Week 8- Paper Outline

I will be looking at the culture of junior highers at Lake Avenue Church, investigating the economic disparities among the youth. I will dive into what role economics has to do the cultural practices and the social hierarchy of junior highers. It seems that the students in the youth group place huge importance on “what one has” or “what one wears.” To have a shirt that says “Hollister” for example, brings a certain amount of social capital with it. Next, I will take the synthetic model to express the gospel within this particular aspect of junior high culture, that of economic disparity. The synthetic model strives to be a middle of the road model, taking into account both the experience of the present (context, culture) as well as the experience from the past (Scripture, tradition). Finally, after expressing the gospel in junior high culture through the synthetic model, I will find ways that the church might address this issue in the youth group itself– How can we understand the importance kids place on “what you have” or “what you wear,” and yet bring truths of the gospel into that culture? Furthermore, how might the church address these issues not just in the church but also locally (perhaps in schools or at community centers) and globally?

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