Many parents hope that Sunday school teachers or youth pastors will be there to strengthen their children’s faith. Of course that is important. But there is much more that is needed.
What we need are parents that are willing to take up the role of apologists. Why is that? Because parents spend much more time with their children than any other adult. I am not saying that all parents need a degree in apologetics. Rather parents need to know the basics of how to respond or at least know the right places to look for answers. It is also extremely important to set a family atmosphere that welcomes questions. Parents should not get all flustered when a child expresses a doubt. Children need the freedom to ask the hard questions. It is the suppressing of questions that is one of the barriers to faith. Parents should encourage discussions of faith. They should also share their testimony, including the difficulties they faced. Parents need to live out their faith as well, knowing that parents can live according to Christian vales is extremely important.
No parent is perfect (I know I am not), but it is our role to influence our children for the faith rather than shipping them of to a children’s or youth ministry.
- Apologetics
- Children
- Parents