Striking Out: The Religious Journey of Teenage Boys

Whatever religion may have meant to the boy when he was younger in the teenage years it takes the form of a personal journey or quest. This journey is related to other aspects of his life and is integral to how he experiences himself and others. The title of this volume--Striking Out--has the connotation of the beginning of a journey that will take the boy in new directions but it also suggests the baseball metaphor of a batter being called out on strikes. The first sense is positive; the second is negative. Together they express the anticipatory and hopeful nature of the venture but also the possibility that the undertaking may evoke feelings of fear frustration and failure. By focusing on real-life examples of teenage boys (both historical and contemporary) the book presents five typical manifestations of a boys vulnerabilities as he sets forth on the journey: the stumbler the struggler the straggler the straddler and the stranger. It explores the ways in which these vulnerabilities may contribute in positive ways to his personal growth and his religious maturity. Throughout this book Gordon W. Allports classic text The Individual and His Religion draws attention to the claim that a boys religious sentiment may play a decisive role in the integration of his personality despite its inevitable disparities and uncertainties and the real-life examples are presented as evidence that this religious sentiment provides direction and clarity of vision as the boy looks toward the future. This book is about the religious journeys of boys. It assumes correctly that there is (and should be) a congruity between a boys life and his religion. Just as a boys life changes his religiosity changes. Capps writes about these changes by exploring common vulnerabilities that boys face as they strike out on their own journeys. Capps gives us all--and especially teenage boys--hope for the journey. -Nathan Carlin The University of Texas Medical School Houston Texas Capps takes us right to the heart of the religious journey of the adolescent male--a journey marked by stumbling struggling straggling straddling and being a stranger. He masterfully pulls together a number of strands to tell his story of striking out that is at once deeply perceptive profoundly human and richly spiritual . . . This is a simply brilliant exposition of the religious journey of teenage boys. -Neil Pembroke University of Queensland Striking Out is a home run! All five of Cappss personality types (the stumbler the struggler the straggler the straddler and the stranger) are in my youth group so this is a particularly relevant book for me. Capps navigates the vulnerable adolescent journey masterfully thoughtfully and faithfully. All those invested in the spiritual journey of teenagers will discover great hope in Striking Out. -Joshua Stewart First Presbyterian Church Fort Worth Texas Capps spoke to me personally as a man who had once been a young teenage boy with questions emotions and baggage striking out on my own spiritual journey. He speaks to me as a new father as I imagine my sons future with all of his potential and struggles ahead and my hope to help him keep his eyes on the ball each time he comes to the plate. Capps also speaks to me as a pastor and educator as I realize the great need of this very specific population in our culture and nation. Striking out is a paradox with which we must each deal in one way or another. -Grafton T. Eliason California University of Pennsylvania Donald Capps (1939-2015) was William Harte Felmeth Professor of Pastoral Theology (Emeritus) and Adjunct Professor at Princeton Theological Seminary. He is the author of Striking Out (Cascade Books 2011) At Home in the World (Cascade Books 2013) Still Growing (Cascade Books 2014) and The Resourceful Self (Cascade Books 2014). He is coauthor with Nathan Carlin of Living in Limbo (Cascade Books 2010) and The Gift of