The Example of an Amazing Father

I read Lee Strobel’s book Case for a Creator not too long ago. One of the things that really struck me as fascinating was two science experts that described to him the way our solar system is situated in our galaxy. Apparently, we are sitting in a just the right spot, not too close to the middle where we’d be in far greater danger of getting hit by comets and other space stuff, and not too far out where we could wander away from the cluster, but relatively out of the way. And not only are we in a safe place, but we are set in such a way that we are in one of the optimum spots for observing the rest of the galaxy. Now that’s an interesting tidbit of information. Not only did our father want to keep us safe, He wanted to encourage our desire to explore and observe and learn about the cosmos He created!

Isn’t that what any good parent of a toddler does? The parent encourages exploration and discovery, but within safe boundaries, always keeping an eye on the precious child.

I think we need to do this very thing with our teens! We need to set up some safety nets and boundaries, but we also need to foster exploration. We need to encourage them to ask the tough questions about world religions and our own theology, while they are with us and we can explore the answers together. If we stifle their curiosity, they may go off to college and get hit by a comet of materialism, or wander off into worldly philosophies. They need to know all about them before they get there!

One of the tools we’ve had at our disposal is Lincoln Christian College’s “worldvieweyes” program. (see www.worldvieweyes.org) It has helped us to teach our kids about different worldviews, including our own. I know they are currently working on a curriculum that will be available to youth groups in the near future. I’m sure there are other good resources out there, too (send us your ideas!) The important thing is to tackle some of the hard issues and big questions in the relative safety of your youth group, grounded in solid Bible study!