Twelve years ago, I graduated from high school, and in that short time the world around me has changed significantly. The internet at the time was just beginning to take off and cell phones were becoming more commonplace. Even though I went to a high school where most of the students drove BMW’s and Lexus to school, no one had an IPAD, IPhone or any other technological device. Today’s teenager is not only inundated with the need for the latest and greatest technology, but also with the need for a nice car in order to fit in with the “cool crowd”.
While this isn’t always the case at every high school, my point is teenagers are facing an enormous amount of pressure not only to have the latest technology, but also from a culture that teaches them to objectify the opposite sex. In the twelve years since I’ve graduated from high school a lot has changed, but then again a lot hasn’t changed. The world in which we live in has always been in love with itself, but the difference now is we can actively see it pursuing its own lust and greed at an accelerated rate.
Teenagers and young adults are confronted in high school and college with peer-pressure, codependency, low self-esteem and these are just some of the issues that young people are facing today. In What Do You Think of Me? What Do I Care? Answers to the Big Questions in Life, Dr. Edward Welch seeks to answer young adults questions such as, “Why is it so important to be liked, and why is rejection so traumatic? Dr. Welch’s book is structured around the problem, the heart of the matter, Who is God?, Who am I?, and Who are They?
Dr. Welch doesn’t just diagnose the problem but moves to the heart of the problem, which isn’t self-improvement but understanding who God is and who I am. As one understands who God is and who they are, one sees that there are two types of worship: true and false worship. False worship promotes idol worship, but worship of the God of the Bible leads to humbling oneself, and worshipping Him in Spirit and in Truth.
As Dr. Welch explains who God is, he teaches the attributes and nature of God, as well as His work in Creation and through His Son Jesus Christ. In the section on “Who Am I,” Welch doesn’t point to improving oneself but to the glory of King Jesus. The way to really serve people is to have as your hero Jesus Christ—the One who humbled Himself so man could know and serve Him.
In high school what others thought of me was a big concern for me. I can’t imagine what a high school student goes through today, but I do know from personal experience that fearing man always leads to compromise in our walk with God. The fear of the Lord simplifies life, but the fear of man complicates life.
As the author diagnoses the problem with us, which is our sin he never fails to bring his readers back to the Gospel. What Do You Think of Me? What Do I Care? Answers to the Big Questions in Life by Dr. Edward Welch is a very helpful book for teenagers and young adults that is full of lots of questions for teens and young adults to think through. I recommend parents get a copy of this book for your children to help them to understand how the peer pressure and other issues they are facing are not new problems, but rather old problems that have at their root, our sin. The only remedy for sin is what Christ did in His death, burial and resurrection. Only because of His work can sinners be forgiven and experience a growing and abiding relationship with Him. This book will not only help young adults to be free from the opinions of others but learn to experience genuine, loving relationships with others as they learn about themselves, others and God.
Title: What Do You Think of Me? Why Do I Care?: Answers to the Big Questions of Life
Author: Dr. Edward Welch
Publisher: New Growth Press (2011)
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the New Growth Press book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Dave Jenkins is happily married to his wife, Sarah. He is a writer, editor, and speaker living in beautiful Southern Oregon. Dave is a lover of Christ, His people, the Church, and sound theology. He serves as the Executive Director of Servants of Grace Ministries, the Executive Editor of Theology for Life Magazine, the Host and Producer of Equipping You in Grace Podcast, and is a contributor to and producer of Contending for the Word. He is the author of The Word Explored: The Problem of Biblical Illiteracy and What To Do About It (House to House, 2021), The Word Matters: Defending Biblical Authority Against the Spirit of the Age (G3 Press, 2022), and Contentment: The Journey of a Lifetime (Theology for Life, 2024). You can find him on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, or read his newsletter. Dave loves to spend time with his wife, going to movies, eating at a nice restaurant, or going out for a round of golf with a good friend. He is also a voracious reader, in particular of Reformed theology, and the Puritans. You will often find him when he’s not busy with ministry reading a pile of the latest books from a wide variety of Christian publishers. Dave received his M.A.R. and M.Div through Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary.
