My mother and my oldest son (who was 24 years old)were killed in an automobile accident seven months ago. Most books I have read on coping with the death of a child have been written by parents who have lost much younger children. In this book the child was 25 years old. I was able to relate to the parents who were the authors of this book. I recommended this book to a friend who wanted to purchase a book for a loved one who had lost a child. I also plan to purchase additional copies of this book to give to others who have lost a child. If you have lost a child, particularly an adult child, I highly recommend this book.

The Strommens really allow you to share in their journey through grief. It allowed me to get an insight of what my parents were going through after our loss of my brother. This book is truly inspirational, open, loving, and healing! The Lord truly blessed me with through the sharing of their experience.

Passing on the Faith is a must have for ministry. The new model of children, youth and family ministry emphasizing the partnership between the home and the congregation has completely changed the way I "do" ministry. The Biblical model presented by the authors brings out the best of the Christian tradition and is solidly backed up by modern youth and family research. Passing on the Faith makes you think and gives you the tools to act to make a difference.

In Passing On The Faith, Merton Stromen and Richard Hardel collaborate to address how, together, parents and the church can increase the likelihood that children will be committed to Jesus Christ and a life of service when they graduate from high school. The authors propose a new paradigm of intentional partnership between congregation and family in which the primary responsibility for faith development is assumed by parents. Passing On The Faith is a highly recommended addition to parish library collections and will prove of inestimable value for parents and parishioners seeking to instill lasting Christian values, behaviors, and allegiances in the children of the congregation.

This book is the fantastic result of the ongoing research and impressions of Merton Strommen and others related to The Search Institute in Minneapolis, MN. I refer to it often in my work because it deals with those 20 percent of all congregations who are innovative and effective. Congregations who make significant and lasting change will do so, according to this book, because they have understood the seven steps process known as FUTURES.

One of the strengths of this book is that its conclusions about what helps a congregation be innovative and sustain innovation are the same or similar to just about every other solid research I have seen. This book is a refreshing escape from all the books and manuals that focus on a list of content characteristics of healthy congregations. In this book the essential qualities or characteristics of a change process are outlined.

I like to pass along the good news about this book to any and every church leader who truly wants to achieve an innovative status and sustain it. If that is you, then you ought to buy a copy of this book.

Merton Strommen presents no new ground at all. What he claims he finds is nothing new, but a variation of the old ground of "hate the sin, love the sinner" routine. This is really an old work and contributes little but a rehash of an outdated understanding of sexuality. I frankly wonder what motivated him to write this book at all.

While not without its faults, this is probably the best introduction to the traditional side of the argument about homosexual behavior within the Christian church. It's relatively easy to read. Especially notable is Strommen's charitable and irenic tone -- he avoids invective and most polemics. Those interested in serious Biblical study will go to Robert Gagnon, "The Bible and Homosexual Practice," also with a traditional orientation. I notice that other reviewer's ratings tend to be determined by where they stand on the homosexuality issue and not by the quality of the book. Perhaps my own rating is also affected!

It's about time! Strommen has finally put some "rubber to the road" with this book. Christ's bride, the Church, has been listening far too long to the Gay propaganda machine crank out its "we were born this way...deal with it" scenario. Human societies, since day one, generally don't like to hear the truth, epecially when it just might affect the way we behave.

Strommen is rightfully concerned about the Church's future. Reaching out to the Gay Community with the love and hope of the Gospel is paramount. The Church needs to be offering both the love and the hope of Christ to broken humanity in its ENTIRETY. This is beyond the cliche of "love the sinner, hate the sin." This is about "hope." Hope, for every person caught up in any situation in which they lose control of themselves. This is about hope, for those who really WANT freedom in and through Christ.

Strommen offers no "majic pill" to make truth more pallatable for the Church. He does, however, offer a very real and honest perspective on the issue of homosexuality from much scientific research that disputes many of the things we have been told were true. The Church, and any concerned individual, needs to look carefully at this perspective and seriously consider not only the possibility, but the high probability, that there is strong merit in knowing more of the truth.