www.SeanMcDowell.org

Non-believers left the faith because of intellectual skepticism

Non-believers left the faith because of intellectual skepticism

“We are learning that one of the primary

reasons that ministry to teenagers fails to

produce a lasting faith is because they are not

being taught to think.”

David Kinnaman, UnChristian, 2007

“We are learning that one of the primary

reasons that ministry to teenagers fails to

produce a lasting faith is because they are not

being taught to think.”

David Kinnaman, UnChristian, 2007

“What is new is the lack of ability to construct bridges

between one layer and another. The inability to see

contradictions as contradictions and the ability to easily rationalize seemingly

irreconcilable beliefs, attitudes or values…”

~ Chap Clark, Hurt: Inside the World of Today’s Teenagers

“What is new is the lack of ability to construct bridges

between one layer and another. The inability to see

contradictions as contradictions and the ability to easily rationalize seemingly

irreconcilable beliefs, attitudes or values…”

~ Chap Clark, Hurt: Inside the World of Today’s Teenagers

Only 9% of evangelical adults and 3% of

evangelical youth have a biblical worldview.

George Barna, Thinking Like a Christian

A “view of the world” A “view of the world”

J.P. Moreland“This is why truth is so powerful.

It allows us to cooperate with reality, whether spiritual or

physical, and tap into its power…

Love Your God with all Your Mind

J.P. Moreland…As we learn to think correctly

about God, specific scriptural teachings, the soul, or other

important aspects of a Christian worldview, we are placed in

touch with God and those realities…

Love Your God with all Your Mind

J.P. Moreland…And we thereby gain access to the power available to us to live in the kingdom of God.”

Love Your God with all Your Mind

Quiz over beliefs of Protestant Youth

1. Believe God created the world but is not involved today? (Deism)

2. Believe God is impersonal, like a cosmic force? (New Age)

3. “Maybe” or “definitely” believe in reincarnation?

What percentage…

Quiz over beliefs of Protestant Youth

4. Are not assured of the existence miracles?

5. Are not assured of the existence of evil spirits?

6. Believe many religions may be true?

What percentage…

Quiz over beliefs of Protestant Youth

1. Believe God created the world but is not involved today? (Deism)

2. Believe God is impersonal, like a cosmic force? (New Age)

3. “Maybe” or “definitely” believe in reincarnation?

What percentage…

10%

8%

33%

Quiz over beliefs of Protestant Youth

4. Are not assured of the existence miracles?

5. Are not assured of the existence of evil spirits?

6. Believe many religions may be true?

What percentage…

23%

42%

48%

““People who have a biblical People who have a biblical worldview are much more worldview are much more

likely to act like Jesus likely to act like Jesus because they see such because they see such

things as life, people, and things as life, people, and crises differently than most crises differently than most

people do.”people do.”David Kinnaman, David Kinnaman, UnChristianUnChristian (2007) (2007)

2 Corinthians 10:3-5

“For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not weapons of the world…

2 Corinthians 10:3-5

… On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish

strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension

that sets itself up against the knowledge of God…”

1 John 2:21

“I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do

know it…”

Public SpherePublic Sphere((objectiveobjective knowledge) knowledge)

Private SpherePrivate Sphere((subjectivesubjective preference) preference)

““I’m a Christian, and I believe in I’m a Christian, and I believe in parents being able to provide parents being able to provide

children with religious instruction children with religious instruction without interference from the state. without interference from the state. But I also believe our schools are But I also believe our schools are there to teach worldly knowledge there to teach worldly knowledge

and science…. and science….

Barack ObamaBarack Obama

……I believe in evolution, and I believe I believe in evolution, and I believe there’s a difference between science there’s a difference between science and faith. That doesn’t make faith and faith. That doesn’t make faith any less important than science. It any less important than science. It just means they’re two different just means they’re two different

things.” things.”

President ObamaPresident Obama

Dr. Michael WeissDr. Michael Weiss

““This will take the discussion about This will take the discussion about sexual preference out of the realm sexual preference out of the realm of of moralitymorality and put it in the realm and put it in the realm

of science.”of science.”

“New Evidence of a ‘gay gene’” The Week, 2005

““What rarely arises in such What rarely arises in such conversations are teens’ conversations are teens’

religious identities, beliefs, religious identities, beliefs, experiences, or practices…experiences, or practices…

National Study of Youth and Religion, 2005

……Religion just does not Religion just does not naturally seem to appear much naturally seem to appear much on most teenagers’ open-ended on most teenagers’ open-ended lists of what really matters in lists of what really matters in

their lives….their lives…. National Study of Youth and Religion, 2005

……Religion seems to become Religion seems to become rather compartmentalized and rather compartmentalized and

back-grounded in the lived back-grounded in the lived experiences of most U.S experiences of most U.S

teenagers.”teenagers.”

National Study of Youth and Religion, 2005

“What a number of teens apparently mean in reporting that religion is very important in their lives is that religion is very important in the strictly

religious sector of their lives…

“What a number of teens apparently mean in reporting that religion is very important in their lives is that religion is very important in the strictly

religious sector of their lives…

Christian SmithChristian Smith

National Study of Youth and Religion, 2005

…Religion influences them religiously—that is, when it

comes to church, basic beliefs, prayer, and so on—but not necessarily in other ways.”

…Religion influences them religiously—that is, when it

comes to church, basic beliefs, prayer, and so on—but not necessarily in other ways.”

Christian SmithChristian Smith

National Study of Youth and Religion, 2005

““Religion influences me a lot Religion influences me a lot with people I choose not to be with people I choose not to be around. I would not hang out around. I would not hang out

with people that are, you know, with people that are, you know, devil worshippers because that’s devil worshippers because that’s

just not my thing.”just not my thing.”~ 18 year old girl~ 18 year old girl

““Religion influences me in Religion influences me in the things I choose not to the things I choose not to do, um, like bad things, do, um, like bad things,

like murder or like murder or something.” something.”

~ 17 year old boy~ 17 year old boy

““What our interviews almost never What our interviews almost never uncovered among teens was a uncovered among teens was a

view that religion summons people view that religion summons people to embrace an to embrace an obedience to truthobedience to truth

regardless of the personal regardless of the personal consequences or rewards.”consequences or rewards.”

Soul Searching, 2005

““The language that dominates The language that dominates adolescent interests and thinking adolescent interests and thinking about life, including religious and about life, including religious and

spiritual life, is primarily about spiritual life, is primarily about personally feeling good and being personally feeling good and being

happy.”happy.” Soul Searching, 2005

“We must begin by being utterly convinced that there is a biblical perspective on

everything—not just spiritual matters.”

Nancy Pearcey, Total Truth

In Christ are

“…all the treasures of wisdom and

knowledge.”~ Colossians 2:3

Charles DarwinAutobiography of Charles Darwin

““The horrid doubt The horrid doubt always arises whether always arises whether

the conviction of the conviction of man’s mind, which has man’s mind, which has

developed from the developed from the mind of the lower mind of the lower

animals, are of any animals, are of any value or at all value or at all

trustworthy. Would trustworthy. Would anyone trust the anyone trust the conviction of a conviction of a

monkey’s mind, if monkey’s mind, if there are any there are any

convictions in such a convictions in such a mind?”mind?”