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Being Careful with Research

Yesterday I blogged about handling brain (and all other) research with care. We simply cannot take researchers’ probings and popular commentary on those probings as absolute truth, any more than we should take Sticky Faith research as absolute truth.

Here’s a second study that may be easily misinterpreted: Some teenager’s brains may make them use drugs.  As a WSJ article wondered aloud, “Are Some Teenagers Wired for Addiction?”

The abstract emphasizes that this exploratory brain scanning found different neurological networks active in impulse-control experiments among different teenagers. The biggest finding here is that those who had ADHD symptoms were activating different parts of the brain than those who had a history of drug and alcohol use.  That could mean that having ADHD is not necessarily a risk factor for drug use.

It also seems that underfunctioning of the orbitofrontal cortex of 14-year-olds is one factor correlated with teenagers who have a history of drug use. But here’s the thing: The study is not a before-after longitudinal study. It only shows correlation after the fact. So to conclude that this low brain activity means some kids are predisposed to drug use is taking a leap beyond the research itself.

In other words, we still don’t know that some teens are hard-wired for addiction. As the researchers point out, “impulsivity is a multi-dimensional construct.” Let alone addiction, which is certainly a step beyond impulsivity.

As you read the headlines, be aware of the leaps we researchers and commentators make. Sometimes we all need reminders that the first rule of research is humility. Let’s apply that to interpretation as well.

Handle Brain (and all other) Research with Care

I am not a neuroscientist.

I say this every time I quote neuroscience in a presentation, because I think it’s fair to warn listeners that my interpretation of the brain research I mention could be off-base. We do work down the hall from some brilliant neuropsychologists at Fuller, and feel smarter just by walking by their doors. But beyond that, I’m leaning on one neuropsych class in undergrad well over a decade ago, which isn’t much to go on.

I bring this up because I have seen a few instances lately where popular interpretation of research feels skewed.  Of course all research (including our own) is skewed in some way itself, but public reports can create all kinds of further misunderstandings. Two examples that seem to be open to misinterpretation within the past couple of weeks:

First, analytical thinking experiments (not actual brain research) triggered an interpretation that, as one headline read, “Thinking can undermine religious faith, study finds.” The study abstract states it slightly more positively, “Analytic Thinking Promotes Religious Disbelief.” To be more clear, the journal article reports that “these studies indicate that analytic processing is one factor (presumably among several) that promotes religious disbelief.”

What did this study actually find?

That there is some correlation between triggering analytic thinking (via asking subjects to perform cognitive tasks in a lab) and responding less positively to religious belief statements. In other words, when we get our brains into critical-thinking modes we’re less likely to voice agreement with statements that are, by their very nature, based on faith. That is different from proving that thinking undermines faith. As one commenter noted, belief responds to context. Faith is elastic, and elasticity and stickinesss are not necessarily opposed to one another.

Just as faith and doubt are not always enemies.

Tomorrow I’ll share the second study that could easily lead to misinterpretation.

How to Be More Creative. Good News: You Already Are.

This week I seem to be surrounded by talk about creativity.  It’s been a topic of interest to my 9 year-old, I played a video in my Fuller class about creativity, and then I ran across this Harvard Business Review blog about creativity.

In the past, I’ve thought of myself as a not very creative person, largely because I’m not a very artistic person (you should see me draw, let alone try to read my handwriting).  But over the years I’ve realized that I’m more creative than I thought, largely based on an expanding definition I have of creativity.  As the blog describes:

The bad news is that if you don’t think you’re creative, our survey data say that you probably are not. But there is good news: You can actually become more creative by changing your mind-set. Anyone can innovate, if they choose to. Disruptive innovators do it by choice, not chance. Their everyday actions swap out an “I’m not creative” mind-set for an “I am creative” one. And then magical (not mystical) things unfold.

According to the various researchers who wrote the HBR blog, there are 5 types of creativity:

Associational thinking: I creatively solve challenging problems by drawing on diverse ideas or knowledge.

Questioning: I often ask questions that challenge others’ fundamental assumptions.

