Introduction

All of us are confronted by the new world of digital distance, perpetual connectivity, change at warp speed, and broken past beliefs. For pastors dealing with secularism and its magnetic pull on youth, this world is as confounding as the one Columbus met or astronauts faced.

For some youth struggling to find a path, nihilism is a possible choice. Many young people are beginning to leave the church, with no idea about where to land.

Poetry as a Bridge

Poetry, based in experience, offers them a common ground on which to meet and speak. The poems in As Our Fathers Told Us try to walk the border between old wisdom and new realities, in a language in which both pastors and youthful seekers may dialog.