Latest / Fulfilled with Rebecca Sheehan / Ep. 9 - Back-to-School Faith Prep

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Ep. 9 - Back-to-School Faith Prep · Fulfilled with Rebecca Sheehan

0:07
SPEAKER_02: Hey everybody, welcome to Fulfilled.
0:10
SPEAKER_02: I'm your host, Rebecca Sheehan.
0:12
SPEAKER_02: School is back in session and as a parent, the nostalgia always hits me.
0:18
Not gonna lie,
0:19
I teared up dropping our kids off on the first day this year.
0:22
SPEAKER_02: They're just growing up so fast.
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SPEAKER_02: For kids, it can be such an adrenaline rush.
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SPEAKER_02: New teachers, new subjects, maybe even a new school or new friends.
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And with all that change might come new questions,
0:36
sometimes big ones,
0:37
about their faith.
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SPEAKER_02: Questions in the classroom, at lunch, and online.
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SPEAKER_02: Questions they might even bring home to you.
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SPEAKER_02: So as parents, grandparents, and caregivers, how do we respond?
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And how do we prepare our kids to respond when we're not around
0:55
to help them?
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SPEAKER_02: Well,
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SPEAKER_02: without any guidance,
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SPEAKER_02: this can feel like a tall order,
0:59
which is why I'm so excited to bring you part two of my
1:02
conversation with Mama Bear
1:04
SPEAKER_02: Apologetics.
1:05
Their mission is all about helping parents raise kids who can
1:08
stand strong in their
1:09
SPEAKER_02: faith and engage the world around them with truth and love.
1:13
SPEAKER_02: In part one,
1:14
SPEAKER_02: we dug into Easter apologetics,
1:17
SPEAKER_02: why the resurrection is trustworthy and worth celebrating.
1:20
But there was so much rich insight about equipping kids to
1:23
defend their faith that
1:24
SPEAKER_02: I knew I needed to bring this to you now,
1:27
SPEAKER_02: right as our kids head back into the world,
1:29
SPEAKER_02: back at school.
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SPEAKER_02: So think of this episode as some back to school prep,
1:34
SPEAKER_02: dare I say,
1:35
SPEAKER_02: even better than brand new school supplies,
1:37
SPEAKER_02: giving our kids the confidence to live out what they believe.
1:42
SPEAKER_02: Amy Davison of Mama Bear Apologetics, so glad to have you with us.
1:47
SPEAKER_00: Thank you for inviting me, Rebecca.
1:48
SPEAKER_00: I really appreciate it.
1:50
SPEAKER_02: First,
1:50
I'd love for you to share what inspired you to get involved
1:53
with Mama Bear
1:54
Apologetics and also what's the need you see among Christian
1:57
families for an
1:58
SPEAKER_02: organization like this?
2:00
SPEAKER_01: Yeah,
2:00
so I got involved with Mama Bear Apologetics right after
2:03
graduating with my
2:04
SPEAKER_01: master's degree in apologetics.
2:06
SPEAKER_01: And one of the passions I had as a young mom was to help change the faith
2:10
SPEAKER_01: trajectory of my children because I knew that,
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SPEAKER_01: you know,
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SPEAKER_01: as parents,
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SPEAKER_01: we are the primary disciples.
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SPEAKER_01: We're the primary missionaries on our child's mission field.
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And so I wanted to make sure that my kids were equipped with
2:22
the answers to the big
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SPEAKER_01: questions of the faith that all kids have.
2:25
SPEAKER_01: And it's so needed because what we're seeing in our culture is a shift.
2:30
SPEAKER_01: in how our children are being reached by secular culture.
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SPEAKER_01: And I would say it's not even just indoctrinating.
2:36
SPEAKER_01: I mean,
2:37
it's almost full on brainwashing that we're seeing happen
2:39
within culture to where
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you're not even allowed to question what's being taught to a
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lot of these kids.
2:43
SPEAKER_01: You just have to drink the Kool-Aid, accept and embrace it.
2:47
And so it's so important for us to be speaking life because if
2:50
we're not discipling
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SPEAKER_01: our kids,
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SPEAKER_01: the world already is.
2:53
And so that's why ministries like these are so important
2:55
because it trains parents
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SPEAKER_01: on how to recognize,
2:58
SPEAKER_01: you know,
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SPEAKER_01: what a worldview is,
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SPEAKER_01: how it's being marketed to kids.
