This is a post about a topic about which i am entitled to say little. The issue is Aquire the Fire and particularly their Battle Cry events. The reason i'm unqualified is because i've never attended any of them. But i am developing an opinion nonetheless, based on what i'm hearing from others who have attended, and based on what i see in their advertising. Their advertizing turns me off with its near-promises of dramatic revival if you just get your teens to the event, but it is, of course, still possible that if i took my teens there would be dramatic revival. I've never tried it. But a lot of other youth workers have and my doubtful vibes have been reinforced by their comments. Honestly, i'm not sure i've ever heard a completely positive review of Battle Cry or Aquire the Fire from a youth worker.
Anyway, for anyone who's trying to make up their own mind, or who needs to be able to quote a couple of other youth workers when defending their decision not to attend, here are some links to some blog entries that i found on this very topic, all of them (if i remember correctly) by people who have actually attended the events and know more than i do about what they're talking about.
http://doctorheadly.wordpress.com/2007/05/17/fuel-for-the-battle/
http://timschmoyer.com/2007/05/17/battle-cry-is-more-like-battle-screaming/
http://living4jc.livejournal.com/68761.html
http://sandyssayings.typepad.com/sandys_sayings/2007/03/battle_cry.html
A lot of these refer to Planet Wisdom as an alternative, which i've also never attended, and some of the youth workers i talk to personally highly reccommend Dare 2 Share, which i've also never been to. So i can't reccommend either of these either, but they might be worth checking out.
Friday, May 18, 2007
Battle Cry Stuff
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2 comments:
I've been to ATF as a teenager and now as a Youth Pastor for 4 years. My students have been enriched at each acquire the fire. The main thing my students received from the ATF was a hunger for the presence of God and a hunger for the Word of God. The fruit has lasted for years in some of my students. Also, my youth ministry has doubled the last 3 years and the discipleship from the ATF has been great. For all the Youth Pastor telling you not to go, can you imagine them telling you not to go to certain churches around them because they don't like them or agree with the way the youth pastor does things. I for one will never "comment" about other brothers/sisters on the web. It only creates fodder for atheists to show we beat up our own. I encourage you to go to ATF and see how God might use it illumniate Himself to some students in your youth ministry. I have plenty of other YP friends that have to ATF's and other conferences and love to be part of what is God is doing.
trailerclub@msn.com
Hello "Tralierclub",
Thanks for your comment. I can no longer say i haven't heard a completely positive review, and anyone reading this post can now hear at least a little from both sides. I'm assuming that posting your email address was an invitation for curious youth workers to contact you if they have more questions?
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