Your Worldview Changes Everything, Part 2

In part I of this posting, I gave you a basic understanding of what a worldview is and how it can seriously affect one’s thinking, attitudes and actions.   In this posting, I am going to show you some examples of how deeply entrenched the non-Biblical worldview is today, and show you that there are some people who will never accept the truth no matter what the evidence says.

What glasses do you wear?

The way a person views their world can be thought of as seeing the world through a filter or set of glasses. The filter you view the world from will change how you interpret the world around you.  For example, if the glasses you wear have a colored tint to them or are slightly out of focus for you then everything you see will have that tint or you may not see all of the details clearly.   If the glasses you wear are clear and in sharp focus then you will see things as they are.  Your actions, attitudes and values will be driven by the filter you see the world from.

What about the facts?

Facts can be very important things, but two people wearing two different sets of glasses can look at the exact same facts and come to completely different conclusions.  When you are talking to people about your faith, the facts alone are not enough to win them over.  You have to show them why their worldview is wrong.  In some cases showing someone that their worldview is wrong and that the facts speak against their worldview will not matter.  Let me give you an example of this.

Several years ago the youth group lead by Shaun LePage (some of you know how long ago that was) went to a worldview conference in Colleyville, and I was able to go with my oldest son.  There was a person there giving a talk on the facts of creation, and he told us about giving the same talk at a very liberal college.  After his talk, a biology professor came to him, and they had a conversation similar to this (paraphrase as best I remember):

Professor:  Your evidence for creation is very compelling, and I can see where some of it makes sense. But I am still going to teach evolution to my students.

Speaker:    Why?  You have just admitted that the evidence for creation makes sense.  Why would you still want to teach something that you know may not be true?

Professor:   It is quite simple; if I accept the facts of creation, then I have to accept the fact that there may be a creator. If I accept the fact that there is a creator, then I have to accept the fact that he makes the rules, expects me to live my life a certain way and expects things from me.  I want to do things my way. 

When I heard this I think it was the first time I had a clear understanding that the argument is not about facts but about what people want to believe or what people have been taught to believe from very early in life (remember we lose a lot of our kids by middle school or earlier.)  The world today has forced a set of non-Biblical glasses on our children and they are very hard to remove.

How do you talk to someone who has a different worldview?

As you can see from that conversation above there may be nothing you can say to some people to show them they may be wrong, but you should not let that stand in the way of talking to people.  Our job is to be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks of the faith within us (1 Peter 3:15).  It is the Holy Spirit’s job to convict them. 

Proverbs 26:4-5 says

4) Do not answer a fool according to his folly, lest you also be like him. 5) Answer a fool according to his folly, Lest he be wise in his own eyes.

At first glance these two verses appear to contradict each other. What this is really telling us is to not use the same standard (non-Biblical worldview) or you will be just like the person you are talking to.  Verse 5 tells us to answer the person according to his own worldview so that you can get them to see how wrong they are and that ultimately their worldview is actually based on Biblical principles.  


As you can see from the figure above, if we use the same standard as the person we are talking to, we will end up looking just as foolish as they do.  If we do not compromise on our Biblical worldview then we will be able to show that person that their worldview does not make sense.  Most of the time you will find that people do not see the logical conclusion their position will take them to or they do not understand where their position is really based on Biblical principles.  There is one thing to note here.  These verses are saying that people with a non-Biblical worldview are fools.  Scripture talks about a foolish person (or a fool) as one who has willingly turned his back on God or does not want to know the truth.  Do not think that this is trying to demean the unbeliever in any way.

Don’t answer, Answer strategy

How do you get people to see that their worldview does not make sense?  A strategy you can use is the “Don’t answer, Answer” strategy.  This will help you to show the other person why their worldview is wrong and where it can lead.  For example, you will sometimes hear people say something like “Creation is not true, and it is not right for you to lie to children and tell them it is.”

The “Don’t answer” part of this would be something like:

         “I do not agree that creation is not true and we are not lying to children about creation.”

With this kind of a response you do not have to go into details of why creation is true and getting side tracked from the real issue as that is what the other person is expecting (or hoping) you will do.  Unless you are well prepared to argue the facts of creation you should try to avoid doing so.  Also, if you get into some of those arguments it will be easy to get side tracked by the other person, and your frustration level will rise making it very hard to respond in “gentleness and reverence” as we are instructed to do in 1 Peter 3:15 (I am speaking from personal experience). 

