The Folly and Vanity of Youth was inspired by a series of sermons preached by Benjamin Keach (1640-1704) on the parable of the laborers in the vineyard (Matthew 20:1–16). Throughout the sermons, Keach provided pastoral application to the young people in his church, listing out sins that are most common among children, teens, and young adults. Expanding upon Keach’s list, Corey Johnson examines those sins that are common to young people but are often minimized or dismissed altogether. In the words of Benjamin Keach, “No age is more subject to folly and vanity than childhood and youth,” yet no age is excused for its folly and vanity more than childhood and youth.
Addressed to young people and those who shepherd them, it challenges the notion that young age absolves moral responsibility while consistently proclaiming Christ as the only hope for sinners. With a corrective yet hopeful tone, the law is presented as a mirror which points the sinner to Christ. Though the book is written as a wake-up call for young people to help bring them to maturity, it also encourages them to leave their childish ways, and spurs them on toward a life of godliness in Christ.