The mere hour or so that churches have with children and teens on a weekly basis -- and unburdened by any need to drill and test -- is too precious to waste on merely religious education.

Not only did the camps allow attendees to feel safe being themselves, I found the environment to be a reaffirming sanctuary.

I left the church as a teenager on less than good terms. My youth leader threw a Bible at me for persisting with my questions. Fortunately, I found a new community that represented something different.

By Adelle M. Banks Religion News Service (RNS) Why do young Christians leave the church? New research by the Barna Group finds they view church...

Call it cynical, iconoclastic or even destructive to the fabric of society, but placing humanity above ideals seems the only hope we have for living out Christ's call to love one another as ourselves.

We need a reawakening that focuses attention away from the differences that keep our nation divided and away from the individualist "anything goes" values of a celebrity consumerist culture.

Over these three days I sensed the Spirit of God at work powerfully in these young lives. You will be hearing from many of them in the years ahead.

As we struggle together in conversations and broader understandings of spiritual formation, we'll ultimately learn more about how to love each other, our neighbors and God. And that's what Sunday school is all about.