“ Young people will not remain faithful to a faith they do not understand and cannot defend .”
You have helped train your children or grandchildren in the Christian faith . They are familiar with key Bible characters and stories , and they have even memorized Scripture passages . You ’ ve explained the gospel . They know that Jesus died on the cross for their sins and rose again . They have even had some significant experiences that have profoundly shaped them . So they should be safe , right ?
What will they do when someone makes a claim and provides “ evidence ” that the Resurrection never happened ? Or that the Bible is full of errors ? Or that Christianity is guilty of horrible evils in history ? Suddenly , “ because mom or dad , or grandma or grandpa said so ” doesn ’ t work . Even as early as grade school , children hear other voices that seek to undermine everything that you and other spiritual authorities taught them .
Young people will not remain faithful to a faith they do not understand and cannot defend . In a post-Christian culture , it is more critical than ever for young people to be prepared to defend themselves from attacks on their faith . They need to know what they believe and why they believe it . Throughout church history , this has been known as apologetics . Apologetics is the defense of the Christian faith . Peter states that Christians are to be prepared “ to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you ” ( 1 Pet . 3:15 ). A portion of Paul ’ s ministry included a defense of the gospel : “ I am appointed for a defense of the gospel ” ( Phil . 1:16 ). Apologists are individuals who defend Christian beliefs and practices against attacks , provide arguments for the truthfulness of Christianity over other worldviews , and refute unbiblical ideas or theories . The goal of apologetics is to persuade belief by presenting a rational basis for Christianity , to defend the truth by answering questions or the objections of unbelief , and to reveal the foolishness of false ideas , so they do not capture our hearts and minds .
Apologetics is an essential aspect of your discipleship ministry to your children or grandchildren and can be divided into the following four categories :
• Prove . Develop a case for Christianity utilizing biblical , scientific , historical , archeological , and personal testimony to establish the truthfulness of the Christian worldview . Show that Christianity is true , credible , reliable , and aligns with the real world .
• Defend . In every generation , there are many attacks against Christianity . Children need to be introduced to these distorted ideas , learn to test them against God ’ s Word and be able to identify truth from error . The two primary areas of attack : the Son of God and the Word of God .
• Refute . Compare and contrast with other religions and belief systems to verify the Christian faith and dismantle false and erroneous views . Refute arguments made in support of different beliefs by showing they are unreliable , irrational , unverifiable , or simply do not make sense with what we see in real life .
• Persuade . Work to clarify biblical truths , answer objections , address criticisms , provide answers , and eliminate any intellectual difficulties that stand in the way of coming to faith in Christ . The goal is to encourage alignment with God ’ s Word , apply the truth of God ’ s Word to life , and establish a lifelong commitment to the gospel . Apologetics is a partner of evangelism where we seek to convince children to accept truth claims about Christianity and trust Christ . Give your child every reason possible to embrace the Christian faith and reject counterfeit beliefs .
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