The “Answer part” could be something like this:

I do not agree that creation is not true, and we are not lying to children about creation. But for the sake of argument, according to your worldview why would it be wrong to lie to children?  Lying is wrong because it is contrary to God’s character, but from a non-Biblical worldview on what basis is it wrong to lie? Especially if it benefits me or make my chances of survival better.  I understand that you agree that is wrong to lie, but knowing that lying is wrong would not be possible if the Bible were not true.

What are we saying here?  You are respectfully telling the person that you do not agree with their position that teaching creation to children is lying, but if what they are saying were true, why would it be wrong?  Based on what authority?  What you are trying to show the person is that their position is ultimately based on Biblical principles.  This is a somewhat simplistic example, and I will address this in more detail in future posts.   As you deal with people who have a non-Biblical worldview, you will hear statements such as “what is right for you may not be right for me.”  This is moral relativism, and it can be a very dangerous position for someone to take.  A simple response to this could go something like this: 

I do not agree that what is right for one person may not be right for others.  There are absolute standards that everyone has to live by. But if what you are saying is true, then I am going to kill you then take your money and your car.

What do you think a person’s response to something like that would be?  Maybe “You cannot do that” or “it is wrong to kill someone and take their stuff.”  Your response would be “that may be right for you but for me it is OK because I need a car and some money.”  While again this is an extreme example, it will help to show the other person where their thinking may lead and that outside of the Biblical absolutes (Exodus 20:13, Exodus 20:15) they have no grounds to stand on.

Summary, Part II

In part I you saw how a person’s worldview can affect the way they think, act and treat others.  In part II you saw that the type of glasses or filters you have affects your worldview and that for some people no facts are going to change the glasses they wear.  You also saw that the facts alone will not convince people.  It is helpful to know the facts to help your position, but ultimately you have to show that person that their worldview is dependant on Biblical principles and where the logical progression of their worldview can lead. 

This can be a hard concept to master but with some practice it can be done.   For more information on the “Don’t answer, Answer” strategy please refer to the Fool-Proof Apologetics article on the Answers In Genesis website (that is where some of this information came from).  There is also a great video series and articles on the  “Ultimate Proof of Creation” that helps you to better understand what to listen for and how to respond to people using the Don’t Answer, Answer strategy.

Your Worldview Changes Everything, Part 1

In my previous posts I talked about how the church is losing our children at a very early age to the world.  If you recall from the first posting many of the young people indicated they walked away from their faith because they could not get solid answers about God, the Bible and today’s social issues.

1 Peter 3:15 tells us

“…, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence” NASB

In this post and the future posting, I am going to try and provide you with the information that will help you to be able to make that defense of your faith.  If you read the context of this verse (3:13-3:16) you will find that it was talking about being ready to give an answer even when people want to ridicule or even harm you for your faith.  I cannot stress enough that last part of “yet with gentleness and reverence” no matter what people are saying to you.  If you get in someone’s face and try to “one up them” with the facts or tell them what they believe is wrong in a harsh tone you will probably lose any chance of them ever coming to Christ.  It is that kind of “Bible thumping” Christian that does more harm to the cause of Christ, especially in today’s Acts 17 world (see previous post).

The Four Questions of Life

At some point in almost everyone’s life he will ask the following questions (or something close to them):

Who AM I?

Why AM I Here?

What happens when I die?

Why is there death and suffering?

Your Worldview will dramatically change the answers to those questions.

The Two Worldviews

To better understand why the answers to these questions will be so different, we need to first have a basic understanding of what the two worldviews are.  In future posts I will be doing a more detailed comparison of the worldview focusing on Biblical and non-Biblical worldviews.

Evolutionary (non-Biblical) Worldview

Evolution teaches that about 13 or 14 billion years ago a “big bang” happened from nothing and from that explosion of time and matter, the stars, solar systems and eventually planets and earth formed.  After the earth formed it “cooled down” for billions of years and water vapor was created from the cooling effect.  The water began to collect and evaporate which caused it to eventually rain down on the earth.  About 4 billion years ago the first cell formed from the “prebiotic soup” (water that collected after raining down on the rocks and spreading minerals while it was cooling) and it began to split and create more cells.  Over time the cells began to randomly mutate and the mutations began to form different cells which eventually began to evolve into various life forms (plants and animals).  Over millions of years the life forms began to evolve into higher forms of life which eventually ended up with what we have today including the most advanced animal, man.

