August 28 is publication day for a new book that shares the wisdom, dreams, and frustrations of young adults with the church. “Hungry for Hope: Letters to the Church From Young Adults,” a project of Augsburg University’s Riverside Innovation Hub, speaks to the most pressing issues of our time, from climate catastrophe to mental health, and calls faith communities to shape a more just future.
Young adult authors from across the U.S. were paired with a scholar or thought leader on each of eleven themes, which form the book’s chapters:
- courageous curiosity
- tokenism of young adults
- destruction and re-creation
- grief and lament
- mental health
- abuse of power
- marginalization, inclusion, and liberation
- sex, shame, and intimacy
- community
- beyond the walls
- scarcity and abundance
Each chapter provides practical guidance for congregations, theological educators, church leaders, and student groups looking for fresh ways to connect faith and action in ways that matter deeply to young people.
“For those of us who care deeply about the future of our faith communities, Hungry for Hope is a remarkable gift,” said Augsburg President Paul Pribbenow. “With its chapters co-written by young adults and their mentors, these reflections invite all of us into a conversation about our most pressing challenges as people of faith committed to being God’s hands and feet in the world now and into the future. We must pay attention to these prophetic voices.”
“Hungry for Hope” was edited by Jeremy Myers, Bernhard M. Christensen professor of religion and vocation and executive director of the Christensen Center for Vocation, and Kristina Frugé, director of congregational and community initiatives at the Riverside Innovation Hub. Additional Augsburg contributors include JD Mechelke ’17, instructor in religion and philosophy; Amber Kalina ’15; and Madeline Burbank, current MSW student and graduate assistant in the Interfaith Institute.