Will your kids hold to their faith as they grow?

The facts are against them. This is an outline for an introductory class for parents. The idea is to inspire them to want to study more about the facts of Christianity to provide a reasonable defense of our faith in the public square

LifeWay Research Study LifeWay Research and Ministry Development (2007)
Study Findings:
70% will leave the faith in college. Only 35% eventually return.
7 in 10 Protestants ages 18 to 30 – both evangelical and mainline – who went to church regularly in high school said they quit attending by age 23. 34% of those said they had not returned, even sporadically, by age 30. That means about one in four Protestant young people have left the church.

Why Christian Kids Leave the Faith

• They left because they had troubling, unanswered questions about the faith.
  
• They left because their faith was not “working” for them.
  
• They left because they allowed other things to take priority.
  
• They left because they never personally owned their faith.
  

In their words
When asked “Why did they fall away from the faith in which they were raised?”

• “It didn’t make any sense anymore.”
  
• “Some stuff is too far-fetched for me to believe.”
  
• “I think scientifically and there is no real proof.”
  
• “Too many questions that can’t be answered.”
  

Listening to Young Atheists:

• They had attended church at one time
  
• The mission and message of their churches was vague
  
• They felt their churches offered superficial answers to life’s difficult questions
  
• They expressed their respect for those ministers who took the Bible seriously
  
• Ages 14-17 were decisive
  
• The decision to embrace unbelief was often an emotional one
  
• The internet factored heavily into their conversion to atheism
  

Where these attacks are coming from

• Internet
  
• Media
  
• Teachers
  
• Friends
  
• Aethist
  

What about shielding our kids

• Only works for so long
  
• College/Schools teach against the Christian faith
  
• Movies/ Media / Etc.. mock the Christian faith
  
• The workplace has us hide our Christian faith
  
• The desire to fit has us suppress us witness
  

What can be done about it

• We need to arm take responsibility
  
• Prepare our kids for battle
  
• Expose them to these arguments before they get blindsided
  

What are these arguments just a sample

• Why do you really think the Bible is divinely inspired after all man wrote it?.
  
• Do we actually know who any of the people that wrote the New Testament are?
  
• Why are there so many contradictions in the Bible
  
• The Bible is full of errors, over 1000, it can’t be trusted
  
• Why is your God more believable than all the others?
  
• Why is there evil and suffering?
  
• How can Jesus be the only way to God, Why is Christianity true?
  
• Why does the Bible contain so much anti-scientific nonsense?
  
• Why does the Bible show God doing terrible things?
  
• Wasn't Jesus just a great teacher like Budda, Mohamad, and Gandi?
  
• Was the universe really created in 6 days, about 6000 years ago, when all the science says no it wasn’t?
  
• How do you know you can trust The Council of Nicaea,?
  
• There are many more.
  

First things first Best defense is a good offense

• Arm yourself
  
• Study why Christianity is the one true faith
  
• Can you have a conversation with anyone about the above?
  
• The Bible says and I believe it does not cut it
  
• We must have a defense
  
• Have a conversation with people outside your faith to learn who they think
  

Talk to your kids

• Expose them to these anti-christian ideas before they run into them defenseless
  
• You need to be able to help them when they struggle
  
• THERE NO ONE LINERS HERE, NO TWEETS, NO QUICK RETORT, NO CLEVER WORDS.
  
• We work out our salvation in fear and trembling, we teach our loved ones to do the same
  
• This must be an open dialog
  
• You must train & arm them as you must train & arm yourself
  
• They learn best by an example, Show them, Teach them, study with them
  
• Yes this is difficult
  

What are the benefits

• Your faith will increase, deepen
  
• You will be able to defend your faith
  
• Your witness will have teeth
  
• Your relationship with your kids may improve
  
• Your kids won't be defenseless in the world
  

What are the facts

• We can defend the resurrection as a historical event using the Bible and Extra-Biblical resource
  
• We have evidence that the Bible is a good reliable historical document, not full of errors
  
• We have sound scientific evidence that there is a creator, Designer,
  
• We have good scientific evidence that Darwin is wrong. Just not being taught
  
• We can teach our kids good arguments for their faith so they hold their own in the public square
  
• We can teach them good questions to ask those people that are attacking them to defend their position  
  
• Our faith is not like ice cream I have my flavor you have yours
  

Where do you start

• Some say at the beginning of the Bible
  
• I personally believe we work backward,
  
• If the resurrection did not happen our faith is worthless
  

A Christian World View is very defensible, Teaching our kids how to live in the world and embrace that world view is the most important thing we do

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