Observing: I get innovative ideas by directly observing how people interact with products and services.

Idea Networking: I regularly talk with a diverse set of people (e.g., from different functions, industries, geographies) to find and refine new business ideas.

Experimenting: I frequently experiment to create new ways of doing things.

I like these various categories of creativity because they remind me of what I think is true about creativity:

1.  Much of creativity comes from observing others.  We think creativity happens when we’re alone, thinking deep thoughts.  Sometimes that’s the case, but often (maybe even more often), creativity happens by seeing what others are doing.

2.  Creativity comes often from a team.  I’m often my most creative when I’m with my great FYI colleagues, thinking about next steps, dreaming about the future.

3.  Creativity takes time.   The more time we have (especially with our team), the more creative we can be.  Because of that, our FYI team is trying to block off half of every staff meeting for “big picture” issues – the type of issues in which we need to be creative and can’t be squeezed into 7 minute chunks.

4.  Not only am I creative, everyone else is too.  Every student I know, every adult with whom I interact has their own brand of creativity – God-given creativity.   How can I help them tap into it?  How can the world benefit from it?

Here’s the good news:  you – and everyone else you know – is already more creative than you think.

Volume 8, Issue 10 FYI E-Journal

Millennials’ Perspective on Christian Faith

Recently, a joint study by the Public Religion Research Institute and Georgetown University’s Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs found that younger Millennials, age 18-24, report high levels of movement away from religious affiliation.  According to the report, “While only 11% of Millennials were religiously unaffiliated in childhood, one-quarter (25%) currently identify as unaffiliated, a 14-point increase.”

Personally, I do not find this statistic surprising.  It merely validates what the church has already known for years.

What might be surprising are the three words the majority of religiously unaffiliated Millennials believe describes present-day Christianity.  These words are “judgmental” (84%), “hypocritical” (84%), and “anti-gay” (79%).  No wonder these Millennials are walking away from Christianity!  But is this an accurate picture of Christianity?  Scripture doesn’t portray Jesus as being judgmental, hypocritical or overtly anti-gay.  Which makes me wonder, why is there such a large disconnect between what Christianity is and how people view it?  Somehow we have become known more for what we are against than what we are for.

The three descriptors I personally would use to talk about Christianity are welcoming, forgiving, and redeeming.  What three words would you use to describe Christian faith?  And how can the church begin to inspire others to view Christianity in a similar way?

Finding Risen Life in Tough Kids

Working with young people is hard.  Sometimes unbearably so.

Even if you don’t work with gang members or high-risk kids, you probably feel this way from time to time. And for those who do serve kids on the margins, the day to day struggles can fog our vision for why we serve in the first place.

Recently Father Greg Boyle, founder of Homeboy Industries here in L.A., spoke in chapel at Fuller.  His meditation, a post-Easter reflection on the risen life, inspired our FYI team and the full house who joined us.  This week take some time to consider these words from Father Boyle about the risen life we find in one another—gang members, tough kids, and anyone else in whom life is often hidden.

(Note: Boyle’s talk starts at 8:22)

Someone Noticed

Have you heard about Caine’s Arcade?

Caine is a nine-year-old kid in East L.A. whose dad sells auto parts. Last summer he took Caine to work with him and gave him a little space of his own and some raw materials (mostly cardboard) to pass the time.  He created games out of cardboard boxes and offered people to play for a nickel. Over time Caine constructed an elaborate cardboard arcade, complete with “fun pass” options and an office. He basically took over the store.

But Caine didn’t get a lot of business.  Every weekend during the school year he’d show up and open his arcade, and most of the time he had no customers.  But one adult stumbled onto the arcade, bought a fun pass, and kept visiting. He couldn’t believe there weren’t people maxing out Caine’s arcade. So he organized a flash-mob-style event of folks to show up and surprise Caine one weekend afternoon…and play at his arcade. This short film captures the story and the big day:

Caine’s story is a fascinating phenomenon.  He’s not the only kid around who has to hang out at a parent’s workplace. He’s not the only kid around with creativity and imagination. So what is it about Caine that captures our attention?

