GraceLife Thoughts – Apology Or Defense?

Grace Thoughts

GraceLife Thoughts – Apology or Defense?

One evidence that most Christians don’t know what apologetics means comes from the question I often hear from them – “why would you want to apologize for being a Christian?”

Some pastors I’ve talked with through the years about emphasizing apologetics in their church (especially with children, teens and young adults) either chuckle, roll their eyes or get upset with me at some point in our discussion. They tell me that apologetics should not take the place of evangelism. It’s unfortunate they see apologetics that way because biblical apologetics is evangelistic – thus the name of this series of studies.

Another evidence that apologetics is needed in churches is that about 70-75% of church teenagers stop attending church after they graduate from high school and only a small number of them ever return to the church (Barna Group, 2007, 2011).

Think about that for a minute. Three out of every four teenagers in Christian churches stop attending church after high school. The next time you’re at church, look around. Visit the youth room, the primary school classes, the pre-school classes, the nursery. Based on statistics, most of the children you see in those classes will not be attending a church after they graduate from high school and most will never return. If your children are still living at home, look at them carefully. Will they attend a church or Bible study regularly after they graduate?

What can you do now as a parent, teacher, youth leader, or pastor to prepare your young people to love God and stand for Him in an ever expanding secular society?