A Rebel's Manifesto

May 2, 2022
In this unconvincing manual, McDowell (Chasing Love), an apologetics professor at Biola University, encourages young people to follow God regardless of the cost. “To rebel today” means following Jesus’s example and sticking by one’s Christian convictions, contends McDowell as he uses scripture to address contemporary issues of interest to teenage Christians. On climate change, McDowell cautions against “climate alarmism,” but notes that heeding the lessons laid out in Genesis means “protecting, preserving, and ruling over” the natural world that God created. Social media and smartphones are morally neutral, the author suggests, urging readers to use technology to spread the word of God, but to take offline breaks when necessary. McDowell laments the rise of loneliness, recounting how Absalom set fire to the fields of his father’s military commander because Absalom desperately wanted his father’s attention. The author addresses the concerns of young Christians without condescending to them, but a scarcity of supporting evidence does little to bolster some baffling assertions, such as when McDowell argues that accusations of racism are overblown and backs the claim with a single source that notes some reported hate crimes turn out to be hoaxes. Littered with shallow takes on complex issues, this adds little to the conversation.