He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’;and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
What is Apologetics?
Christians aren’t typically thought of as the brightest group of people. After all, we believe in a God that we can’t see and have no real evidence of. Or do we have evidence?
Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen.” Hebrews 11:1 HCSB
We do indeed, love God because we have faith that He exists and did all the things He claimed to do in the Bible. Faith is a wonderful thing. If you are honest, however, you have probably had moments that your faith wavered. A Christian who is loving God with his or her mind doesn’t have to blindly accept no matter what. Studying apologetics, or proof of the Christian faith, is not for the simple minded. It involves a deep look into history and science that will reveal God’s plan being laid out, just as He said.
My Experience With Apologetics
I won’t claim to be a great scientist who can explain the intricacies of this amazing world. In fact, I am probably one of the last people you would want explaining scientific concepts to you! I have taken an apologetics class and read a few articles. I can also tell you about a trip that my husband and I took to the Creation Museum. My husband has a biology degree. We went to the Creation Museum to see what the fuss was all about, not sure what we thought about a literal 7 day creation. Not only did we get to see scenes recreating famous Bible stories, but we were bombarded by evidence that even convinced my scientific husband of a young earth by the time we left.
Maybe you have never really thought much about whether creation lasted 7 days or several years. I don’t think that’s really a deciding factor on whether or not you are a Christian. There are other avenues of apologetics that you can explore…proof of the flood, proof Jesus existed, etc.
Why Should You Teach Your Kids Apologetics?
To put it bluntly, our Christian faith is under attack. Click To TweetTo put it bluntly, our Christian faith is under attack. The number of people attending church is on the decline, especially in the younger demographic. Less than 20% of Americans regularly attend church. If we don’t give our children a reason to believe in our faith, most likely they won’t. If you don’t help your children figure out what to believe, someone else will. There is no shortage of people just waiting to tell your kids exactly what they think. Wouldn’t you rather share your beliefs? The decision is still up to them. But give them something to work with. If they embrace the Christian faith, then they will even have the tools to defend it! If you aren’t convinced that this is important to teach your kids, you might want to read I Want to Believe But I Can’t, Why Our Kids Are Leaving Church by Karyn Henley.
The youngest of children may not yet be ready for apologetics. I can’t imagine a four year old wrestling with creation versus evolution. By the time a child is 8 or so, he or she may be starting to question. This is a great time to introduce apologetics to them. There are several resources available for them on their level.
Resources for Teaching (and Learning) Apologetics
While I am not brave enough to lay out the scientific reasons behind my beliefs (for fear of explaining them wrong), I do want to give you some resources to get you thinking. After all, that is the purpose behind this post…to challenge you to love God with your mind, not to tell you what conclusions to reach. So here are some resources to get those brains working…
Anything by Answers in Genesis. All of their stuff is packed with information. They also have some really cute stuff for kids. It’s amazing how much kids can understand about hard topics like this! I am particularly fond of Answers Book for Kids Volume 1
and the other books in the Answers for Kids series.
Picture Book Apologetics with James and Ruth by J D Camorlinga. There are three books in this series: Pig and the Accidental Oink!: Picture Book Apologetics with James and Ruth (Volume 1) and Chameleon’s Can of Worms: Picture Book Apologetics with James and Ruth (Volume 2) and ‘Possums and the Empty Tomb: Picture Book Apologetics with James and Ruth (Volume 3).
You may have heard of the The Case for Christ: A Journalist’s Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus (Case for … Series), but did you know there is a Case for Christ for Kids (Case for… Series for Kids)? There is also a Case for a Creator for Kids (Case for… Series for Kids) and several others.
Enjoy the journey as you explore apologetics and practice loving God with all your mind!
But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” 1 Peter 3:15 NIV
Have you ever studied apologetics? What are you interested in learning?
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Andrea says
So important a part of our faith!
Jennifer DeFrates says
I am interested in apologetics for myself and my daughter. I don’t think debating people wins souls for Christ, but having a solid faith based on the truths we can know and confidence in a God bigger than we can understand is part of raising our children in a real faith. I’m currently read Help My Unbelief by Barnabas Piper. I really like his approach that God is bigger than we can understand, that the Bible is what God wanted us to know, doesn’t mean it contains everything about who God is, just what humanity needed to find and follow Him.
She is still young, but I think these are great resources for the future.
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Aly says
Amen!
AnnMarie Brown says
Very well stated and definitely true to my faith. Have a blessed weekend.
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Carol Cassara says
I definitely believe in a higher power but don’t think Christianity is the only way people can access God. I think all paths lead to the same place, the One.
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Carol says
I have been looking into this a lot lately and am trying to figure out how to teach this to my kids after they get home from school or just before bed without overwhelming them with more instruction in their day! These are great books to look at!
admin says
Good luck, Carol! I think the key is to keep it fun. Short stints are good too.
Deborah says
My first degree was in nuclear physics and I have always been a science nerd. The more I learn of scientific truths (not just accepted -as-truth theories), the more I am amazed that every bit of it lines up with our bible. I shouldn’t be surprised, should I? 🙂
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GinaB says
Thanks for these resources. They will useful as youngster grows.
Krystal Miller (@hhtfamilyblog) says
Thanks for the great book suggestions. I can’t wait to look into this further because I don’t know much about it.
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OurFamilyWorld says
God is definitely bigger than we can understand. I’ve never studied apologetics. These books sound interesting.
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Jed says
These are such great resources for kids. While I knew about The Case for Christ, I wasn’t aware there was a children’s version, and the other two books look really good too. I hadn’t thought about helping my girls become familiar with apologetics–as right now they simply love Jesus without question. Yet, I see a lot of wisdom in this. The more grounded I can help them become in their faith, the better. Thank you for sharing this!
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Caroline @ In Due Time says
I am glad you provided resources! I haven’t read Case for Christ, but have heard great things about the book! I didn’t even know there was a kids version!
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Beth@FrugalFroggie says
I haven’t heard of apologetics but it sounds interesting.
admin says
It is pretty interesting. Some people get really into it, but I think a basic understanding is fine unless you are really interested and scientific minded. Have a great day!
Brianna says
Apologetics is a big topic. 🙂 Loving God is something that only happens after we realize how much he loves us.
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Jonathan Key says
As at least one other person mentioned I’m interested in apologetics for learning. I don’t think arguing about the Bible will convince people. Yet it can be a good starting point for a conversation and it’s so important to understand what we believe. Thanks for a great post and challenging reminder!
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Lisa Morris says
I was just thinking about apologetics this morning and how we need to study it. Thank you for sharing@
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