My church experience was limited, but when my parents went to church it was a Lutheran church. When I entered junior high school, I was sent to confirmation classes. I will admit it was not a priority for me, and I got out of almost a year of classes by taking guitar lessons at the same time. Still, I was there for many classes. We went through the Apostles' Creed and Luther's small catechism. Not only did I not emerge from the class as a Christian, I was surprised to learn years later that Jesus was God.
How could that happen? That pastor was a good, Spirit-filled man. He would later speak the first prophetic word into my life. He cared for us, but yet I emerged from his class without a basic knowledge of Christ. How could that be?
I think the reason it happened was because the knowledge I needed was so basic. When we see youth grow up in a church, it's easy to assume that they have the basics covered. We can sometimes become embarrassed covering the basics again because we are afraid the youth will think we are talking down to them. The result is that we assume knowledge that is not there.
Biblical illiteracy is almost as big a problem inside the church as it is outside. A faith with major holes in its knowledge will not survive. Most of the Christian students I work with, even those from AG backgrounds know little about their faith. They are trying to survive on emotions and fellowship. Stress and peer pressure destroy that kind of faith. They need truth for a strong foundation.
It is best that we assume nothing. That guarantees that crucial knowledge will not be missed. It also take seriously the fact that we need to hear the truth many times before it's implications sink in. Everyone matures at a different rate. One person may be ready to understand a significant truth at thirteen while another is not ready for until sixteen. As long as we don't share the truth in a condescending way, youth will not feel talked down to when we repeat the basics.
The more basic the information, the more likely we are to assume people know more than they do and gloss over it. In the end, a little, occasional boredom is better than missing the truth altogether.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Monday, November 1, 2010
A Safe Place to Ask Questions
"He told me, 'It wasn't good to ask too many questions. I should just have faith.' That's when I decided Christianity wasn't for me."
I have heard this from students far too often. Growing up is a time for questioning, and those questions are important, even the ones we might think are silly. When a young person finds themselves in an environment where questions are not welcomed and explored, they assume the resistance is hiding the fact that faith has no answers for the real issues of life. It's no wonder they begin to check out.
Creating a safe place for questions is intimidating. It means being open to say, "I don't know." Those three words can inspire a great deal of respect. No one expects you to know everything. If you claim to, then people think you are making things up as you go. The words, "I don't know", gain even more strength when followed by, "But I think I know where to find the answers."
It also takes more work to create an atmosphere where students feel free to ask questions. It requires study time to search out the answers to questions. It requires love to sacrifice the time to research questions you might not care that much about but a student does. And it requires patience to stick with a student as he or she struggles through every objection.
That struggle is often more important than we realize. The questions and objections students' raise may seem theoretical to us, but they often reflect the challenges they encounter every day.
In the end, if a student can't bring their questions to us, if we don't build a place for their questions, then they will go somewhere else to find their answers. The enemy knows that, and he has built far too many places where it's safe to bring your questions. The result is that it seems the agents of the enemy know more and care more than God's people do, and that's a tragic illusion.
Next Time: How Do I Encourage Questions?
I have heard this from students far too often. Growing up is a time for questioning, and those questions are important, even the ones we might think are silly. When a young person finds themselves in an environment where questions are not welcomed and explored, they assume the resistance is hiding the fact that faith has no answers for the real issues of life. It's no wonder they begin to check out.
Creating a safe place for questions is intimidating. It means being open to say, "I don't know." Those three words can inspire a great deal of respect. No one expects you to know everything. If you claim to, then people think you are making things up as you go. The words, "I don't know", gain even more strength when followed by, "But I think I know where to find the answers."
It also takes more work to create an atmosphere where students feel free to ask questions. It requires study time to search out the answers to questions. It requires love to sacrifice the time to research questions you might not care that much about but a student does. And it requires patience to stick with a student as he or she struggles through every objection.
That struggle is often more important than we realize. The questions and objections students' raise may seem theoretical to us, but they often reflect the challenges they encounter every day.
In the end, if a student can't bring their questions to us, if we don't build a place for their questions, then they will go somewhere else to find their answers. The enemy knows that, and he has built far too many places where it's safe to bring your questions. The result is that it seems the agents of the enemy know more and care more than God's people do, and that's a tragic illusion.
Next Time: How Do I Encourage Questions?
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