Q & R: Books for a bright daughter

Here’s the Q:

I am a pastor in [a Bible Belt state]. A couple in our church (same sex – I performed their ceremony) came to me about their bright daughter who was wanting to follow Jesus and be baptized. We are part of an interdenominational church and see this happen often. This couple asked me if I could recommend a good book their daughter could read before she meets with me to talk further. Uh oh! I have seen Focus on the Family type material but that is not where they are nor where we as a church are. I have been on a search for the last week but am coming up empty. Do you have any ideas here? On a side not, I was introduced to your work by Tony Campolo who was and is a huge hero of mine. Later my oldest son discovered your books when he graduated from Columbia University. Reading your books has hugely shaped his thinking about God and is having a huge influence in our church. I am a Southern Baptist raised and SBC seminary trained pastor and I want to say thank you for doing what you do.

Here’s the R:
Thanks for your question. I’m struck by your story … about how much diversity there is among folks raised in the Southern Baptist Convention … And I’m also struck by how quickly churches everywhere, even in the Bible Belt, are having to face the reality of gay marriage in very practical terms. Even churches that won’t perform or acknowledge same-sex marriages then have to decide if they will accept children from those unions … for baptism, membership, etc. Which raises additional questions … Will the children be required to deny the validity of their parents’ marriage to fit in? The job of pastors is already hard, and these questions won’t go away.
Because I don’t know the age of this young woman, I can’t make a specific recommendation about a general introduction to Christian faith. If she is a teenager, of my books, probably Secret Message of Jesus would be best. A selection of chapters from We Make the Road by Walking could also be helpful. If she is younger, I need to ask around. This is an area of huge need. That’s why I’m so glad for Faith Forward … you can learn more about them here.
I’ll post a link to this at my Facebook page, and perhaps people will have some recommendations to post in the comments section there.