Someone noticed.

One adult paid attention to Caine and thought his story was worth telling.  Of course he had his dad supporting him and giving him space to play and create (I don’t want to underplay the importance of his father at all here).  But when another adult also noticed Caine, talked to him, played his games, and decided to spread the word, something powerful happened. And it wasn’t just that a lot of people showed up for the party; it was that Caine’s creative work was given new value and dignity.

Since the premier of the video and an online paypal fund in April, nearly $200,000 has been raised online to help fund Caine’s college education as well as funding other creative and entrepreneurial young kids. Now there’s a foundation matching up to $250,000 in donations. All because one adult noticed.

I’m not necessarily suggesting more kids should spend their summers working or hanging out in auto parts stores. Or that we should exploit Caine or kids like him because they have an inspiring story (this is a difficult line to walk). But I am suggesting that there are a whole lot of Caines out there waiting to be noticed.

Let’s be on the lookout!

Good News in Your Neighborhood

Where you live is no accident to Jesus.

And where you live is the starting point for you to bring—and be—good news.

A prayer altar in my neighborhood set up by teenagers grieving a friend's death.

This came even more alive for me recently when a local shooting stirred up a lot of questions about race, safety, and God’s presence in the midst of the death of a young man. Teenagers in the community gathered to pray and left this altar as a memorial of their friend, but also a testimony to their deep need to know and be touched by good news.

Recently our friends Adam McLane and Jon Huckins (a current Fuller student) released a 6-week downloadable student curriculum called Good News in the Neighborhood (video). From the introduction:

As humans every one of us is made in the image of God. We are hard-wired to love Good News. Good News is addictive to our soul. We can’t get enough Good News. All humans are searching for Good News in an instinctual way we can’t explain. And when Good News happens in our presence or when we partner with a neighbor to bring Good News to someone else, something in our soul deeply resonates with that…

In a post-Christian society, the best way to grow our ministry is to connect with the innate part of a persons soul that defies logic’s last stand. Good News supersedes all. It’s the Gospel’s secret weapon. And it spreads like wild fire.

What I love about the emphasis of this curriculum is that it emphasizes the expansiveness of the kingdom of God while also opening kids’ eyes to the ways that kingdom is expanding in the very streets and hearts around them. Overlapping with some of the goals of our Deep Justice work, Good News in the Neighborhood inspires students to seek the shalom—the wholeness, the flourishing—of all people, not just those who show up at their church.

What are some of the ways you are stirring up kids to be good news in their neighborhoods?

How the Hook-Up Culture Hurts Girls

I’m at the Orange Conference in Atlanta for the rest of the week, getting ready to share about Sticky Faith in 2 seminars and a general session.  It’s an honor to be rubbing shoulders with 5,000 other leaders who are so committed to reaching young people.

Maybe that’s why this Christianity Today review of a new book (a book I haven’t read yet) called Girls Uncovered: New Research on What America’s Sexual Culture Does to Young Women hit me so hard.  Or maybe it’s because I’m a mom of daughters.  Or maybe it’s just because I’m a human who cares about others.

While sex outside of God’s intentions are harmful to all involved, the book seems to argue that the consequences are even more dire for females.

The primary message of Girls Uncovered is that sex is sexist: “When it comes to the negative consequences of sexual activity, girls easily get the worst of it.” Of course, they are the ones who have to struggle with any resultant pregnancy. But they are also more likely to get a sexually transmitted infection, and the consequences of such infections are typically more severe and longer-lasting in both girls and women. Female physiology doesn’t thrive under a diverse sexual resume. Nor does female psychology. Girls also suffer more seriously from depression and self-loathing at the break-up of a sexually active relationship as well as casual hook-ups.

I’m not familiar enough with the research to know if this is accurate, and I certainly have talked with both boys and girls who have been crushed by premarital sexual activity, but it’s interesting to think about the unique cost for girls (note that I said “unique” and not “greater”).

