I recently took part in a secular radio interview on the archaeology of Nineveh and was surprised that the radio show host had never heard of Jonah.
Perhaps I should not have been – Biblical literacy has been waning fast. On Jeremy Clarkson’s recent TV farm show, his side-kick labourer indicated that he had never heard of Moses. Given the origins of his own name, Caleb, that is all the more striking.
What has been slowly happening over recent decades has sped up in recent months. Through no fault of their own, the population of Britain are increasingly ignorant of the Christian worldview and Biblical narrative. In such a context, when adults only hear fragments of the Bible story they are likely to dismiss them as gibberish or fairy tale.
This reminds us that the chances of a new generation encountering Biblical truth diminishes each year. For our churches, too much apologetic content waits until children are adults, by which time it may be too late. Children of Christian families need to be taught the trustworthiness of our faith from as early an age as possible. Churches certainly cannot rely on schools or public service broadcasters to fill that need. And if we don’t teach them the reasons why their faith is true, you can be sure that the week will be filled with voices offering alternative beliefs.
There are some great resources around to help parents and families in this task. A number of apologists have produced books aimed at young people. David Robertson has authored Ask, Seek, Knock (Christian Focus) which is based on questions asked by teenagers around the world. William Lane Craig, an outstanding communicator, has explained complex theology for very young children in a series called What is God Like? In different titles, a brown bear and a red goose explain how God can be all-good or all-knowing, and so on.
But whether we use resources or simply talk to children about our faith, here are four principles to help us in this area of apologetics.
1. Don’t talk down to children: take their questions seriously. There is nothing wrong with admitting limitations in our knowledge. Children are surprisingly good at spotting bluster. Don’t think you have to give a lecture to a child in answer to a question, try and talk to them about the question and why it matters to them.
2. Let questions be a safe place: it is never wrong to ask a question. I have noticed children sometimes be embarrassed to ask a question. Don’t let them feel that a questioning mind is disrespectful or wrong.
3. Assume nothing: never belittle a question or make a child feel stupid. The simplest questions can be the most profound. And we should never upbraid a child with the words ‘You should know that by now’!
4. Offer positive apologetics: there are good reasons to believe. Some apologetics are rightly negative, we reject falsehoods (2 Cor.10:5). But there is great power in a positive message. Peter tells us to give the reasons for the hope we have (1 Peter 3:15). So don’t just explain to a child why we don’t believe an error, explain why we do believe the truth.
And finally, be encouraged. The world is a war zone of ideas and any opportunity to give a child clarity and reasons is good seed sown that may bear fruit in decades to come.