Biblical Worldview

The Bible provides us with a much different worldview than evolution.  If you remember the 7 C’s of history (see previous post) you see that the Bible teaches that in the beginning God created all things, seen and unseen, visible and invisible (Colossians  1:16).  God planted a garden (Eden) and put the man in the garden to “dress it and to keep it” (Genesis 2:15) and later God brought the animals to Adam to see what he would name them (Genesis 2:19-20).  Genesis 1:26 also tells us that God created man to have dominion over the earth and to take care of it.  God loved the man that he created, but true love has to be a choice not a pre-programed condition or response.  We love because we choose to love.  How many times have you heard someone say “I do not love them anymore”?   They must have chosen to love the other person at one time but now choose not to. 

The major differences in the worldviews are simple.  One says that we are product of random chance over time and not much more than pond scum (from the prebiotic and primordial soup) that evolved into what we see today.  The other says that we were created for a purpose, that we are loved and there is a better day coming.

Now that you have a basic understanding of the two worldviews here are how the two different answers to those questions.

Question	Evolution Worldview	Biblical Worldview
Who AM I?	You are nothing more than a product of random chance and changes over time and have become nothing more than an highly evolved animal	A Child of God.  Created to be loved and to have fellowship with your creator
Why AM I Here?	No specific reason.  As a product of random chance you are basically here for yourself.  Nothing or no one else really matters	Your first purpose is to love God and serve him by putting others first.  God also put man in charge of all of the earth and asked him take care of it (God gave him a specific job to do)
What happens when I die?	When you die you simply cease to exist and your body turns back to dust and decay or becomes a meal for the “other wild animals”.	Many places in the Bible tell us that someday Jesus will return and we will have a new heaven and a new earth to live in and that we will spend eternity with God.  For those who do not put their full trust Jesus as savior, they will also live forever but will be eternally separated from God.
Why is there death and suffering?	There is no reason for suffering and death.  It is all part of the random chance of things.  If the “chances” would have been more in our favor we may never die or may never suffer physical or emotional pain.	The Biblical worldview tells us that God created everything perfect and there was no suffering and death.  When Adam sinned that changed everything.  Sin corrupted everything and God removed some of his sustaining power and thus we have the second law of thermodynamics (everything goes from order or perfection to disorder or imperfection).  We understand from the Bible there is a reason for suffering and that the day will come when it is all removed for those who trust Christ.

Depending on your worldview and how YOU answer those questions you can better understand the world around today and why some people behave the way they do. 

If people believe in the evolutionary worldview that they are nothing important, they have no purpose and they are nothing more than an evolved animal, is it any wonder why people (especially younger people) behave like animals these days?  When you are taught over and over that life has no value and that you are nothing more than an animal (get rid of spare cats, get rid of spare kids) then how are you going to behave?  You will be more likely to kill, steal and treat one anyone with contempt, especially if they are different than you.   After all, “if life has no real value and killing others helps me survive, why is it wrong?”

If people believe that they have a purpose and meaning, that they were created and loved and that a day will come when all will be perfect you will see people taking care of each other and respecting life.  Instead of killing unborn babies, the sick and aged, they will strive to preserve life at all stages but will also understand that there are absolute moral standards and rules. Hence, when someone breaks those rules there is a punishment that must go along with it.

Summary, Part I

It is easy to see why the world is in the shape it is in today.  We are consistently being bombarded with the “evolution is how we got here” and anti-God type of messages.  Proverbs 18:21 tells us that the tongue has the power of life and death.  How quickly can you kill a person’s self-esteem by always telling them they are worthless, have no purpose in life or that they have no hope of things getting better?  In some cases the “power of the tongue” will drive a person to kill themselves,  abuse drugs and alcohol or just be in such pain that life has no meaning which can lead to harming (or even killing) others either directly or indirectly.

In my next posting I am going to show you some examples of how deeply entrenched the non-Biblical worldview is today, and that there are some people who will never accept the truth no matter what the evidence says.