3:01
SPEAKER_01: So then they can train their own children on how to recognize,
3:04
discern truth from falsehood and speak life in the midst of
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their friends and the
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SPEAKER_01: school that they're at.
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SPEAKER_02: Now that is also important.
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SPEAKER_02: And so can you describe apologetics for anyone who's not familiar with
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SPEAKER_02: Because phonetically,
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SPEAKER_02: it sounds like you're apologizing for your Christian faith,
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SPEAKER_02: but really it's pretty much the opposite.
3:24
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's actually a legal term.
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SPEAKER_01: So it's from the Greek apologia, and it's to give a defense.
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SPEAKER_01: So basically you are giving a witness for the hope that is within you.
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SPEAKER_01: And we see this in 1 Peter 3.15.
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SPEAKER_01: It says, first and foremost, we are to love and revere the Lord.
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And then we are to be ready to give a defense or give a witness
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for the hope that
3:43
SPEAKER_01: is within us,
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SPEAKER_01: but do so with gentleness and respect.
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That means as you are living your Christian life and people are
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recognizing your
3:50
SPEAKER_01: worldview,
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SPEAKER_01: how it affects your actions,
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SPEAKER_01: the way you dress,
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SPEAKER_01: the way you treat people,
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SPEAKER_01: they're going to ask you why.
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And so the second you answer that why question,
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you are doing apologetics.
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SPEAKER_01: Or if you are sharing your testimony and someone says,
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SPEAKER_01: okay,
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SPEAKER_01: I hear how God's worked in your life,
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SPEAKER_01: but what about this?
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SPEAKER_01: And then they hit you with a question.
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SPEAKER_01: Now you're into apologetics.
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So apologetics is a tool of the faith that not only helps you
4:13
better know your own
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SPEAKER_01: witness,
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SPEAKER_01: your own faith,
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SPEAKER_01: it nurtures your relationship with God to know him better.
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SPEAKER_01: It equips you for more fruitful evangelistic encounters.
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SPEAKER_01: And then when those moments of doubt come creeping in,
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SPEAKER_01: maybe you're wrestling with something,
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SPEAKER_01: there's been a
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a trial or tragedy within the family,
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or maybe your children have a question.
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SPEAKER_01: Well,
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SPEAKER_01: now apologetics enables you to put those doubts to work and say,
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SPEAKER_01: okay,
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SPEAKER_01: I've got this question,
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but I know God is faithful and I need to go and actually do the
4:41
work and dig in and
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SPEAKER_01: find the answer.
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SPEAKER_01: And so apologetics, it's wonderful.
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It's like an act of worship because we are called to love God
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with all our heart,
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SPEAKER_01: with all our soul,
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SPEAKER_01: with all our minds and all our strength.
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SPEAKER_01: And so this is a way to worship God with our minds.
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Apologetics seems like something so erudite that people should
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study at seminary,
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SPEAKER_02: but really it's something that every Christian should be doing.
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Yeah,
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and I think that's one of the biggest hang-ups that I've
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noticed with apologetics.
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SPEAKER_01: And so many of us have seen this.
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SPEAKER_01: People think that,
5:11
SPEAKER_01: oh my gosh,
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you can only study it if you have this amazing library with
5:16
leather-bound first
5:16
SPEAKER_01: editions or you wear those jackets with the patches on the elbows.
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SPEAKER_01: Those are the people that study apologetics.
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SPEAKER_01: Those are the people for theology, philosophy.
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SPEAKER_01: And one of the amazing things about apologetics is it's so accessible.
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SPEAKER_01: I mean, anyone can study it.
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The resources that are out there today are phenomenal to where
5:35
anyone at any
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SPEAKER_01: reading level,
5:37
SPEAKER_01: any intellectual level,
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you can grasp the questions for the faith and be able to love
5:43
God and dive into
5:44
SPEAKER_01: this.
5:45
SPEAKER_01: So it's wonderful.
5:45
SPEAKER_01: It sounds intimidating, but it's really not.
5:48
SPEAKER_01: And it's not just accessible.
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SPEAKER_01: It's practical.
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SPEAKER_01: to every parent, grandparent, teacher.
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SPEAKER_01: I mean,
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SPEAKER_01: if you have coworkers,
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SPEAKER_01: family members who are not Christians,
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SPEAKER_01: if you have children who are asking you questions,
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SPEAKER_01: apologetics will help you give a better witness in those situations.
