THE "REBELUTION" HAS ARRIVED - "Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations"

- Update 10/21/08 - Christianity Today published an interview with Alex and Brett Harris available here.

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The September-October 2008 copy of Mission Frontiers landed in my mailbox today.  Editor Ralph D. Winter always has stimulating things to say in his "editorial comment."  This time he recommends Do Hard Things A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations by Alex and and Brett Harris (who happen to be twins, and the younger brothers of Joshua Harris). 

Winter writes:

"This exciting book lays out irrefutably the fact that today's teenagers are what-they-are because society does not expect (even allow) much from them.  This is not just a theory.  An enormous response to their web site, www.TheRebelution.com, and their face-to-face conferences literally all over the world, reveal a huge, powerful, and deep-seated exasperation on the part of millions of bright young people who (especially in the Western world) are essentially deprived of opportunity to do their best -- through 'low expectations" of society." [my emphases  - also, as long as I am adding a comment, check out the Rebelution blog]

Winter says "Look, every teenager ought to have this book." 

A whole lot of other people agree.  Here are some comments from the Amazon.com book listing:

“Do Hard Things is an extraordinary book. In fact, I believe it will prove to be one of the most life-changing, family-changing, church-changing, and culture-changing books of this generation. I'd love for every teenager to read this book, but I'm just as eager for every parent, church leader, and educator to read it.”
     – Randy Alcorn, best-selling author of Heaven and The Treasure Principle

“This book is one I would recommend to any of my friends, teen or not. If it doesn't help you, you are lying.”
– Carter B., age 14, North Carolina

“The message of Do Hard Things is going to awaken the dreams and passions of thousands of young people all over the world. How do I know this? This radical, yet relatively simple idea, has changed my life.”
– Erika H., age 18, Michigan

“In a culture where laziness and ease is often the order of the day for teenagers, Do Hard Things
– R. Albert Mohler, Jr., president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary presents a radical and provocative alternative. I heartily recommend this book.”

“This is an important book. And not just for those wanting to launch successfully into adulthood, but also for discontent twenty- and thirty-somethings who long to be catapulted into significance.”
– Ted Slater, editor of Boundless, Focus on the Family

“I'm not exactly a teenager anymore. But as I was reading I began to see how this can apply to anyone. It's never too late to start. I absolutely cannot wait to suggest this book to the 'kidults' in my life.”
– Matt R., age 26, Georgia

“Do Hard Things is the textbook for anyone who works with teens; it’s a philosophical and foundational must-read.”
– Timothy Eldred, executive director of Christian Endeavor International 

The Amazon.com website posts a blog for the book showing all the publicity it has been getting - from  NPR to Chuck Colson to John Piper's daughter, etc. etc.

Nancy Schute, in a U.S. News and World Report blog post, discussed the book and interviewed the Brett brothers.

Alex: We called our blog the rebelution for rebelling against low expectations. We're trying to break the stereotype that if you're a teenager you're automatically immature, self-absorbed, and rebellious. Teens are able to accomplish some pretty incredible things. Really meaningful, significant, world-affecting things.

Brett: There are three pillars to the rebelution: character, competence, and collaboration. It's not just about having good intentions but actually having the competence to do something about it. Finally, collaboration is crucial; working alone can only accomplish so much. When we're talking about doing hard things, that's the way we achieve character. That's the way we exercise and increase competence. And that's the way we tackle big things that are too big to do alone. We attract like-minded individuals.

Schute's entire post is well worth reading.  As is the Rebelution blog.

Having said all this, it might be useful to conclude with some of Ralph D. Winter's additional comments on the ideas stimulated by this book.

 "I wish a second book could be written that would scour this land for openings into the real world that are long-term, and where the activity involved would be seen as worth doing in itself, not only a means of a teenager growing and maturing. 

Lastly, intergenerational collaboration, not just teen collaboration, does not appear.  But I admit that is far more a criticism of the adult world--which tries not to bother with teens, who, bless their hearts, are finding things to do, HARD things to do with very little hlep from the too-busy broader society.