In her new book, Visualising Hope, Dr Sarah Dunlop explored the values and spirituality of students in Central and Eastern European countries. She wants to know what makes them tick, what their hopes are, and if the church is meeting them. In a very creative way, by getting students to respond to and take photographs of things that are significant to them over a period of time, Dr Dunlop gets underneath the pat answers and stereotypes to discover their real motivations.

The top values and concerns, she discovers, are to do with self-expression and creativity, freedom - from institutional rules and to be able to think for themselves, quality relationships, and fun.

Given that, she writes:
“The students perceive the church as a place where they would be expected to conform to a set of rules and unthinkingly forced to subscribe to outdated beliefs. Therefore, it is no surprise that the students reject the church on the basis of their values: self-expression, freedom, fun and relationships. We believe that if church leaders take time to engage with young people's values, they may find that young people become a part of their community, and their contribution to the worship of the church will be vibrant and full of life."

It's a good point. There is nothing wrong with values of freedom, self-expression, relationships, and fun. In fact, Christianity is supposed to make us more free. The Holy Spirit helps us to understand ourselves and apply our gifts in a way that is tailored to us - we are made uniquely - isn't that the ultimate statement of self-expression. Relationship and community is at the heart of the faith - the early church was a congregation that welcomed, loved and supported each other. These values are not the sum total of the faith, but they are definitely there.

When did these positive values get lost from congregational worship? When did it become dry, unwelcoming, and irrelevant? It is true that there are many in the fresh expressions network and emergent church that are beginning to counter this stereotype.

This book is a wake-up call to the church, leaders and congregations, to find out which essential Christian values they are not meeting, and to life them out in ways that are accessible and welcoming.

It is available on Amazon.com in the USA and in the UK.

There is more from this blog in http://onliving.wordpress.com