Are You Speaking the Wrong Language to Your Kids?

First, I want to apologize for not keeping up with the blog.  I had some personal things going on for a while and simply did not realize it had been so long since my last posting.  I am planning to get ahead a few posts in the future so we will still be able to update on a more regular schedule.  As a refresher you may want to review the first two posts of Have you already lost your children and Why you may have already lost your children.  

As in every generation, if the parents find it hard to understand or speak the language of their kids this may leave them with a serious communications gap. When this happens the kids are going to turn to their friends for answers and will not respect their parents.  This is also true in the way Christians today try to reach the world.  We have a huge communications gap, and it is another reason as to why we are losing our children.

In Acts 2, Peter stood up in front of the men of Israel and delivered a short concise gospel message. Over 3000 people were “added to the church” in one day and others were being added to the church on a regular basis.

In Acts 17, Paul stood before the people of Athens and gave then a more detailed and specific message of the gospel and only a few people believed.

Why would a short, concise gospel message bring so many people to Christ while a more detailed and specific message only reached a few?  On the surface it appears that Peter was a huge success and Paul was not.  Is that really the case?  The answer lies in the difference in those two societies (or worlds).

Acts 2 world

The Acts 2 world already knew about God, who he was, and what he expected of them because they had:

·       the Mosaic Laws

·       a written history of creation

·       an understanding of what sin is and its penalty

·       written prophecies about the coming messiah from the prophets

This is what America (and others around the world) used to be:

·       We had prayer in schools

·       Most people attended some kind of church

·       Many people believed in the literal six days of creation

·       When you spoke of God almost everyone knew which God you were speaking of

Acts 17 world

The Acts 17 world was quite different in the following aspects:

·       They worshiped many gods

·       They had an evolution based society

·       They believed in and tolerated many religions

·       They did not know about the one true God who created all things

This is what America and most of the world is today:

·       Evolution is the “religion of the state”

·       We are forced to tolerate other religions

·       Even with much scientific evidence to support creation most do not accept the one true God who created all things. They choose to turn to man’s ideas and his ways of doing things.

How does this relate to how we speak to our kids?  If your family is like most, the parents and grandparents grew up in that time when America was the Acts 2 world while our children are growing up in an Acts 17 world.  In the past the Billy Graham’s of the world could deliver that short, concise message and thousands would come to Christ.  You preach that same message today and people will laugh at you and call you foolish, stupid, and narrow-minded.  Why?  The world today does not have that same foundation. They are taught that there is no one true religion or God, that evolution is the way things came about and thus, are omitting or limiting Gods role in the creation of the world.

How can we speak the same language?

We have to accept the fact that in most cases the parents and grandparents are the Jews and have somewhat of a foundation and knowledge of God and that our children are the Greeks being taught everything but the truth and pulled farther and farther away from God.

In order to reach our children today (and most people in our world) we have to take them right back to Genesis 1 and give them the foundation they are missing.   You are probably asking how in the world can I remember everything from Genesis 1 and be able to tell people about that?  I am going to give you a brief outline of the “7 C’s of history” to help you remember this (please refer to AinswersInGeneis.org for more details on the 7 C’s).

Creation

In the beginning God created all things seen and unseen and at the end of the 7 days of creation everything was perfect.  Genesis 1:29-31 tells us

29) Then God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you;

30) and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the  sky and to everything that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food"; and it was so.

31) God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

God said, “And behold it was very good”.  What does God mean by “very good”?  He meant that there was no sickness, pain, sorrow, suffering or death.  People and animals ate fruits and herbs so animals did not kill and eat each other and people did not eat animals (this was not permitted until after the flood).  Man and animals lived peacefully together and it was not until after the flood that animals had a fear of man.

Corruption

God told Adam that he could eat of any tree in the Garden except for one.  God told Adam that if he did he would surely die (Genesis: 2:17).  I think we all know what happened next.  The serpent (Satan) tempted Eve and she told Adam, and they both ate from the tree that God told them not to.  From that moment on perfection became imperfection and sin (disobedience to God) entered the world causing all kinds of problems for mankind.

Catastrophe

After the corruption took place, people began to multiply and do many evil things which greatly displeased God.   This grieved God so much that he determined to destroy everything that had the breath of life including all people and animals (Genesis 7:23).    God sent a catastrophic flood that wiped out all life except for Noah and his family.   This was the penalty for sin and corruption.

