corner, killed and then buried him with its all embracing explanations. Athiesm, we are told, is the only intellectually tenable position, and any attempt to reintroduce God is likely to impede the progress of science. The final word has not been written, and in this book God's Undertaker, John Lennox makes a forceful argument that science has not buried God and that holding to belief in him is not only rational but a superior intellectual position.
Meaning
The Grand Weaver by Ravi Zacharias
Can our gray, mundane days really be part of God's careful work in our lives? Yes, according to renowned scholar Zacharias! In this collection brimming with penetrating stories and insights, he examines how the different threads of our background, disappointments, triumphs, and beliefs are all the intentional and perfect design of the Creator.
Morality
Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
Arguably the 20th century's most influential Christian writer, C.S. Lewis sought to explain and defend the beliefs that nearly all Christians at all times hold in common.
Destiny
The Cross of Christ by John Stott
"I could never myself believe in God, if it were not for the cross... In the real world of pain, how could one worship a God who was immune to it?" With compelling honesty John Stott confronts this generation with the centrality of the cross in God's redemption of the world---a world now haunted by the memories of Auschwitz, the pain of oppression and the specter of nuclear war.
Can we see triumph in tragedy, victory in shame? Why should an object of Roman distaste and Jewish disgust be the emblem of our worship and the axiom of our faith? And what does it mean for us today?
For students:
Jesus Among Other Gods, Youth Edition by Ravi Zacharias
In this youth edition of Jesus Among Other Gods, Ravi Zacharias gives solid evidence as to why we should choose Jesus Christ as THE God among all other gods. Zacharias contrasts the truth of Jesus with the founders of Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism, providing strong descriptions of each faith and solid defenses for the cause of Christ. In addition to the religion comparisons, the book answers questions such as: "What about all the hypocrites at church?" "How scientific is science?" "How can you best share what you believe?" and "Does the Bible teach reincarnation?" You can never be too young to learn how to defend your faith . . . and this book will tell you exactly how to do just that!