6:02
So it's not anything to be intimidated about because whatever
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question you have,
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there's a really great resource to get you with the answers
6:09
that you need.
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SPEAKER_01: We just have to have the boldness to go out and search them out.
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How can we respond when our kids come home and ask why their
6:16
classmates at school
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SPEAKER_02: don't believe what they do?
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SPEAKER_02: And then how can our kids respond to their friends?
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SPEAKER_02: In other words,
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SPEAKER_02: how can we strike a balance between not sounding condescending,
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SPEAKER_02: like,
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SPEAKER_02: those kids at school are wrong,
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SPEAKER_02: but also not compromising what we know to be the truth?
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Because if we respond with something like,
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well,
6:34
we just have different beliefs than they do,
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it sort of unwittingly equates our belief with their non-belief
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which ultimately
6:41
waters down what christ did on the cross and that's a great
6:44
point because if we
6:45
just say oh well some people have different beliefs then that
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might implicitly
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suggest that relativism this idea that all beliefs are equally
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valid there is no
6:55
SPEAKER_01: objective truth uh it might communicate that to our kids
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so what we what we do is we kind of put it within a redemptive
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arc so how you do
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that is whenever you're talking about an issue you first want
7:07
to affirm god's
7:09
original design point back to that there is sin that led to
7:12
brokenness um but that
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christ came to redeem and there's hope after that then what we
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tell our children is
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well baby we know that christianity is true and it's not just
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true for us it's true
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SPEAKER_01: for everyone this is absolute
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but every person has free will,
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meaning every person can choose to either accept Jesus or not.
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SPEAKER_01: And some people choose not to.
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SPEAKER_01: Now, how are we supposed to treat them?
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Well,
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every person,
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regardless of whether or not they believe in God,
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is made in God's image.
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SPEAKER_01: And what that means is that they have inherent worth and dignity,
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SPEAKER_01: and we treat them respectfully.
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SPEAKER_01: Now, what this also means is that
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SPEAKER_01: When we are to love God and then love our neighbor as ourselves,
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SPEAKER_01: that means we don't lie to our neighbor as well.
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So you get to,
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with gentleness and respect,
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give a defense for the hope that is within you.
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SPEAKER_01: Because 2,000 years ago, Christ died for the payment of my sins.
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SPEAKER_01: And three days later, he arose, conquering the grave.
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SPEAKER_01: And he taught and spoke for 40 days and ascended into heaven.
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SPEAKER_01: And one day he's going to come back.
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SPEAKER_01: Now our kids have an opportunity to give that apologetic response.
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SPEAKER_01: And you can tell your children,
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SPEAKER_01: you know,
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SPEAKER_01: some people are just going to,
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SPEAKER_01: it's not going to be a big deal to them.
8:21
SPEAKER_01: Oh, okay.
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SPEAKER_01: And they'll move on.
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SPEAKER_01: Other times you might get a little pushback.
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SPEAKER_01: And so for kids, what we want to do is focus on the truth of God and
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really emphasize that it is absolutely true for all people but
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yet we all have free
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will so some people will choose to reject Jesus but that
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doesn't mean we stop
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SPEAKER_01: praying for them
8:38
SPEAKER_01: That's a great answer.
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And what I'd like to add to that is that a lot of people aren't
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choosing to reject it.
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SPEAKER_02: Maybe they just don't know about it yet.
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SPEAKER_02: Like my background,
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SPEAKER_02: for example,
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I grew up Jewish and I was not exposed to the New Testament at
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all until I got
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SPEAKER_02: older.
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SPEAKER_02: And so, you know, I didn't, I didn't reject it.
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SPEAKER_02: I just didn't know.
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SPEAKER_02: So to be able to have a way to gently explain it to people too,
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SPEAKER_02: I think would be really valuable.
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SPEAKER_02: Oh, absolutely.
9:08
SPEAKER_02: That's a great point.
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SPEAKER_02: What are some of the toughest questions you've heard children ask?
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SPEAKER_02: And as parental apologists, how can we respond?
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SPEAKER_01: every kid's different.
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SPEAKER_01: And so every kid is going to have a different question.
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But I think probably one of the biggest ones that kids will
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have has to do with the
9:27
SPEAKER_01: problem of evil.
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SPEAKER_01: It's like, why would Jesus have to die for our sins?
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SPEAKER_01: Why is sin there?
