School can feel like an exile, but Christian teens can thrive when faith is tested

When faith feels lonely at school, Alice Pinney believes that Daniel’s story and the biblical theme of exile offer young people a hopeful model for living boldly and faithfully—even when in the minority

Young people gathering in a church youth group each week can then be scattered across a dozen different schools during the school days.

As they spend time together, they share something important: encouragement in their faith, friendships and the reassurance that they are not alone in following Jesus.

But their experience during the week can feel very different.

faith can feel like something that sets young people apart, rather than that which is shared with those around them

Many young people find themselves in school environments where there are few, if any, other Christians that they know. School culture is increasingly diverse, and often non-religious, and faith can feel like something that sets young people apart, rather than that which is shared with those around them.

This isolation in a school environment can leave young people wondering: Am I the only one who believes this?

And yet, this experience is not new; it is in fact profoundly biblical.

Exile is not an exception: it is a pattern

From the moment humanity is sent out of Eden (Genesis 3), there is a sense of not quite being at home. Throughout Scripture, God’s people repeatedly live as ……