NGU News


Administrators Address Cultural Challenges and Making Disciples in Book, ‘Know. Be. Live.®’

Posted on: August 31, 2021
By LaVerne Howell, laverne.howell@ngu.edu

NGU administrators address cultural challenges and making disciples in book, ‘Know. Be. Live. ®’Tigerville, SC–Two North Greenville University (NGU) senior administrators, were invited to contribute to a groundbreaking new book, Know. Be. Live.® (Forefront Books 2021), which has been issued by the Impact 360 Institute.  Edited by Dr. John D. Basie, director of the Masters Experience at the Institute, the work addresses cultural challenges and potential solutions to making disciples in Generation Zero (Gen Z). Basie is also an affiliated professor of leadership at NGU, teaching in the Master of Leadership degree program offered in partnership with Impact 360.

NGU President Dr. Gene C. Fant, Jr., and NGU Provost and Dean of the University Faculty Dr. Nathan A. Finn were among a total of sixteen nationally recognized contributors who provided expertise for understanding Gen Z and a holistic 360-degree approach to discipleship in the post-Christian era.

“The contributions that Drs. Fant and Finn have made to this volume are essential to understanding and implementing a holistic model of discipleship with Generation Z. Their insights, based on first-hand experience with this generation, are key to helping readers understand more fully what intellectual discipleship in particular looks like in this cultural moment,” said Basie. “As one of NGU’s strategic partners, it has been an honor for Impact 360 Institute to work with both of them on this project.”  

Over the last few years, the literature on Gen Z has grown rapidly. However, there is little that directly addresses the destructive cultural challenges to proactive disciple-making in this generation. The book combines expert thought on faith and culture to equip Christ-following parents of teenagers, college students, campus ministers, and pastors.

For nearly 20 years, NGU President Dr. Gene C. Fant, Jr., has been involved in a variety of roles at the Impact 360 Institute, including a guest professor every year of the Fellows program since its inception.

“This collection of essays represents the heart of the Institute for fostering a generation of believers, thinkers, and doers who will impact our culture for the gospel. At its root is a conviction that it is possible to break cycles of spiritual poverty wherever they may exist, discovering and sharing the riches of Christ’s wisdom and love for each of us,” said Fant.

President Fant’s essay looks at how post-pandemic Christianity in the U.S. will need to adjust to reach next-gen students.

“I emphasize the role of genuine, authentic groups and a devotion to the practice of cultivating a love for the Truth that transcends human circumstance and reveals God’s love for us,” Fant said.  

Addressing the obstacles to deep discipleship and spiritual formation within Gen Z, Know. Be. Live.® approaches this subject matter from a comprehensive biblical perspective that ties together the intellectual (Know), character (Be), and calling (Live) elements of discipleship.

Finn, who teaches at the Impact 360 Institute every year as part of the MA Leadership partnership, continued a chapter on cultivating a holistic biblical worldview in a generation profoundly shaped by digital media. 

“It is an honor to contribute to this collection of essays and to write about a topic that I care so deeply about: Christian worldview formation. My prayer is that Know. Be. Live.® will be a strategic resource for ministry leaders who are committed to making disciples among Generation Z,” said Finn.

Other contributors include J. P. Moreland, John Stonestreet, Stephanie Shackelford, Sean McDowell, Melissa Pellew, Kyle Strobel, Hunter Baker, Jonathan Morrow, Jacob Shatzer, Philip Alsup, John Basie, Ed and Dana Bort, and John W. White III.

Impact 360 Institute was started by Chick-fil-A’s John and Trudy Cathy White when they recognized the need for equipping young adults of godly leadership. Impact 360 Institute was born out of the vision of the Lifeshape, Inc. an organization which began to transform communities with the message of Jesus Christ by equipping young adults to become Christ-centered servant leaders.

The book, published by Forefront Books and distributed by Simon & Schuster, may be purchased through Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop, Books-A-Million, and Indie Bound.

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