Confusion

After the flood God told the people to multiply and spread out across the earth.  The people decided to gather in one place and build a tower (Tower of Babel) that would bring the entire world together and to make a name for themselves.   This was the opposite of what God told them to do and he was very displeased.  In order to get the people to spread out across the world as he originally commanded, he confused the language of the people so that those who spoke the same language had to band together and to move off to different parts of the world.  This is why we have different nations, languages, and customs today (there is only one “race” of people).

Christ

God required a perfect sacrifice to pay for sins of man.  When Adam sinned God killed two animals as a sacrifice and used their skins to be a “covering” for Adam and Eve (physical and spiritual).   God gave the law through Moses, but Gods standards were so high that breaking one law was the same as breaking all of the laws.  God promised to send a sacrifice suitable to pay for all of man’s sins.  That sacrifice was Christ Jesus.

Cross

The first man Adam sinned and brought death to all people.  Christ came to the earth as a man but did not sin.  This made him a perfect and suitable sacrifice for all sins of all people past, present and future.  The last Adam (Christ) paid the price on the cross of suffering and death so that all we have to do is to say yes to that free gift of salvation that Christ paid for on the cross.

Consummation

The Bible tells us that there will someday be a new heaven and new earth.  Just as God originally created things to be perfect, he will once again create that perfect place. We will be consummated with God and live forever in that new heaven and earth.

In summary

Was Paul a success to the Greeks?  I think so.  He had to undo years of false teaching and beliefs in a few minutes so the fact that anyone believed was a success.  We live in that Acts 17 world today, and if you try and talk to people as if they are in the Act 2 world they will think you are being foolish just as Paul said how the Greeks reacted to his message.  Because so few people have a good solid Biblical background we cannot simple tell them things like “Trust in Jesus” and “God has a wonderful plan for your life” because they do not understand the perfect place God created and how sin and death came about.  You must take them back to Genesis 1 and explain about these things before they will ever understand who the one true God is and about his plan of salvation.

As explained in the first few postings it is very important that we talk to our children and be able to answer their questions about the Bible and God.  It is important that our children know WHAT they believe, and it is just as important that they know WHY they believe it.  Just because the Bible says so is not a valid reason.  To be able to answer a lot of the questions you will hear, it is important that you know what the world believes, what we believe, and what the differences are.  In my future postings I will provide some of that information so you and your children can be well equipped to deal with the “fiery darts” the enemy will throw at you.

Hope is the Reason for the Season

The reason for the season? I thought it was Easter, not Christmas. Well before you get too concerned it is Easter, and Easter is a time of hope. When a tragedy strikes such as what we have seen in Japan, or when a personal tragedy such as the death of a family member, loss of a job or serious health issue strikes us directly, we start to ask a lot of questions about God and what he is doing to us.


Some of the questions that people tend to ask in times like this are:

• Is God punishing me or my family for something we did?
• Why would God allow thousands of innocent people die in a natural disaster?
• Why would such a loving God allow people to suffer like those in Japan or that family member that died from a long, painful battle with cancer and yet, let people who do not care about anything or anyone live so long?

These are some of the types of questions that people ask in hard times and they can be very difficult to answer. You may be asking some of these kinds of questions yourself, and in the process you may be questioning your own faith in God over the things you see going on in the world today or over some personal tragedy in your life. If that is the case I want to try and provide some answers for you. I also want to provide you with some hope and try to help you understand that things are not as they always seem.

The true believer
The true believer who wants to serve God and put Him first is always asking God to use them to reach out to other people and to draw them closer to God. In many cases this means putting others first and doing the right thing no matter what the personal cost is (money, public ridicule, loss of job, loss of friends). Even though this is what the true believer may have asked for, they may not understand why something bad happened when all they wanted to do was serve God and help others.