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SPEAKER_01: Why is evil in this world?
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And so kids often really empathize with that because they can
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recognize when the
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SPEAKER_01: world is broken and they know that,
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SPEAKER_01: okay,
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SPEAKER_01: if God is all powerful and he's all good and he's all loving,
9:43
SPEAKER_01: then why doesn't he come in now and fix it immediately?
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SPEAKER_01: Why doesn't everything just stop and everything is
9:49
is instantly fixed there's no more struggling there's no more
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brokenness there's no
9:52
more pain and what we tell our children with regards to the
9:56
nature of the problem
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SPEAKER_01: of evil is that you know this world is broken because of sin so sin has
10:02
consequences and intuitively they know that they know that when
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something somebody
10:06
does something wrong there is a just and rightful punishment so
10:10
we we point out the
10:11
existence of this was not God's original design God's original
10:14
design was beautiful
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SPEAKER_01: and perfect
10:16
SPEAKER_01: We were to have a very personal one-on-one relationship with God,
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SPEAKER_01: just like Adam and Eve had and enjoyed within the garden.
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SPEAKER_01: But then sin entered in because of the sin of pride, of self-worship.
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SPEAKER_01: It was this wanting to be like God.
10:30
And so now we have sin that entered the picture when Adam and
10:32
Eve willfully sinned.
10:33
and sin has consequences that means that we are now separated
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from god that this
10:37
world is now broken and most of the the biggest atrocities that
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occur within this
10:42
world are actually at the hands of man out of negligence
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selfishness i mean we we
10:47
see buildings crumble during earthquakes in foreign countries
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and very often that's
10:52
SPEAKER_01: because these buildings were not built to code to actually withstand the
10:55
SPEAKER_01: earthquakes that are known for that region so
10:57
SPEAKER_01: You know, often people will cry out, well, why didn't God stop it?
11:00
Wait a second,
11:01
he put people in place that could have built proper buildings
11:04
to do so.
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SPEAKER_01: But so often there is negligence, there is greed that comes into play.
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SPEAKER_01: So we recognize, okay, sin has consequences.
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SPEAKER_01: It plays out within this world.
11:14
that free will matters that's the next thing we need to
11:16
encourage our children
11:17
because for us to freely love and to freely choose God that
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means we also have to
11:22
have the ability to freely choose to sin and some people will
11:26
choose to indulge in
11:27
that but free will matters because we have to have that for us
11:30
to actually choose a
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SPEAKER_01: relationship with God
11:32
And that ultimately redemption will come and it will come on
11:36
God's timing.
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SPEAKER_01: And that's probably a big thing that not just kids, but we wrestle with.
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SPEAKER_01: We want everything to occur on our timing,
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but it's according to God's timing because he is long suffering
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and he wants no one
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SPEAKER_01: to miss out on an opportunity to know him and have that opportunity.
11:50
So if we just break down this big question into actually
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answering these littler
11:56
SPEAKER_01: questions for our kids,
11:57
SPEAKER_01: then they can grasp and understand that,
11:59
SPEAKER_01: wait a second,
12:00
SPEAKER_01: baby,
12:00
SPEAKER_01: it might seem...
12:01
troublesome right now in the world that we're living in and we
12:03
can recognize the
12:04
brokenness but what does the brokenness prove the brokenness
12:08
proves that we need
12:10
god we need a savior and we know that christ came and died for
12:14
our sins and so we
12:15
can have hope in him that all things will be made new to
12:18
include our broken bodies
12:19
and so that big question of okay why is there even brokenness
12:23
in the world
12:23
SPEAKER_01: We can help our kids not only answer why the brokenness,
12:26
but offer them hope on why we don't have to fear what's coming
12:29
in the world because
12:30
SPEAKER_01: we already have faith in the one who's overcome it.
12:33
SPEAKER_02: Wow.
12:34
It seriously never gets old how Christianity has the answer to
12:38
so many deep
12:39
SPEAKER_02: questions we face throughout our lives.
12:42
SPEAKER_02: Now, how about for the older kids and teens?
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SPEAKER_02: Any specific advice on answering questions they might have?
12:48
SPEAKER_01: For the older ones, what we really want to do...
12:50
is help them understand the meaning of the story of Christ's
12:55
resurrection,
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SPEAKER_01: death and resurrection.
12:57
What kids are really wanting,
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especially teenagers,
12:59
Gen Z,
13:00
Gen Alpha,
13:00
is they want answers.
