~Brandon James Scott Scholl
There's something that I've thought of repeatedly over the last several months and it's been itching at me. For a long time I've had people about my age explain to me that religion or having a world view isn't important right now. What's also rather disturbing to me is that even teens who claim to be Christian say the same thing. I'm not saying all of them but it's becoming more and more frequent. Another worry of mine are the ones who think it is in fact important to have a Christian world view but when you ask them about it, they only mention things you'd learn in Sunday school. There isn't any meat in what they say or how they explain it.
There are several scriptures that address this issue. The first one that comes to mind is 1 Peter 3:15. This scripture is one that ALL Christians should be aware of, regardless of age.
"15 But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence."
~1 Peter 3:15 NASB
Whether you're talking to a friend, co-worker, or even some random Mormon missionary in your neighborhood knocking on your door, you should be able to adequately explain and defend your views to these people.
Now, that's just with ALL Christians in general. I want to focus more on the teens. In Titus, there's a scripture that explains how young people should react and live with being a Christian in a questioning world of today.
"6 Likewise urge the young men to be sensible;
7 in all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine, dignified,
8 sound in speech which is beyond reproach, so that the opponent will be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us."
~Titus 2:6-8 NASB
Basically, to sum it up, if you claim to be a Christian, you better know your Christian doctrine. This is something that you may not normally hear in a youth group or church today. You may here something mentioned here or there but things have been watered down so much when fed to the younger generations that there is no push or encouragement to learn Christian doctrine.
The standards and lifestyle of Christian teens has been allowed to slack so much, that they biblically can't even consider themselves or call themselves Christians. If a Christian is to give a defense, how are they supposed to do that when they know nothing?
However, I can't say this as a general statement. Back in June of this year I went to Manti, Utah to witness to the Mormons at the Mormon Pageant that they hold there every year. While I was there having discussions with Mormons, I noticed a large group of teens. I'm not talking ages of 18 or 19, more like 15-17. Not only were these teenagers aggressive about getting in there and telling the truth, they were well armed. They had Books of Mormon along with Doctrines & Covenants totally highlighted and marked for any topic brought up. I was really impressed with how well these teens did too. That was a great example of how we should be. We don't have to go out and street witness to Mormons but we should at least know basic Bible.
Now, I'll be specific with this. I'm not saying it's the pastor's fault necessarily, I'm not saying it's the church's fault necessarily either. Both should be attempting to teach their teens this information some way. However, what it ultimately comes down to is the parents.
The Bible says that parents are supposed to raise up godly children. That only works if you teach your children what the Bible says. Sending them somewhere else isn't always going to cut it. There isn't really an excuse you could come up with either. Even if you wanted to say you didn't know much about that stuff, it's a good time for you to start. If you're a Christian parent you should know or be learning basic Christian beliefs.
Just something to consider and think about.
