Apologetics Benefits Kids; No Evangelism Gimmicks; Christ’s Suffering
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Enough jibber-jabber—let's go.
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AN IDEA FROM ME
How Does Apologetics Benefit Kids? We live in a world in which young people are leaving the Church in record numbers (J. Warner Wallace gives a breakdown of the latest studies here: https://coldcasechristianity.com/writings/are-young-people-really-leaving-christianity). As a Christian man, you want to leave a legacy in your family. One of the best steps you can take toward that goal is to teach them apologetics.
Learning apologetics is amazingly beneficial for your children. Here are three ways it benefits them.
#1: It prepares kids for the world. From a young age, children are surrounded by conflicting, unbiblical claims from the world. Apologetics helps them think clearly and interact well with a largely non-Christian world.
#2: It encourages kids to evangelize. One obstacle to sharing the Gospel is the fear that someone will ask a question we can't answer. Apologetics prepares kids to answer the world's questions, so they can evangelize with more confidence.
#3: It helps kids overcome their doubts. Have you ever wondered, "Is all this stuff really true?" Questions like this are inevitable, for us and our children alike. Learning to engage in apologetics well will enable kids to address their own unbelief and respond to their own questions with biblical truth.
Source: This is from a talk I gave recently on how Christian parents can teach their children to defend their faith. I will be teaching a course on apologetics for the Hammer & Anvil Society beginning in March. It will be open to all Christian men, via the Hammer & Anvil Society
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A QUOTE FROM SOMEBODY ELSE
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”
Source: Romans 1:16. What a great reminder that we don’t need gimmicks when it comes to evangelism. Preach the Gospel. For an organization that is doing this boldly, check out Declaring Truth Ministries, run by my friend Zoe White. https://www.declaringtruth.com/
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SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
Centuries before Jesus was born, the prophet Isaiah foretold Jesus’ suffering. He said, “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted” (Isaiah 53:4). What significance (if any) does the suffering of Jesus have for you, personally?
Source: The Pub Talk discussion I hosted, centered on the topic of Suffering and Redemption. Reply to this email with your response in the next 7 days, and I will write you back. Learn more about Pub Talk here: https://meetup.com/pubtalk.
Lord willing, I’ll write to you again next week.
In Christ,
Joel Settecase
Executive Director
The Think Institute
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