Believe for It: Passing On Faith to the Next Generation

This book by Grammy-winning Winans (On a Positive Note), the most awarded woman gospel artist of all time, is earnest in its concern for the next generation of Christians. She is laser-focused on capturing and keeping those who draw away from Christianity in adolescence or young adulthood, never to darken a church’s doors again. Peppered with biblical verses and personal anecdotes, this book has little patience for the recalcitrant: she charges Christian parents and grandparents to aggressively teach the religion to their children. Beyond sharing her own experiences as a lifelong Pentecostal Christian, preacher’s wife, mother, and gospel singer, Winans offers a guide to intergenerational conversations about faith, with sample questiopns at the end of each chapter. This book is part of Winan’s larger project, which includes an audio CD of gospel songs and the “Believe for It” social-media challenge on her website. Winans has a palpable enthusiasm for spiritual mentorship but her book doesn’t touch on how to discuss more controversial subjects with young Christians, like the corrosive effects of gender discrimination, poverty, and institutional racism.