Growing Up Christian

by Karl Graustein, Mark Jacobsen

Ecourages 15- to 18-year-olds raised in Christian homes to take responsibility for their relationship with God and to grow in their love of Christ.

Genres: Christian, Christian Living, Nonfiction, Parenting, Theology, Faith

240 pages, Paperback

First published September 27, 2005

Reviews

[Grace · Rating 2 out of 5]

Actual rating 2.5 ⭐
I don't agree with everything said in this book but it was pretty good and it definitely made me think about making my faith my own.

[Todd Wilhelm · Rating 1 out of 5]

When the acknowledgements in a book include:

"To Joshua Harris for inspiring and encouraging me in this project."

"To the leaders of Sovereign Grace Ministries for allowing me to include the lyrics to twelve Sovereign Grace worship songs."

"To the leadership of Covenant Life Church for faithfully teaching and living according to the truths of Scripture. Thank you for modeling for me passionate worship and faithful pursuit of Christ."

"To the students, faculty, and staff of Covenant Life School for supporting me throughout the writing process. Students, I highly respect you and enjoy watching you grow in your knowledge of God and love for the Savior. Faculty and staff, it is an honor to serve with you."

I probably should have clued into the fact that this book wouldn't be for me.

When each chapter concluded with the lyrics of a Christian song highlighted in a shaded section - a technique used by Wayne Grudem in his "Systematic Theology" book, I had another clue this book wouldn't be a favorite of mine.

When the book had numerous quotes in every chapter from Jerry Bridges and J.C. Ryle, with a few pearls from Wayne Grudem splashed in, I should have realized this book would be rather shallow, penned primarily with the aim of gaining the approval of Sovereign Grace leadership.

Amazing to me is the fact that P&R Publishing agreed to publish this book. They generally publish more weighty books, but then, they probably figured to make some cash since the book would be widely distributed to all Sovereign Grace churches and conferences Mahaney would speak at.

This book appears to be intended for youth groups to utilize, as such it may have limited usefullness, but I would recommend you go directly to the source of most of Graustein's material - Jerry Bridges. His books are much better.

[Lillian]

Thought provoking and very good!

[Warren Sibley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I appreciate the need for the book. I thought Graustein did a much better job than is co-author. Some of it was helpful, much wasn't. Much of what I didn't like comes from my bias against what would be considered broad evangelicalism. Much of his advice could be boiled down to "pray and read your Bible." While correct, it rang hollow.

There was that familiar watch out for the evil "out there". He often missed the evil that is "in here" is far more insidious and deadly.

[David Miles · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book impacted my early life more than I realized at the time. It really encouraged me to spend more time reading the Bible at an early age, which has definitely helped. I would highly recommend getting this book and going through it.

[Sophie T · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I graduated highschool I was sent this book from the school. It took me a year and a half to finally read it, but here we are. I think I must have missed the part of the title "Have you taken ownership of your relationship with God?" because seeing that helps me to understand more why this book kinda fell flat for me.

Don't get me wrong, this book is filled with lots of useful information and advice for young Christians starting the next chapter of their lives after high school. Yet I feel like it's more for those people who haven't yet taken ownership of their relationship with God, whereas I have. Most of the stuff in this book I already knew and had already worked through on my own. A lot of this book is also just a smidge outdated. It was written in 2005, and a lot has changed, especially for young people since then.

All in all it was an okay book about making your faith your own and leaning on God throughout the phases of life.

[Evan Steele · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

This book was fine. At some points, it was downright excellent and was a bit pitchy and dated in other spots. What I felt was most effective was the end of chapter notes particularly in the sections about the dangerous tendencies that can come of growing up in a Christian home.

The book is written for a late teen/young adult, but some of the dated references may actual help the book connect with a 30-45 crowd.

Overall I would recommend, but only if you were looking specifically for this type of information.

[Melissa J. Troutman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Growing Up Christian by Karl Graustein is a book for us church kids, those who grew up in a Christian home and attended church regularly. Aimed toward teens, it starts with a challenge to make sure your faith is genuine and ends with practical advice on how to live your life for God. Each chapter begins with a verse and an illustration, most from real life, and ends with a section of introspection and questions before a song of praise.

While the writing didn’t engage me very well and seemed a little shallow at times, the author shows great insight into the lives of those who are “growing up Christian.” He sees right down to the bases of their struggles and provides practical, Scripture-based advice on how to overcome their self-deception and live out their personal faith.

I say “their” because for the first two thirds of the book, I didn’t feel targeted. While I understood and appreciated the points, they didn’t apply to me personally because, by the grace of God, I already have embraced the Christian faith for myself and cling to the promises of the Word and its Giver. Many of the struggles described in the book were not mine, and for that I only thank God for the work He has “continue[d] to do” in my heart since my salvation.

But I recommend this book to those teens who are “coasting” along on their parents’ faith without engaging in it themselves. Even if they are not turned around by it, I hope it would still encourage teens who grew up in Christian homes to examine their faith to make sure it is genuine and that they are really living it. I read this book and it made me count my blessings for not only my Christian home but also for my Christian faith that is truly mine. God has been so gracious in my life.

[Thing Two · Rating 3 out of 5]

A friend asked me to review this book for her, so I read it. It's written for the teenage/young adult crowd who grew up in the Christian church and are wondering what's next. I'm not sure, exactly how he would market this book, because I can't see it lending itself to a typical group study (only because not everyone in the crowd would've grown up in the church). It didn't knock my socks off, but then, I'm not the target audience anymore.

[Roman Brichka]

I am using this book as a platform for Sunday school class at our church. It addresses the most crucial questions the teenagers should/will think about. It makes you analyze your situation and take the appropriate steps in your Christian walk. It’s an easy read and I would definitely recommend this book to a teenager.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

He brought out some very good points for kids raised in Christian families. I liked how he began with appreciating the heritage you've been given, but then making it your own. I would recommend it to every teen who has grown up in a Christian home.

[Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very good. Mr. Graustein shows the blessings and dangers of growing up in a Christian home.

[Meghann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this book does what it sets out to do. I found it helpful and read it with the idea that I may use it with middle school girls in our youth group.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

We used this for a teen girl bible study. It had a lot of good topics to challenge them to make their faith their own and to be grateful for being raised in a Christian home.

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good advice for chuch kids!

[Shane Whelan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The importance of teenagers taking responsibilty for their faith

[David Westerveld · Rating 4 out of 5]

Did this with our youth group. Excellent practical book built on a biblical foundation