13:01
SPEAKER_01: They want evidence.
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SPEAKER_01: So a really great video that you can watch,
13:05
SPEAKER_01: Lee Strobel has a video with regards to the resurrection,
13:09
SPEAKER_01: a case for the resurrection,
13:10
whether or not it was actually possible for Jesus to have risen
13:13
from the dead,
13:14
SPEAKER_01: what are the other
13:15
alleged suggestions that could have happened that Jesus
13:17
actually just survived the
13:19
SPEAKER_01: crucifixion or everybody just hallucinated his resurrection.
13:22
SPEAKER_01: So that's a really great resource for there.
13:25
SPEAKER_01: So that's Lee Strobel's case for the resurrection.
13:28
SPEAKER_01: And so I think for older ones,
13:29
SPEAKER_01: there's an important time for that as well to actually say,
13:32
SPEAKER_01: OK,
13:32
SPEAKER_01: this is what Jesus did for us.
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SPEAKER_01: And the reason why I say that's so important is
13:36
is because right now progressive christianity is taking hold in
13:39
a lot of churches
13:40
and what progressive christianity teaches is that you are not
13:43
sinful you're just
13:44
messy and so you know jesus didn't have to die for your sins
13:47
because you're not a
13:48
sinful person there's this humanistic view of oh you're you're
13:51
all good and you
13:52
know it'll make your kids feel bad if you tell them that jesus
13:55
died for their sins
13:56
SPEAKER_01: wait a second if the cross is real
13:58
then why in the world would we leave off the one aspect of our
14:01
faith that is core
14:02
SPEAKER_01: to Christianity?
14:03
And so that's why we need to be speaking life into our kids
14:06
because so many teens
14:07
SPEAKER_01: today are being groomed by culture to be hyper empathetic,
14:13
SPEAKER_01: hyper emotional as part of that social emotional learning.
14:15
to where they want kids to acquiesce to other people's beliefs
14:19
if those other
14:20
SPEAKER_01: people claim that their feelings are hurt.
14:22
And so what that means is that ultimately Christianity will be
14:24
tossed to the side
14:25
SPEAKER_01: because for some people,
14:26
SPEAKER_01: Christianity hurts their feelings.
14:28
SPEAKER_01: And so what we need to do is say instead,
14:29
SPEAKER_01: okay,
14:30
SPEAKER_01: wait a second,
14:30
SPEAKER_01: let's actually go to the evidence.
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SPEAKER_01: And if it's true, we're gonna stand firm in truth.
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SPEAKER_01: And here's why we know it's true.
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SPEAKER_01: Here's why we can stand firm in this.
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SPEAKER_01: And for kids, especially teenagers, that's what they're wanting.
14:41
SPEAKER_01: They want evidence.
14:41
SPEAKER_01: They don't wanna be in a situation
14:43
SPEAKER_01: to where the only response they have to why do you believe this is,
14:47
SPEAKER_01: well,
14:47
SPEAKER_01: because mom and dad said so,
14:48
SPEAKER_01: or because I went to church.
14:49
SPEAKER_01: It's no,
14:50
SPEAKER_01: baby,
14:50
SPEAKER_01: you are intelligent,
14:51
SPEAKER_01: you are clever,
14:52
and you have the responsibility to be able to understand why
14:55
you believe what you
14:56
SPEAKER_01: believe.
14:56
SPEAKER_01: So let's dive in.
14:57
That's scary to think that kids are being taught that they're
15:01
not actually sinful.
15:02
SPEAKER_02: I mean, think of all the implications of all of that.
15:04
But really,
15:05
I mean,
15:05
that is the integral aspect of the gospel that they're just
15:10
flipping over.
15:10
SPEAKER_02: I mean, you can't do that.
15:13
SPEAKER_01: No.
15:13
And I mean,
15:13
it's not even something that was like for the Gen Z,
15:15
Gen Alphas.
15:16
They're actually getting this second and third hand because
15:19
during the 90s,
15:20
SPEAKER_01: Oprah Winfrey,
15:21
SPEAKER_01: she was like the primary televangelist to most housewives and most women.
15:25
SPEAKER_01: And that was one of her teachings was this spiritualism was that,
15:29
SPEAKER_01: well,
15:29
there are many pathways to God and you just got to find
15:31
whatever pathway suits you,
15:33
SPEAKER_01: whatever fits you.
