Can Parents Help Prevent Young People From Leaving the Church With Alex McFarland [Podcast]

05/21/18 • 28 min

Today’s overly-indulged kids live in a smorgasbord of entertainment, amusement, pleasure, and information that makes focussing on eternal things—to be quite blunt—a bit of a bore in their eyes. But are any of these explanations somehow greater reasons than the myriad other reasons people have given for shunning the church in times past? Whatever the reason, or reasons, it is become a concern for parents and for the future of our faith here in America. Alex McFarland has spoken in hundreds of locations throughout the US and abroad as a speaker, writer, and advocate for Christian apologetics. He has preached in over 1,500 different churches throughout North America and internationally. Beginning in 1991, Alex pioneered apologetics conference formats designed to equip teens and adults to defend their faith. Attendees of all ages began to attend Alex’s Truth for a New Generation events, eagerly learning from speakers such as Ravi Zacharias, Josh McDowell, Lee Strobel, Chuck Colson, and others. Alex has participated in interviews for Fox and Friends, NPR’s All Things Considered, The New York Times, The Washington Post, CBS news, NBC News, BBC News, Christianity Today, and other media outlets. In a 2009 story, CNN referred to Alex as, “an expert on world religions and cults.” How Leaving the Church Is Becoming a Cultural Norm In America I think we have all noticed that kids just don’t seem to be motivated to go to church anymore. This is particularly true for the young people who leave their homes to live on their own—even when they have gone to church for their entire lives. On the other hand, some young people are leaving the church, but they still aren’t leaving their parents’ homes. In some cases, they aren’t claiming to be leaving the faith either. Sadly, it is not uncommon for 30-year-olds to still be playing video games, entertaining themselves, or pleasuring themselves into imbecility in any number of other ways. Regrettably, a lot of parents are complicit in this by allowing their kids to do it. Kicking our kids out of the nest just seems counter-intuitive. Yet when mom and dad go to church on Sunday morning, 23-year-old Junior is still hungover from Saturday night—not necessarily from drugs or alcohol, but from any number of other kinds of over-indulgence. This could be in the form of entertainment, pleasure, information overload, or any number of things. Consequently, he or she—usually “he”—just can’t seem to answer the bell for church, nor is he or she inclined to do so. But this isn’t the only problem. This thing is so systemic to our culture these days that it has almost become the “new normal.” But in God’s eyes—and the grand scheme of common sense and all that is healthy and good—it really is a human tragedy. I’m anxious to hear our guest’s take on getting this generation back on track for Christ’s sake. Today, Alex McFarland and I discuss the church, our culture, and young people as we cover the following topics: How has the American church been complicit in the youth’s uninterest in church? How can kids understand the complete Gospel. Why youth groups need to be more than pizza, paintball, and soda. The challenges youth pastors face in the American churches. Why these challenges may be cheapening our youth’s experience with church. Youth groups need to return to the substance and foundational principles of the Bible. Why Gen Z may not care about the historical facts of the scriptures. Why are our teens so stressed? Picture provided by: en.wikipedia.org

Previous Episode

How Apologetics Can Help Parents Defend the Truth of Christianity With Dave Glander (Part 2) [Podcast]

