Over the past couple of years I If you want to be a new kind of apologist , it is vital to build relationships with people of varying faiths so you can speak from a heart of genuine care. Apologists today must do their homework. We must critically examine our She had a newfound faith because of our apologetic conversation.
Not only is apologetics important for our senior citizens, it is especially important for our younger generations. Our youth are bombarded by a plethora of attacks against Popular writer and speaker Sean McDowell offers a solution for this problem: a new way of approaching faith that addresses the questions the emerging generation is asking and that incorporates a radically humble and relational approach.
This is critical so they are not overwhelmed later in life when all the information is forced on them in intimidating and new environments. Not a Member? Popular writer and speaker Sean McDowell offers a solution for this problem: a new way of approaching faith that addresses the questions the emerging generation is asking and that incorporates a radically humble and relational approach.
This resource is imperative for leaders who are ready to engage a new generation with the claims of Christ. He is an associate professor in the Christian Apologetics program at Biola University, is an internationally recognized speaker, and blogs regularly at www.
Understanding Intelligent Design. William A. It is certainly true that living the Christian life with consistency and conviction can be an attractive witness toteens, but this must not deter us from making a rational apologetic for the knowability of truth, or the coherence of Christian truth claims with reality. My experience has been that, especially when given the privacy of a note card to respond, students often ask the tough questions, and are interested in reasons for belief in Christianity and its claims.
In speaking engagements throughout the United States, I have collected thousands of these questions from curious students. If we cannot rise to the task, we run the risk of losing our children and generations to follow. One might argue that such a disturbing and tragic loss already has begun.
I once met a young man who told me that he had lost his faith in God. The reason he gave for this was the inexplicable and unforgivable death of his best friend—something he believed a loving God never could allow. I asked him whether he, prior to the death of his friend, had ever thought about the problem of evil and suffering. His problem was one of ignorance, since he had never wrestled with the problem of suffering before his tragedy and had never developed a biblical worldview that could help prepare him for such an event.
Those who give thoughtful reflection to the reality of suffering ahead of time have far greater odds of holding fast to their faith when tragedy strikes. As parents, educators, and youth ministers, we can give children a priceless gift by helping them to think biblically and to defend their faith before they leave our sphere of influence.
Most adults are concerned about the behavior of young people. Few, however, go deeper to the source of their behavior: their beliefs.
These beliefs shape his values, and his values drive his actions. People act on what they believe—not what they say they believe, or want to believe, but what they truly believe. Young people who have a biblical worldview are not only less likely to leave the faith, they are more likely to practice it in their own lives, and those who believe that God truly has spoken through the Bible are far more likely to follow it than are those who are not so convinced.
This is why it is so critical to help our youth come to terms with their actual beliefs and to help address their doubts, questions, uncertainties, and fears honestly. Given the importance of truthful beliefs, we should be deeply concerned about our youth today.
In his top religious trends of , George Barna concluded:. American Christians are biblically illiterate. Although most of them contend that the Bible contains truth and is worth knowing, and most of them argue that they know all of the relevant truths and principles, our research shows otherwise….
Consider some of the beliefs of conservative Protestant youth: 6. Take a moment to consider the implication of these statistics. How can our young people have vibrant prayer lives when nearly one in five 18 percent do not believe God is personally involved in the world today? Helping our youth, then, to transform their reasoning and understanding and to become like Jesus begins with helping them to think like Jesus and to put those thoughts into action.
This past summer I was the guest speaker at a youth Bible camp in Northern California. The theme throughout the week was Matthew —loving God with all our heart, soul, and mind. By: Sean McDowell. Stock No: WW More in ConversantLife.
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