Preparing For Doubts About The Truth Of Christianity

We ALL HAVE BEEN IN A PLACE WHERE WE HAD MAYBE PREVIOUSLY MADE A DECISION OF FAITH… ONLY TO BE BUMBARDED BY DOUBTS THAT NATURALLY CAME INTO OUR LIVES.

Bettis spoke of this in his life happening at the later part of HS, but how these doubt, some of which began in the early part of HS.

In this time, he also began to be able to discern more clearly hypocrisy that he would see in the church.

He says that by the time he was about to graduate HS… HIS FAITH WAS WAVERING.

Young people begin to have doubts… it’s the natural process we all go through as human beings. Wanting to make sure of something that we believe.

WHICH IS WHY…

Disciple-Making Parents equip their children for questions about the faith.

Your Child Will Have Doubts

If we recall talking about Timothy’s story in Chapter. 3.

Timothy grew up in a Christian home around his mother and grandmother.

2 Timothy 3:14 ESV

14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it

It certainly seems that at some point Timothy had a point where he learned the faith and a point in which he was convinced.

Many children grow up in Christian homes make genuine professions of faith when they are young. But sometime in their teen or college years, adult doubts and temptations begin to buffet them. They enter the process of making their faith their own.

As we are walking with our children… we want this to happen. We want there to be a certain degree of struggle for them to come from their firm foundational, decisive decision of faith to a sincere commitment… not following because they have to or because it’s what they have always done… but because they are convinced of the authority of Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection.

For me… this happen in college.

One resource that helped was Josh McDowell’s More than a Carpenter.

Bettis also mentions Paul Little’s Know Why You Believe.

Doubts At A Young Age

40% of those who left the church had doubts in MS.

44% in HS

16% in College

Means that doubts are stalking our children around the ages of 12 or 13 years old.

For 84%, college was not the cause.

Many children, naturally will not voice these concerns out of a fear of upsetting their parents or acting like they “don’t have faith”.

The young people in our homes and beside us in church need to know the reasons for the faith.

What Is Your Strategy

Given the likelihood that they will have doubts… and that they WILL NOT communicate them with you…

How will you prepare your children to handle those doubts?

Unfortunately, some families and even churches have told young people, “Just accept it on faith.” Or Don’t ask questions like that.”

Parents are at times afraid of doubt because of not knowing how to respond.

1 Peter 3:15 ESV

15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,

A healthy home and a healthy church will stand confidently expecting questions. This is part of the maturing process…. Even more, we will express excitement that our children are thoughtful enough to ask those hard questions.

Jesus prepares His disciples.

Jesus’s strategy was simple…

Mark 13:23 ESV

23 But be on guard; I have told you all things beforehand.

John 14:29 ESV

29 And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe.

John 16:1–4 ESV

1 “I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away. 2 They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. 3 And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me. 4 But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you. “I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you.

In these… Jesus forewarns His disciples about trails that would come their way.

He describes specific situations that would face and specific things people would say.

ALL THESE WARNINGS HELPED KEEP THEM FROM BEING OVERWHELMED AND CONFUSED IN THESE TIMES. (Sometimes we can be so afraid of warning our children)

Research and Inoculation

If we find this strategy in the Bible, we would expect the research of social psychology to find the same thing. Yale psychologist William McGuire spent his career studying how people change and resist changing ideas. His findings have major implication for Christian parents.?

To start his experiment, McGuire needed to find an idea that everyone believed to be true. He decided what he was looking for was a “cultural truism”.. He settled on the area of brushing our teeth. Thanks to the American Dental Association, everyone in our country knows that brushing your teeth twice a day is good for you.

In the experiments, McGuire sought to change the beliefs of his subjects.

He wanted to persuade them that brushing their teeth was actually bad for them. To accomplish this goal he would present them with messages that stated the opposite of their belief. For the first time, they would be hearing arguments against brushing their teeth.

For his first groups of students, McGuire simply presented the anti-brush-ing message. They were given no preparation for the attack. As he expected, they easily shifted from a pro-brushing point of view to one that was persuaded of the dangers. This established McGuires hypothesis that ideas that are generally endorsed but rarely attacked can be easily changed when assailed from the outside.

For his second group; McGuire sought to prepare the students by providing them with lots of information on the benefits of tooth brushing. In other words, they were given a belief boost. They already believed brushing was good for them. Now, before they had this information attacked, they were encouraged in their belief.

The results were surprising. Though strongly pro-brushing after the boost, some moved strongly into the anti-brushing camp. Surprisingly, this group ended up more antagonistic to their original belief than the group that had no preparation! The belief boost had served to create what McGuire called a “paper tiger” effect. While looking ferocious on the outside, the “tiger” was made out of paper and easily destroyed.

Inoculation To Prevent Change

McGuire tried different strategies with other groups.

- With one group he simply gave a warning about the anti-brushing message the subjects would hear.

Another group, heard the warning as well as some of the arguments used.

A third group had some arguments introduced along with the answers to those arguments.

One final group was only given partial answers but was encouraged to do research on their own.

All four of these groups were more resistant to the attacks on brushing.

McGuire’s research revealed that a person in a “germ-free” environment may appear healthy but, in fact, may be highly vulnerable to hostile ideas.

Pre-exposing a person to a weakened form of the hostile ideas can actually stimulate him to begin developing a defense. A person can best handle an assault on something he believes to be true if he hears the arguments against it in a safe environment. McGuire’s findings became known as “inoculation theory.”

Inoculating Our Children

What are the implications here?

We cannot send our children into a hostile world without preparation for the attack coming to them.

Biblical truths and standards are under attack in our country.

As it stands… there have been countless families who have taught their children what to believe but not why they believe it.

The example of Jesus reveals for us as parents to proactively give our children general warnings that they will face challenging issues in the future.

However, don’t leave them there.

At the right times we must look to introduce to them arguments against the faith that they will hear. And answers to those arguments.

The Power of Apologetics

Apologetics does not mean apology.

Greek word “Apologia”, which means defense.

Apologetics is the task of presenting a well-reasoned, intellectual defense of the truth claims of the Christian faith.

1 Peter 3:15 ESV

15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,

First step of Apologetics… is knowing your Bible.

Second Step… study false claims of the Gospel.

third step… study cultural arguments against the claims of Christianity.

Always understand that this is a never ending task.

Vital Questions to be Answered

How do we know that Jesus really existed in history? Is there any proof besides the Bible?

How do we know what Jesus really said and did? Can we trust the Gospels? Can we trust the Bible? Wasn’t the bible written and put together long after Jesus died?

How do we know that Jesus is the only way? How can so many good people be wrong?

Was Jesus really God, or did His followers thrust that upon Him?

Did Jesus really rise form the dead? How do we know for sure? Why does this matter?

How do we know that God exist? Are there better arguments for God or for atheism?

How can a good God allow suffering?

How can a loving God send people to hell?

Why do Christians oppose homosexuality?

Why are there good people who aren’t Christian and bad people who say they are?

Give out handout.

https://www.namb.net/apologetics/

How can we speak to their own doubts?

How do we prepare them to live in a germ filled world?

Know Your Bible. Make sure they know their Bible.

Warn them that they will face arguments.

Give them specific arguments they may hear and biblical answers to those issues.

Solicit Response.

Put into play a systematic approach.

For Thought, Discussion, & Action.

As a minority, the truth of Christianity will be attacked. What did you learn about helping our children stand against those doubts and attacks?

Did you have a time when doubts bothered you? What resource helped you answer those questions?