15:34
you know to where now we're just customizing our own religion
15:37
and so so many people
15:38
are approaching christianity with that same mindset of okay
15:41
well i'm gonna leave
15:41
off anything that doesn't affirm a certain identity or
15:45
worldview and basically what
15:46
it does is they now become the god of their own religion and
15:49
then jesus becomes
15:50
more like a life coach or a um you know one of those positive
15:53
influencers like yeah
15:54
you do you type of thing and so we need to recognize that
15:58
that's going on in our
15:59
SPEAKER_01: culture and it's starting to take root everywhere
16:02
SPEAKER_01: to where now we need to prepare our kids to recognize it.
16:04
SPEAKER_01: So that way they can stand firm when their friends try to say,
16:07
SPEAKER_01: oh,
16:07
SPEAKER_01: you're so stupid for believing that Jesus rose from the dead.
16:10
SPEAKER_01: I can't believe you're a Christian.
16:11
SPEAKER_01: Now they have the evidence to stand firm and defend themselves.
16:14
SPEAKER_01: And kids want that.
16:16
Let's talk about that fear of offending non-Christians nowadays
16:20
and how talking
16:20
SPEAKER_02: about Jesus is sort of taboo in the public square.
16:23
SPEAKER_01: Oh, absolutely.
16:24
SPEAKER_01: It's because of cancel culture and how violent cancel culture is,
16:28
SPEAKER_01: not only verbally,
16:30
SPEAKER_01: but at times physically.
16:32
SPEAKER_01: And then,
16:32
SPEAKER_01: you know,
16:33
SPEAKER_01: we have to take into account how social media has shaped interaction,
16:37
SPEAKER_01: especially for...
16:38
uh the younger millennials gen z and gen alpha so most gen z
16:42
and gen alphas have
16:43
never known a day of their life without the presence of social
16:46
media it was there
16:47
from the time they were born and what social media does is it
16:50
actually trains kids
16:52
to water down their content for mass marketing appeal i mean
16:55
it's marketing 101
16:56
because most kids um you know how like when we were kids
16:59
somebody would be like
16:59
well what do you want to be when you grow up and we would say
17:02
things like you know
17:02
SPEAKER_01: teacher veterinarian doctor all of these things
17:05
well gen z and gen alpha what they will say is influencer and
17:09
the only way to be an
17:10
influencer like a good one where you get the golden uh youtube
17:13
button all the
17:14
things is to have a product that you can market to the widest
17:17
audience and so what
17:18
studies have found is that teenagers are more likely to share
17:21
an illicit photo of
17:23
themselves online than share their faith because the illicit
17:26
photo will get likes
17:26
and follows sharing their faith will get them unfriended and so
17:30
what we've seen
17:30
SPEAKER_01: within
17:31
SPEAKER_01: I know.
17:32
SPEAKER_01: Isn't that sad?
17:33
SPEAKER_01: And so what we're seeing is is multiple spheres of influence.
17:35
SPEAKER_01: For one,
17:36
SPEAKER_01: you know,
17:37
SPEAKER_01: the relativistic mindset that set in,
17:39
SPEAKER_01: especially during the 90s and the shaming of Christianity,
17:41
SPEAKER_01: like you can't pass on your faith.
17:43
SPEAKER_01: You're being closed minded.
17:44
SPEAKER_01: You're being a bigot if you do that.
17:47
SPEAKER_01: So that's caused a lot of parents to be silent.
17:49
Well,
17:49
then children are now being groomed to affirm the feelings of
17:52
everyone around you.
17:54
SPEAKER_01: And you cannot do that as a Christian.
17:56
SPEAKER_01: Instead, you have to now be an ally.
17:58
SPEAKER_01: You have to be a social justice warrior.
18:00
SPEAKER_01: You have to adhere to all these other worldviews except Christianity.
18:03
And then you throw in the social media influence to where now
18:06
they're seeking
18:07
SPEAKER_01: approval from the world.
18:08
SPEAKER_01: They're seeking to gain followers, not be a follower of Christ.
18:12
And now we're seeing so many people walk away from Christianity
18:15
or not embrace it
18:16
SPEAKER_01: altogether because it's been vilified,
18:18
SPEAKER_01: because it's been mocked.
18:19
SPEAKER_01: It's been seen as something that you believe if you're dumb,
18:22
SPEAKER_01: if you're uneducated,
18:23
SPEAKER_01: if you're homophobic,
18:24
SPEAKER_01: all these things.