Discovering meaningful responses for popular objections to Scripture and the Christian faith can build our faith and the faith of our families. In addition, it is possible that this process will help build God’s Kingdom as we interact with people on a daily basis. And remember, when young people build a closer and stronger relationship with God, parents will benefit as their kids’ behaviors are renewed by the Holy Spirit. Before having a profound experience with God, Dave Glander was a committed atheist. Since his encounter with Christ, Dave has become a devout believer in God and the Scriptures. Dave founded the ministries, Tied2Christ and Truth Ministries. Both of these ministries are centered on apologetics and are headquartered in Atlanta, GA. In addition, Dave is a co-founder of Equip Retreat, a summer camp for young people that is focused on apologetics, and he is a co-pastor for The Way, a church located in Hoschton, GA. Dave and his wife Stephanie live in the metro Atlanta area with their son, Marc. How Clarifying Popular Misconceptions Can Help Defend the Truth of Christianity On License to Parent, I often discuss the importance of being able to defend one’s faith. Today, I have invited Dave Glander back to follow up on a program about this topic that we posted a couple of months ago. I wanted to continue our conversation with him because apologetics is something that I believe is important for a few reasons. Not only can it potentially help limit the amount of young people that are fleeing the church these days, it can also help mend broken families and keep them together. In many ways, Shepherds Hill Academy helps prove my stance on apologetics. Quite often, I watch troubled teens come to realizations about God, Jesus’s work, and the Bible. They don’t figure this stuff out because the staff members at SHA force them to accept it—that isn’t something we would do. In fact, sometimes the initial distrust toward Christianity comes because these young people were forced into it at some point. But sometimes, when they are guided back toward the truth in a way they can swallow, they realize they actually can accept it. Sometimes, an initial resistance to Christianity begins when young people see the whole world acting by a different set of moral values than their Christian parents, and they begin to think, “How do my mom and dad know the truth when the rest of the world seems to offer a free life full of pleasure and entertainment?” And I can definitely understand how some teenagers could think this way. Today Dave Glander and I continue to discuss how apologetics can set the record straight for misconceptions about Christianity. Our conversation covers the following topics: Who is Dave Glander? How do I address my child’s desire to protest, which seems to be a popular fad for teens today. The problem of participation trophies, and what parents should do. The importance of talking to your child. Why apologetics are vital. The cultural myth that your kids do not like the Bible. How to establish the validity of the Bible. How do I answer my child’s questions about why there is suffering on this earth. Picture provided by: maxpixel.net

Next Episode

Why Parents Should Seek to Understand the Culture Of Teens Today with Ron Hutchcraft [Podcast]

How much of the “mass youth exodus” we’re seeing in churches today is the result of adults simply not understanding the culture of teens today? Like many failed missionary endeavors, have adults failed to adequately communicate our kids’ language? Have we failed to understand and the worldview and issues that concern today’s American youth? Ron Hutchcraft is a passionate, contemporary evangelist, speaker, author, and radio host. As president of Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Ron and his team specialize in developing authentic, relevant, and creative tools to, as Ron says, “Bring the lost to the Cross.” Ron is committed to communicating the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the lost in their language and to motivating and equipping believers to communicate Christ to the lost in their world. Ron has hosted two international youth radio broadcasts and has authored seven books. His latest book, A Life That Matters: Making the Greatest Possible Difference with the Rest of Your Life (Moody Press), is designed to equip everyday believers to become spiritual rescuers. For over 25 years, Ron has been a part of people’s daily lives through his popular radio program, A Word With You, heard across the country and broadcast internationally in the four most-spoken languages in the world. How the Culture of Teens Today Is Shaped by Digital Technology It seems that every new generation has to deal with a different mindset from that of the previous generation. We called this the “generation gap” back in the day. Because this seems to be such a common occurance, do we really need to be all that concerned about our kids processing thought differently than we do? I would say in some ways, “no,” and in other ways, “absolutely!” In fact, I would say, in many ways, today’s “generation gap” is arguably much more serious than in any time in history. When you look back, it seems that these “generation gaps” occur with whatever new technology comes along the pike. The telegraph, the phonograph, the flannelgraph (in church circles), movies, the automobile, radio, TV, and, now, the internet. But today’s digital technology, generally speaking, has had a much bigger influence on how our kids process thought and prioritize their lives than anyone realizes. Nothing in the past rewired our kids’ brains like today’s digital technology. I think this has created an atmosphere that makes it difficult for parents and their kids to understand one another because, according to a lot of today’s new science, this new 24/7 “inform-me and entertain-me into imbecility” world we’re living in is changing the way our kids’ brains are being wired from early on in their lives. I think this is often a largely self-inflicted wound. Though kids still actually want their parents to be their major influencers, it appears that Siri, Alexa, YouTube and hundreds of social media friends—among myriad other things—might be training and influencing our kids in ways that have yet to understand—but we certainly need to start. Today Ron Hutchcraft joins me to discuss teen culture today. Our conversations covers the following topics: Why understanding your teen’s culture is vital in saving your teen. Why the changes in the 60s were not more radical than today’s changes. How to help your teen buy into the fact that he/she can make a difference. How can you help your teen become more passionate about Jesus? A crucial prayer you should be praying. Can we truly disciple our kids? Picture provided by: http://autoestimayamistad.blogspot.com

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