Is God punishing me or my family for something we did?
Why would such a loving God allow people to suffer?
It is very hard to understand why bad things happen, and when it happens to our family or someone close to us we tend to get angry at God because it leaves such marks on our lives. To better understand these things you have to go right back to Genesis chapter 1. At the end of the six days of creation God said that everything was very good, and he had given the fruit of the trees for people and every green herb of the field for the animals for food (Genesis 1:29-31). This meant that there was no death, no suffering, no disease, no pain, no animals killing each other for food and our bodies did not wear out because of God’s sustaining power. This is the way God intended for everything to be, but Adam and Eve decided to break the one rule that God gave them. As a result He removed some of his sustaining power and things have gone downhill since then (i.e. second law of thermodynamics). The day will come, however, when everything is restored back to the way it was (maybe even better).

When Jesus was asked “Who sinned? This man or his parents to cause him to be born blind?” Jesus answered them simply that his blindness was not because of anyone’s sin but so that God would be glorified by it. We have to remember that life is not about us. It is about God and his glorification. He has graciously allowed us to be a part of it. In times of tragedy we can touch more people than we may ever touch if we live an uneventful life for another 40 or 50 years. In today’s world with social networking and electronic media your family’s story can be told around the entire world in a matter of hours and not just to your friends and neighbors. Have there been any situations like this that has brought you closer to your own children, family and even God? Remember what the true believer, trying to serve God asked for? Now the question is what will you do when these things enter your own life? Get angry at God or draw closer to Him and “lean not unto your own understanding” but trust that He knows what He is doing?

Everyone prayed so hard for our situation but it still turned out badly, why?
This is a question that many people struggle with, but the thing that most people do not seem to understand is that those who were praying so hard for healing or relief in some way may have gotten exactly what they prayed for. Just not in the way they wanted it, but God did answer that prayer. Human nature is to want someone healed immediately so that we can have them back in our lives, and we no longer have to live under the stress of what that person is going through. The hardest thing that anyone will go though is to watch their loved one suffer for a long time and then die after everyone prayed for them. For the true believer, while painful, we have hope that we will see those loved ones again. For that believer who died, they are in better health, more at peace and happier than they have ever been in this life. That is what the prayers were for - healing, peace, etc.

So, where is the hope you talked about?
In regard to those who have died, the hope comes from the Bible. In I-Thessalonians Chapter 4 starting in verse 13 we read:

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words. NASB

When Paul talks of those who have “fallen asleep in Jesus,” he is referring to the true believers that have already died. He goes on to say that we should not grieve like those who have no hope. All of us have seen the stories on TV where someone lost a child or other family member, and they are in so much pain that they cannot function. You will sometimes hear those people being interviewed, and they talk about never seeing their loved one again and are very saddened by that. These are the people who simply have no hope, and in some cases when there is no hope, there is no reason to live. Please do not misunderstand what I am saying. Because we have hope in Christ that does not mean that we do not grieve, but we do not have to grieve as long or as hard as those with no hope. This is what I held on to when my mother passed away from cancer a few years ago.

Even when less tragic events happen in our lives we can still have this kind of hope. For example, losing a job is hard, but when we have our hope and trust in the risen Christ, we do not have to worry so much because he cares for us. In my experience when I have lost jobs there was always something better around the corner. No, the better things did not happen overnight, but they did come. If we have our hope in Christ then we do not have to worry about these kinds of things. Romans 8:28 says that God works everything “to our good” not that everything “will be good”. We may never see or know what worked to our good because God may have been keeping us from something far worse in the future.

Do you have the hope in you?
One thing we can say for sure is that if we are true believers and know that we are part of God’s forever family we will see those people again if they too were true believers. I like to think of it as having to move across the country with no access to phone or mail to talk to those we love. While I would rather be with them or at least be able to talk to them I know that this is a temporary thing, and that if I am still alive when Christ returns then he will bring those people with him to usher me into God’s presence. If I die before that day then I will come to meet those I left behind and will help usher them into God’s presence. Either way, what a wonder day that will be!!

Do you have this hope in you? Can you say for certain that when you die you will be reunited with those who have gone on before? If you can say yes then do you have other family members that you are not so sure about? If so, pray for them. Live the example before them. As we have seen with things like in Japan, life can end quickly and unexpectedly. Life is short, and time may be running out for yourself or those you love.

Why You May Have Already Lost Your Children

In my previous post, I provided some rather shocking statistics on when our children are “checking out” vs. when most parents think this is happening.  In that post I had also challenged you to talk to your children and ask them if they think everything in the Bible is true and to ask them about specific events in the Bible.  Were you surprised by the answers they gave you?  Were you able to tell them the truth?