18:25
SPEAKER_01: And so,
18:26
SPEAKER_01: so many of these kids are falling in line and very few of them,
18:29
SPEAKER_01: in fact,
18:30
SPEAKER_01: it's only about 4% of Christians have a biblical worldview.
18:33
So only 4% of Christians know what the Bible says about
18:37
reality,
18:38
human beings,
18:39
truth,
18:40
morality.
18:41
self or sin what happens to us after we die in the purpose of
18:44
human history only
18:45
four percent of christians know how to answer those questions
18:48
and so now that four
18:49
percent they're trying to raise up kids who are not firm in the
18:52
faith and as we see
18:53
in in judges too you know it only takes one generation of
18:57
compliance of being
18:58
silent for an entire next generation to raise up who neither
19:02
know the lord or
19:03
SPEAKER_01: follow him
19:04
SPEAKER_01: So,
19:04
SPEAKER_01: so yeah,
19:05
SPEAKER_01: you know,
19:05
SPEAKER_01: there's so many social influences,
19:07
but what we found and what you notice is that when people are
19:11
equipped with the
19:11
SPEAKER_01: answers,
19:12
SPEAKER_01: not the fluff,
19:13
SPEAKER_01: and when they are emboldened in their identity with Christ,
19:15
SPEAKER_01: because when we have an identity with Christ,
19:17
SPEAKER_01: we have a purpose and a trajectory for our life.
19:20
SPEAKER_01: So what kids are struggling with is a sense of purposelessness.
19:23
SPEAKER_01: And that was Jeff Myers from Summit Ministry.
19:24
SPEAKER_01: He said kids are struggling with purposelessness.
19:27
SPEAKER_01: And what is purposelessness?
19:28
SPEAKER_01: It's a lack of knowing one's identity,
19:30
SPEAKER_01: having a firmly rooted identity,
19:32
because then you know your purpose and you know the trajectory
19:35
for your life.
19:36
SPEAKER_01: So if we want bold kids in the faith,
19:37
SPEAKER_01: what we do is raise them with that firm foundation of faith.
19:41
interact in culture with truth and grace just like christ did
19:44
like with zacchaeus
19:45
or the woman at the well and let them know baby you're gonna
19:48
get pushed back for
19:48
being a christian jesus was perfect and he was crucified so if
19:52
you an imperfect
19:53
person just love jesus you're gonna get pushed back but that's
19:56
okay because we are
19:57
not to seek after validation of this world instead we are to
20:00
seek after christ and
20:01
bring as many people to the cross as possible that's your
20:04
purpose we as parents are
20:05
SPEAKER_01: there to disciple our kids
20:07
SPEAKER_01: And if we are actively doing that,
20:09
SPEAKER_01: then they are more likely to be bold in their faith as they grow older.
20:13
So where can we as parents become as well-versed as you to
20:17
answer these tough
20:18
SPEAKER_02: questions for both ourselves and for our kids,
20:21
SPEAKER_02: you know,
20:22
become a part of that 4% of Christians who are truly equipped
20:25
to explain our
20:26
SPEAKER_02: worldview?
20:26
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
20:27
SPEAKER_01: Oh, there's amazing books.
20:29
SPEAKER_01: Honestly, my Amazon cart is atrocious.
20:31
SPEAKER_01: I'm like a book hoarder on Amazon.
20:33
Very often the books that we are reading in seminary are the
20:36
exact same ones that
20:37
SPEAKER_01: are available on Amazon.
20:39
SPEAKER_01: And so especially with regards to the problem of evil,
20:42
SPEAKER_01: there's a really great book by Clay Jones called Why Does God Allow Evil?
20:46
SPEAKER_01: And it's a fantastic book.
20:48
on understanding the fallenness of human nature,
20:50
the importance of free will.
20:53
It debunks the idea that,
20:54
well,
20:55
why would God allow bad things to happen to good people?
20:57
SPEAKER_01: Well, there actually aren't any good people.
20:59
And so it's a really fantastic resource just for that specific
21:03
question alone.
21:04
SPEAKER_01: And then for teenagers,
21:06
SPEAKER_01: there is a really good book by Rebecca McLaughlin,
21:09
and it is 10 Questions That Every Teen Should Ask and Answer
21:13
About Christianity.
