Are there any significant difference between those who grow up in the modern and post-modern era? I’m sure most people will say yes to this question. But what if I asked you, whether there would be any difference between the way we mentor those living in the modern and post-modern times? Would you be able to separate out the differences? How would your mentoring method be different? Sue Edwards and Barbara Neumann is here to show us the differences and the changes we will need to make in order to better mentor the current generation.
The book is spilt generally into 2 parts, first it explains and shows why there is a need for a new method of mentoring. This half is generally descriptive, telling us about the post-modern generation and how it is different from the modern generation. In the 2nd part, Edwards and Neumann then shows how their new approach of mentoring looks like and what they would potentially accomplish.
On the whole, I felt that the first half of the book could have been shorter, and although Edwards and Neumann does show their depth of research, based mostly on qualitative research findings for the entire book.
One big drawback of this book is the lack of deep biblical teaching. Biblical teaching on mentorship only start substantially at almost halfway through the book, and even so mostly are not exegetical in nature, and deriving application from there, but it seems to be more of this is what the bible say and how we think it fits our model.
However, nearing to the end the book, on the chapter of digital connections, the authors did a superb job in handling this chapter. First they gave a description of how the post-modern generation has been shaped by the digit gadgets they use everyday. Next they showed how the modern generation ought to understand and even use such gadgets to their advantage in mentoring, and lastly the dangers of such gadgets for the post-modern generation. I felt that this was the most well-written chapter in the whole book, it was written in a balance way, highlighting the pros and the cons of the particular topic. Other chapters were more or less tilting to the side of pros and the cons were not well elaborated.
Overall, if you’re interested to have a better idea and picture about how the current generation is different from the previous generation, do read this book. But if you’re looking and hoping to find deep biblical truth in support of it, you will need to supplement it with other books.
Rating: 3 / 5
Disclaimer: I was given this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
If you're interested, you can get it here, and here (free international shipping).
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