In this post I want to try and put a little reasoning as to why we are seeing the mass exodus from the faith by our young people.  

Like most things in life we are not losing our children overnight.  It is a gradual process that starts as early as kindergarten (i.e. cubbies) and continues as our children grow (AWANA, Trek, Jr. and Sr. High).  The problem starts with the way we are telling our children “Bible Stories” and not telling them that the Bible contains actual historical accounts of real and verifiable events.  When these children grow older and go off to school, they are repeatedly told about the “facts of evolution” and that the Bible is great for literary reading because of its “stories/fables” and allegories for spiritual growth.  There are two examples that come to mind where we are inadvertently actually building a foundation that will help move them away from God and the Bible as they grow older.

Noah’s Ark

When you ask the younger children to draw a picture of Noah’s Ark and the animals you will see something like figure 1 when the truth lies more along the lines of figures 2 and 3 below.

 

FIGURE 1

FIGURE 2

FIGURE 3

While Figure 1 is cute and appeals to children, it is setting them up to more easily walk away from the “stories” they learned earlier on.  As the children grow older, if they have not been told the actual facts as seen in figure 2 and figure 3 (pay close attention to the animals in Figure 2) they will remember the stories and pictures they saw first and will discard the truth because they most likely have not seen or heard the actual truth.

Creation and Dinosaurs

One of the biggest things that will cause children and youth to walk away from the Bible is not telling them the truth of creation and how dinosaurs were part of the original creation who also walked the earth with man.  I do not think you will find many pictures of Noah’s Ark that shows dinosaurs on the ark, but they were there.  Children are taught in school from the very beginning that dinosaurs lived millions of years ago and all died millions of years before man “evolved”.  Almost any children’s book about dinosaurs will start out with something like “Millions of years ago…”.  The Bible is quite clear that all things were created in a literal six days.  If you interpret scripture with scripture you will see that all other places in the Bible that talk about a literal 24 hour day uses the same words and basic phrases of those in Genesis 1.   Why would we accept it 400 times to mean six days and replace the meaning in Genesis with millions of years?  Do we believe that the entire Bible is true or just parts of it?  If only parts, which parts?  Is Ephesians 2:8-9 or Romans 10:9-10 true?  How do you know?

Can you answer their questions?

Remember this from my last posting?

Would you say that questioning was the beginning of your doubting the Bible?

Yes 55.61 %

No 31.12 %

Don’t know 13.27 %

55% say that they had questions and could not get them answered in a truthful and logical way.  Most people would answer the hard questions like this:

The Old Testament and the creation “story” are not important.  Just trust in Jesus.  He loves you and has a plan for you.  Do not worry about the other stuff.

There is some truth in this line of thinking because our salvation does not depend on whether we believe in six days or millions of years.  However, the Bible text is very clear and can be validated by any true Hebrew scholar.  Yet we still tell our kids that science is correct and the Bible is wrong (sometimes more by what we do not do and say.)  In so doing, we undermine the authority of the entire Bible and set our kids up to walk away because they do not know what to believe anymore.

What kinds of questions are the kids today asking?

You might be surprised to find out the kinds of questions being asked.  I recently had a conversation with some of the youth at our church and the first question from one of them was, “Why does the Bible say it is OK to stone your kids when they misbehave?”  As the discussions went on, another question was along the lines of, “Why do we not do the things that the Old Testament tells us to do and only do what the New Testament says to do – are they not both from the same Bible and God”?

Can you provide an adequate answer to these questions? (If you have paid attention to the sermons lately you can answer one of them.)  I have actually heard these same kinds of questions from other youth at various times.  If they are asking hard questions like this, they must really be searching deeper than “just trust in Jesus and everything will be OK” truth.   Here are some other things you will hear asked by youth and adults alike:

·       If God is loving and caring why does he allow so much pain and suffering?

·       Why does God let the bad people live a long time and take the young believers who are in the prime of their life and living for God?

·       How can a God so big care anything about me?  I am so insignificant he could not love me.

These kinds of questions are some of the biggest reasons why people walk away. (Charles Darwin and Ted Turner are good examples.)

I would encourage you to put your answers to these questions in the comments section of the blog and discuss them with other readers and your families.  You may be surprised at what you learn from the experience.