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

05/14/18 • 28 min

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

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Why Parents Should Teach Their Children the Importance of Modesty with Allison Wallace (Part 2) [Podcast]

Many of the issues that we talked about last time are rooted in a lack of modesty, humility, a biblical worldview, and traditional values. Today, we will be talking about the importance of modesty and what parents need to know about this topic. Allison Wallace is the Director of Program Development at Shepherds Hill Academy. Prior to holding this position, she was the Girls Wilderness Program Supervisor. She says working in residential care is not just a job, it is a passion for her. Allison studied Counseling Psychology and Developmental Psychology at Toccoa Falls College. She and her husband Joshua are both on staff here at Shepherds Hill Academy. In fact, they live on the SHA campus along with their beautiful little girl, Lilliana. How the Importance of Modesty Can Go Beyond How We Dress When people go to job interviews, they pay close attention to what they are wearing. Why? Because first impressions are really important. The clothes you wear to an interview will help with that first impression. If you wear sweatpants to an interview, chances are, you are going to make the impression that you did not take the interview very seriously. When you get dressed everyday, you are putting an impression of yourself out there. The question is, how do you want that to be interpreted by those around you? Let me be clear, this does not mean that if a woman wears something immodest, then it is OK for men to disrespect her. It certainly is not OK. But there is some level of self-responsibility that we need to take. As we get dressed, what do we want our clothes to say about us? How do we expect to be treated? And remember, just because we are talking about the importance of modesty for women does mean that men shouldn’t conduct themselves with modestly as well. Scripture certainly alludes to the importance of modesty for men and women. People can get off track with modest dressing, and many think modesty is only about how we dress. It so much more than that. Dress is a small part of it, but modesty is a heart issue and a character issue. It is how we handle ourselves, how we communicate, and how we hold ourselves. We really need to evaluate our hearts and ask why we are doing certain things. Bottom line: Where does your value come from? If you are looking for your value in other men or other women, then, chances are, this subject is really hard for you. If your value is coming from the Lord and you are confident in who you are, then, chances are, you are probably doing a little bit better in this area. Today we tackle the topic of modesty as we discuss the following subjects: Why is modesty important for women. How should mothers appropriately dress to be role models for their daughters? What role should husbands play in the conversation of modesty. How to avoid workplace sexual harassment? Unpacking the now trending war on men. Is makeup appropriate for teens? What does the term “submission” mean in today’s culture? Picture provided by: Donnie Ray Jones

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

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