Last week I attended the National Conference for Christian Apologetics. Our organization, Ratio Christi, had a prominent table for interactions with attendees and partners.
In addition to the usual traffic, it amazed and excited me to see the requests for apologetics material to help teach middle school and even younger age youth. I hung out by our table several times for about 20 minutes each over a two day period. At least two dozen people came directly up to the table and picked up one of my sample Apologetics for Tweens curriculum and said, “This is exactly what I have been looking for but there is nothing available.” I kid you not. Senior pastors of small churches, youth pastors, Sunday School teachers, parents and grandparents and home school teachers. They were either looking for curriculum to use themselves or to recommend to their church.
Why all the fuss? As I have experienced myself during thirteen years teaching apologetics and scripture to fifth graders and presenting to middle school and high school groups, the need for apologetics teaching has moved downstream to even elementary school. The kids are smarter now than ever before and with the pervasive influence of the internet and accelerating secular attacks, questions about Christianity and other religions form far earlier than ever before.
Now I would not go so far as to say that many 10-11 year old Christian youth have serious doubts about Christianity yet. But they definitely have volumes of questions. If we do not give them good Christian answers to their questions, the secular world will. Then by high school the answers given turn into serious doubts. At that point it is necessary to turn their opinions and doubts around and that is much harder than providing foundational Christian answers earlier.
Research shows that by high school 84% of Christian youth have doubts. Most doubts have to do with intellectual issues like apparent conflicts between science and the Bible, such as with evolution, creation, the Big Bang, truth and other religions. Frequently the doubts become stronger and lead to 70% of Christian youth dropping out of the church by age 22.
Apologetics for Tweens is not the comprehensive answer to this problem. But it is the only curriculum available for 10-14 year olds that provides weekly scriptural and apologetics lessons in brief, straightforward language suitable for teaching use by even those who lack apologetics training. It is designed specifically for Sunday School teachers, home school teachers, youth pastors, parents and grandparents.
Do you really want to take the risk that your kids will be fine and never develop doubts about Christianity? Download some of our free samples and email or phone me with your questions at tjgconsult@aol.com or 770-597-2654.
