By Michael O’Loughlin
When Kathleen Whitten speaks to congregations and other groups about the Bible, she doesn’t try to be an editor. A teacher, counselor, and author of the new book Dare to Be Rare: A Christian Guide for Girls (Morehouse, 2007), Mrs. Whitten says that presenting scripture honestly, including the “hard sayings,” requires trust and belief that God, not the author, will speak to the reader.
Having been a youth pastor for seven years, she wrote Dare To Be Rare not only to be read by individuals, but also as a tool for youth pastors to present very necessary, but sometimes difficult scriptures which might otherwise be uncomfortable. The founder of San Antonio-based Kathleen Whitten Ministries finds that some youth pastors avoid scripture passages that teens may find controversial or even disturbing.
“There can be a temptation to eliminate chapters we don’t like,” she admitted. What she encourages instead is that youth pastors present the whole word of God while “praying that the Holy Spirit will lead their teens to a greater understanding of the scriptures and an even closer relationship with Jesus.”
Mrs. Whitten cited the example of a teenage girl who admitted that because her mother suffered from bipolar disorder and could be verbally abusive, the girl was having difficulty with chapter three of Dare To Be Rare, “Mirroring Honor – When Honoring Your Parents Is Difficult.” But because the book doesn’t compromise even the more difficult scriptures, in time, the girl joyfully related that “God showed me how to honor my mother without honoring her hurtful words.”
The whole idea of “Dare to Be Rare” began as the title of Mrs. Whitten’s conferences which focus on helping girls and young women become more aware of “God’s love and acceptance toward them, while giving them opportunities to accept, forgive and love God, others and themselves.” Dare To Be Rare, the book, evolved from Kathleen’s inability to find devotionals for small groups of women and girls age 9 and older which were both “meaty” enough to be of substance and yet designed for “a generation on the run.”
“God gave me a little idea for shish-ka-bobs—meat you can take with you,” she said.
Asked what has impressed her the most in the responses she’s received from teens who have read her book and heard her speak, Mrs. Whitten immediately replied, “Young people are looking for a purpose. Ski trips and video arcades have a place, but girls and boys of this generation are hungry to go out and make a difference. They want to have a real, live purpose in the church, beyond just being acolytes.”
The solution? “As adults, we need to take their interests seriously and offer more opportunities for them to make a difference,” she said. “We also need to be flexible. An example on a smaller scale might be a young person with a gift of service who can give an elderly person a ride to and from church. It might mean that young person is going to be 10 minutes late to youth group. We need to be open to things like that.”
Kathleen Whitten may be contacted via email or by phone at 210-822-5500.
