About the book
Think of this book as a training manual in how to approach life, a beginner’s guide to Christian ethics. The first three chapters outline a framework for approaching any ethical topic in a comprehensive and faithful way. They also explain why Jesus and his word help us live freer than any other approach. The last six chapters give practical examples of how to use this framework, thinking through specific topics: studies, money, suffering, violence, sex, and identity.
This approach is in response to the need that Mike Snowdon (the author) saw from working with teenagers both in Australia and in Spain. Those who said they were agnostic or atheist no longer said, ‘How can you trust that the Bible is true?’ but rather ‘How can you believe that the Bible is good?’ The Christian teens then found themselves doubting what their churches said about God and whether his way was good. Both groups desperately needed to see God’s goodness in the Bible for themselves and to discover that it was good for everyone.
So Mike wrote this book for teenagers with two aims in mind:
1) to show that the Bible is God’s good word for his world
2) to offer practice in discovering and living out God’s goodness.
The book is also interactive with loads of images, diagrams, QR codes to videos, spaces to write, and stories.
The English version was published by Youthworks Media in 2022: A New Freedom: How God’s word equips you for life. The Spanish version was published by Andamio in 2021: Una Nueva Libertad: Cómo responde la Biblia a cualquier circunstancia de tu vida.
About the author
A New Freedom is by Mike Snowdon, a servant of Jesus who from 2012–2022 worked as a CMS (Church Missionary Society) missionary in Spain with Grupos Bíblicos Estudiantiles (Student Bible Groups) to help Spanish youth meet Jesus. He is married to Tania and they have four boys, all redheads. He likes coffee, making videos, playing guitar, baking bread, going to the beach, and spending time with his family, friends and church. He has worked with teenagers and young adults for 15 years as a youth pastor, speaker, student worker and resource creator, and has no intention of stopping.