21:14
SPEAKER_01: Now,
21:14
SPEAKER_01: if you are new to apologetics,
21:16
SPEAKER_01: theology,
21:17
SPEAKER_01: or Christianity,
21:18
SPEAKER_01: don't let the word teen throw you off because that book is so accessible.
21:21
SPEAKER_01: I mean, it's addicting.
21:22
SPEAKER_01: You'll just like breeze right through it.
21:24
It's a wonderful approach to tackling the top 10 questions
21:27
about Christianity that
21:28
SPEAKER_01: everyone has.
21:29
SPEAKER_01: And she provides great resources for that as well.
21:32
SPEAKER_01: And then Natasha Crane has some really great books,
21:35
SPEAKER_01: not only answering apologetics questions,
21:37
but also she has one on questions your kids ask about God and
21:41
about Jesus.
21:42
SPEAKER_01: Really accessible.
21:43
SPEAKER_01: Each of her chapters,
21:44
SPEAKER_01: I think are like three or four pages long each to where,
21:47
SPEAKER_01: you know,
21:47
SPEAKER_01: when you're thinking of a busy mom,
21:49
SPEAKER_01: maybe my kid asked me this at McDonald's today.
21:52
SPEAKER_01: I can dive in.
21:53
and get some answers to where the next time that we're driving
21:55
out to Little League
21:56
SPEAKER_01: or whatever it may be,
21:57
SPEAKER_01: I'd be like,
21:57
SPEAKER_01: hey,
21:57
SPEAKER_01: baby,
21:57
SPEAKER_01: you remember that question you asked me?
21:59
SPEAKER_01: That was such a good question.
22:01
SPEAKER_01: I've done a little research.
22:02
SPEAKER_01: Do you mind?
22:02
SPEAKER_01: Can I share with you what I found?
22:03
SPEAKER_01: And most kids are going to be like, yeah, sure.
22:05
SPEAKER_01: And it's great.
22:06
SPEAKER_01: There's so many great resources.
22:08
SPEAKER_01: And of course, you know, shameless promotion with Mama Bear.
22:10
SPEAKER_01: We've got three really great books.
22:12
SPEAKER_01: The first one, Mama Bear Guide to Apologetics.
22:14
SPEAKER_01: We cover some of the top broad apologetic issues that are going on today,
22:18
SPEAKER_01: like feminism,
22:19
SPEAKER_01: postmodernism,
22:20
SPEAKER_01: Can we know truth?
22:22
SPEAKER_01: The importance of doubt, all of these things.
22:24
SPEAKER_01: We've got a book on the guide to sexuality,
22:26
which is dealing with all the questions with regards to the
22:29
secular sexual agenda
22:30
SPEAKER_01: that is just prevalent in culture.
22:32
SPEAKER_01: And then our third book is Mama Bear, a book of prayers.
22:34
SPEAKER_01: And it's just a fun book there.
22:36
SPEAKER_01: So again, there are so many amazing resources.
22:38
SPEAKER_01: The hard thing, we'll be picking which one to start first.
22:42
SPEAKER_02: Now,
22:43
SPEAKER_02: if you've listened to Fulfilled before,
22:44
SPEAKER_02: you know that I love to end each episode with scripture.
22:48
SPEAKER_02: For this one,
22:48
SPEAKER_02: I'll go back to the verse Amy Davison mentioned at the very beginning,
22:51
SPEAKER_02: 1 Peter 3.15.
22:54
SPEAKER_02: But in your hearts, revere Christ as Lord.
22:56
Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you
22:59
to give the reason
23:00
SPEAKER_02: for the hope that you have.
23:02
SPEAKER_02: But do this with gentleness and respect.
23:06
SPEAKER_02: I hope this conversation encouraged you because it definitely did me,
23:10
SPEAKER_02: reminding us that as parents and mentors,
23:12
we really can give our kids a strong foundation of faith
23:15
through apologetics.
23:17
SPEAKER_02: If you did find it helpful,
23:18
SPEAKER_02: please share it with another parent,
23:20
SPEAKER_02: grandparent,
23:20
SPEAKER_02: or youth leader who's heading into this school year with kids they love.
23:24
And don't forget to check out Mama Bear Apologetics for even
23:27
more great resources.
23:28
SPEAKER_02: Links are in the show notes.
23:31
SPEAKER_02: Thanks for joining me for part two of this conversation.
23:35
SPEAKER_02: Until next time, keep seeking truth, living it out, and passing it on.