Kissing in the Chapel, Praying in the Frat House

November 3, 2014
This absorbing, diverse anthology could easily be retitled Varieties of (Young Adult) Religious Experience. In 21 essays, young men and women in their 20s and 30s reflect on their college experience with faith, exploring a wide range of subjectsâfrom Kristi Del Vecchio's socially-minded humanism to Edward Anderson's reflections on the powerful ways a religious upbringing can both shape and challenge a young person's attempt to discover faith on his own terms. The most outstanding essays appear in the section on "Sex and Sexuality," every one of these extraordinarily, even painfully, honest. The authors movingly describe their intimate experiences as they deal with some complicated topics, made even more so for persons of faith (coming out as gay, being transgender, and the trauma of sexual assault, among them). Copeland includes a set of discussion questions at the end of each essay that will be useful for youth ministry groups and classes.