by
Haley Tennee
Burgess September
24th, 2021
CHMN 301
Foundation of NextGen Ministry
Reading Report: Raising Adults
LIBERTY UNIVERSITY
JOHN W. RAWLINGS SCHOOL OF DIVINITY
Submitted to Dr. Steve Vandergriff
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of
https://www.coursehero.com/file/111192234/CHMN-301-Reading-Report-Raising-Adultsdocx/
This study source was downloaded by 100000881521625 from CourseHero.com on 02-27-2024 05:17:49 GMT -06:00
2
Introduction
Parents are tasked with the most complex challenge they will ever face, raising their
children to be adults. As each new generation emerges, it seems harder and harder because
of the shift in culture and advances in technology. Jim Hancock devoted his time to educating
parents on how to raise adults in this terrifying world in his book, Raising Adults: A Humane
Guide for Parenting in the New World. Jim has twenty years of experience being a youth
leader and discusses many different ways parents can propel their children into respectable
young adults.
Summary
Jim Hancock seeks to discover the answers to three main questions. These include, "Why
is it so hard to raise adults? What does it take to raise 21st-century adults? How do we get
what it takes to raise adults?"1 He begins by discussing various perspectives of parenting
through
history, starting with the Great Depression. He elaborates on how parenting has changed and
evolved incredibly since then. He offers a 30-day guarantee explaining that doing nothing for
those 30 days will improve the relationship between the parent and child. He lists, "No
hijacking, no fixing, no bossing, no demanding, no shaming, no taming"2 when he describes
toxic behaviors from parents and encourages them to replace such behaviors with "exploring,
collaborating, partnering, affirming, respect, and encouraging."3
The author continues and begins the topic of culture's effect on children. This generation
has more access to instant information than any generation before them. Hancock explains
that technology and content are transparent for this generation.4 The technology itself is not
immoral,
1Jim Hancock, Raising Adults: A Humane Guide for Parenting in the New World (Nashville: THE TINY
COMPANY CALLED ME, 2018), 11.
2 Ibid., 37.
3 Ibid.
4 Ibid., 66.
3
but the content is. He says, "We'd be hard-pressed to find a media culture that exposes its
children to more or protects them less. There's nothing they won't see or hear sooner rather than
later."5 He includes many examples and describes the children of today as "sophisticated
innocents."6 Moving on, he shares many grim statistics about survivors of family disruption,
neglect, substance abuse, violent crime, and sexual abuse. He also discusses the influence of
anger, numbness, and spiritual hunger on teenagers and how one can embrace a teenager who
suffers from these feelings by encouraging personal value, affirmations, and unconditional love.
Finally, Hancock writes about his personal childhood and teaches, "Kids can learn to know
themselves, learn what it takes to know others, to function in complex societies, to deal with
uncertainty and disappointment, to make informed choices and live with the outcomes."7 It will
take a lifetime to master these things, but if parents don't give up, they can be sure to raise a
proper adult.
Personal Response
This book is entertaining, opinionated, and insightful on the subject of raising your
children correctly. The author understands the current generation and the obstacles they face,
especially with technology. When I read about content versus the device itself, it was highly
beneficial because I can use that to help parents in my ministry. Parents must understand their
child's world and adapt since they grew up so differently. He observes this and offers practical
advice for how to relate to their generation. This will help us minister to them successfully. The
current generation is trying to discover who they are while battling the politics and religion
surrounding them. They are questioning everything, and Hancock observes this quite well and
explores it uniquely.
5
6
7
Ibid., 67
Ibid.
Ibid., 142
4
Bibliography
Conclusion
Hancock discovered the challenge of parenting a generation inspired only by technology.
He answers his three questions by providing personal anecdotes, practical advice, and
entertaining scenarios. He compares parenting through history to now and gives a great
perspective on how this generation defines itself. Many of his tips can be used in a youth
ministry setting because of his background. He offers optimism to parents wanting to raise their
children to be incredible adults and explores this topic with great wisdom.
5
Hancock, Jim. 2018. Raising Adults: A Humane Guide for Parenting in the New World.
Nashville: THE TINY COMPANY CALLED ME.