Leaders and parents, the book hints at an important insight for us as folks who think we’re equipping our kids to navigate the sexual landscape ahead of them.

While Girls Uncovered is written for all adults who have important relationships with teen and early twenty-something girls, McIlhaney and Bush wisely aim their call mostly at parents. This is for one simple reason: “Scientific surveys clearly reveal that more girls say their parents influence their behavior than girls say peers, media or other source are influencing their lives.” They cite data showing how parents can get this wrong in two ways. First, while 43 percent of parents believe others have more influence on their children on matters of sex, only 18 percent of teens believe this. Study after study shows that parents are a child’s most important and best influence. Even if you think they don’t, your children desperately want your advice and direction. Second, while 73 percent of mothers tell researchers they’ve talked with their teen about sex, only 46 percent of teens strongly agreed that they had. While it might be true that most parents have talked to their kids about sex, it doesn’t really count if the kids don’t recall it.

So we may think we’re talking about sex, but if our kids can’t remember the conversations have happened, then they don’t count.

How can you make your discussions about sex more memorable?  A few ideas come to mind to help parents (as well as youth leaders who work with parents):

1.   Don’t have just one discussion.  This is probably the most important thing I’m going to recommend.  Use everyday happenings, news events (the John Edwards trial right now provides plenty of fodder), songs, TV shows, movies, or whatever you can find as a conversation springboard.

2.   Explain that no matter what, you will still love and like your students.  We’ve seen in our Sticky Faith research that when students fail, then run from God, the church and their families just when they need them the most.  As I sent my son out to camp last week (his first camp without my husband, me, or an adult we know well as his counselor), I told him, “Your dad and I know you’ll make right choices, but even if you don’t, we still like you and love you.  And God does too.”  We want to communicate high expectations to our son but nonetheless let him know that we all fail, and we will stand with him when he fails.

 3.  Connect your teenager to other adults.  For those times when your child doesn’t want to talk to you about who they’re dating or their physical intimacy, try to agree together on another adult who they can talk to.  That way even if you’re not directly involved in the communication, your child is getting good advice and perspective.

Which airline makes me feel the most hip?

This last month, I’ve been doing more travel than usual.  While it’s been exciting to have the chance to meet with leaders all over the country and share about Sticky Faith, I certainly haven’t enjoyed the time away from my family.

My view from my Virgin America seat last week. Doesn't it feel hip?

But I have learned a lot about airlines.

I’ve flown on everything from Southwest to Virgin America.  The basic configuration of a plane is generally the same for the cross-America flights I’ve been doing.  (Most have six seats across with an aisle down the middle.  I know some of you know what type of plane that is.  I’ve never made the effort to memorize plane types.)

And yet each airplane has a different vibe.

Virgin America makes me feel hip.

Southwest makes me feel fun and frugal.

United and American make me feel professional.

Delta makes me feel a bit spoiled (they have the best free snacks and great media/internet options).

What causes these respective vibes?

1. The ambiance.  Virgin America feels like a nightclub.  When you check in, there are hip flower arrangements, and throughout the entire experience (from check in to the airplane itself), the lighting is unusual and creative.  For instance, the airplane has blue lights overhead instead of the standard white.
2. 2.     The services provided.  Whatever Delta spends on complimentary peanuts and pretzels, it more than makes up for that expense by making me think the next time I’m booking a flight, “I’ll have a better experience on Delta.”
3. 3.     The staff.  I’ve saved what I think is the most determinative for last.  Southwest flight attendants are notorious for their tongue-and-cheek approach to on-flight announcements.  Virgin America employees made me feel like I was flying first class (believe me, I wasn’t).

Our FYI offices have a ways to go before they communicate the vibe we want them to (largely because they’re a bit small for the functions we perform).  Our house is closer, but I want our house to be even more hospitable and welcoming – from the lights we have on (or off) to the way I greet guests and offer them something to drink (which often at our house means either water or a juice box).

How about your youth room?  Your office space?  Your house?  What values do you want to communicate to folks who walk in the door?  How could you better communicate those values?