I attended the Cross-Examined Instructors Academy 2018 (“CIA”) in Dallas last week. Frank Turek and his team really know how to put on a high-impact event!
Let’s All Help Equip Parents to Equip Their Kids.
I came away with crystal clarity that the highest Return On Investment for Apologists is for us to equip parents to equip their children to learn the Bible and confidently explain the reasons for the faith. This will go a long way toward reversing the heart-breaking trend of 60%+ of Christian kids leaving the faith after high school.
Natasha Crain’s Solution.
Natasha Crain, http://christianmomthoughts.com/, focuses on Christian Parenting. She told her story of starting a blog six years ago. She didn’t even know what Apologetics was at that time, but after getting hostile posts from several skeptics, she learned!
Natasha explained how our failure to learn Apologetics and teach it to our kids has resulted in the above-mentioned loss of 60%+ of our kids. If we don’t teach them the truth and teach them how to spot the lies that skeptics use, we leave them vulnerable. We need to prepare them in advance for the attacks that are coming.
Now, she helps parents bridge the gap between what Apologetics is, why it is important, and how to teach their kids. She helps parents respond to the challenges from skeptics. She observed that intellectual-sounding questions from skeptics cause kids to leave Christianity if they aren’t equipped to respond.
She has developed a 5-step method for parents to use in equipping their kids:
- Commit to continually deepening their own understanding of Christianity and other world views such as Atheism.
- Use teachable moments that come along AND create teachable moments of their own. Doing more of Step #1 creates more moments. Set aside 30 minutes each week to grow together as a family.
- Study the Bible with their kids.
- Regularly ask their kids what questions they have about Christianity. Parents needn’t fear questions, because Christianity is true!
- Ask their kids the tough questions they aren’t asking the parents.
Proliferating the Solution.
Natasha just announced the Grassroots Apologetics for Parents (GAP) ministry she and her team are launching this fall. they have 40 chapters of GAP rolling out internationally in the pilot.
See here for more information: https://www.womeninapologetics.com/gap-program-kicks-off-this-fall/
How Can You Help Equip the Next Generation?
Please share this blog post with your networks of fellow Christ-followers.
Please also share news of other efforts that are focused on equipping parents to equip their kids.
Thank you!
Michael Oswald
Michael Oswald is a follower of Jesus who lives in Boise, Idaho. Unless otherwise specified, the opinions expressed in this article are his own.
© 2018 Michael S. Oswald
“Reasons for the Faith, aka Apologetics” 
2 thoughts on “Equipping the Next Generation”