229. Apologetics in Action, Part 2

Teaching children apologetics prepares them to engage thoughtfully with their faith and defend it against skepticism. This episode highlights the importance of parents equipping their children with critical thinking skills about their beliefs, using resources and personal experiences to foster a supportive learning environment. 
• Understanding the concept of apologetics 
• Importance of teaching apologetics to children 
• Resources available for teaching kids about faith 
• Personal journeys and their impact on faith education 
• Strategies for engaging young adults in Bible study 
• Encouraging skepticism and open discussion in family settings 
• Using personal experiences for teaching opportunities

Chapters

• 0:13 Teaching Children Apologetics and Faith
• 5:13 Parenting and Youth Spiritual Development
• 17:50 Standing Firm in Faith

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:13

as you talk to parents and as you share, especially with apologetics. I believe that every single parent should be teaching their children apologetics, like I don't care what nobody say, yeah, children need to be taught apologetics. So how would you help parents learn apologetics, to teach their children apologetics?

Speaker 3: 0:36

yeah, if that makes even our audience. What is apologetics like?

Speaker 2: 0:40

so apologetics is. It's the word that's used for the biblical principle of having an answer ready, of showing yourself approved. And apologetics now has become looking into the Bible from many different lenses the historical lens, the scientific lens, the archaeological lens. It's looking into the Bible for its what's? The college word Historicity I feel like Ruben used that word before but looking into the Bible for its historical accuracy and looking into it also for logic. What does the logic say about this thing? What does the logic say about this thing? You know, if, if logic holds true and history shows true, then it must be true. You know.

Speaker 2: 1:27

So I looked into several different resources. Um, if I'm, if I'm not mistaken and I could be wrong um, there's a, there's a preacher out there, david Jeremiah, I think he has like a children's apologetics. But just, you know you can, you can Google some of this stuff as far as um children's resources for apologetics. But just, you know you can, you can Google some of this stuff as far as um children's resources for apologetics. You know, as a parent, my thing to my kids, you know, has become okay, let's look into the history of this thing together.

Speaker 2: 1:57

You know, if you, if you genuinely have a question okay, let's, let's sit down and, you know, look into the history of this thing together, because I can tell you all day long that's. You might just be like, okay, well, that's just dad being dad, yeah, he's smart, whatever, whatever. But no, no, no, I, I want you to see it for yourself, I want you to put eyes on it so you know you're to your point, or it's rather to your question. You know, apologetics is looking into um, looking into the Bible and being able to have an answer for biblical skeptics and saying, you know, hey, this is not only biblical, but extra biblical sources say this, this and this you know, yeah, and it's a way to um defend the word of God as well.

Speaker 3: 2:44

Right, cause there's a lot of false narratives, false information out there, because we live in a world where information is everywhere, Absolutely, it's easily accessible, we have access to it. There's also misinformation, absolutely Right, so that's why I said the Bible is the source that one could go to. Once you start engulfing and getting into the word of God, man, that stuff could teach you something. Yeah, but I know you, you know I like how you brought up apologetics and I'm glad you're apologetics, because we need more apologetics of folks that could defend the word of God and also speak truth. But you wasn't always like this, as you mentioned.

Speaker 3: 3:22

Yeah, and I like to always be honest with my audience and always let them know. Like, hey, being a Christian is not easy, and you said it, but there's things that we have to go to or through in order to get to where we're at. So where are you at right now? So I know you left the church. So I know everybody have a wilderness moment. We have our wilderness moments, we have our highs and our lows. So, in addition to that, you say you left the church and and I'm going back to the initial question because, um, I think it's interesting, because I don't want people to think that you got saved, then you left the church, then you went on this quest to be an apologetics.

Speaker 3: 4:00

I also want people to like no, no, like he went through some stuff too, as all of us, we all go through stuff, cause I think the things that we go through, the prunings, you know, the trials and tribulations that we go through and to, is really to draw us closer to God. Yeah, so I know you are on fire now for the Lord is especially the knowledge that you have for Christ and and like, as a parent, I would want my child to have their own personal relationship with God. So what was that moment in time that you went through I almost want to say hell and hot water in order to be like, ok, god, I finally understand now. Now you develop that Like, what was that moment in time that you actually developed a relationship with God?

Speaker 3: 4:41

Like you finally got to know your Savior, even though you got saved, but you had to go through things and be like, oh now, because it's different for you Because, like you said, you was raised in a church, so for me it was different. When I obeyed the gospel, I automatically took off. I'm like God, you did this for me, like you know. So for you it was different because you was raised with it, you know, for years. You know so like years, you know. So, like what was that moment in time where you had your moment where you was like, wow god, I finally get it, and you actually developed that relationship with christ?

Speaker 2: 5:10

so it started um, and it's not. It sounds funny, but you know, as as we like to say, we were drugged. You know, we were drugged as kids. We were drugged to church, we were drugged here. We're drugged everywhere. So I was uh, so I was uh, so I'd I'd went clubbing. I got home at like four something in the morning on a saturday night, uh, into sunday morning, excuse me, four o'clock in the morning, sunday morning. I got home I'd still smell like cigarette.

Speaker 2: 5:42

I still smell, smell like the club you know, yeah, and I don't even remember how old I was, but I was still under my parents' roof and my parents, my mom, my mom came in, you know, knocking on the door. I didn't answer cause I was knocked out. So she came in, she woke me up and she was like hey, it's time for church. Oh, your salvation had been my responsibility. You decide what you want to do. And I'm just like so you're not going to make me get up and go. She was like no, you have clothes in your closet, you have a car. You figure it out. Your soul is up to you. Now You're old enough to know how old were you at this time.

Speaker 3: 6:31

If you recall, in your early 20s.

Speaker 2: 6:35

Yeah, in your 20s, yeah, 20s, yeah I might have been because I was in. I was in college at the time, but I was, I was close okay, around that time okay to live, to stay at home, so I was probably early 20s I'm helping the 20 year olds.

Speaker 2: 6:44

Yeah, so it was probably early 20s.

Speaker 2: 6:46

You know I was. I was trying to do both. I would go to church, right, I would go to church, right, I would go to church, go through the motions and everything, and, uh, you know, saturday night I'm, you know, saturday night I was doing my thing, I was going to the club or whatever. And then Sunday morning try to get it right, you know, you know if I'm, you know, just being transparent, I remember there was one, there was one Sunday, where I got up, you know, went, dragged myself into church, I didn't realize that I was on the schedule to serve. It's so bad, I didn't realize I was on the schedule to serve, right, right. So I'm up on stage and I'm sitting right next to Ray and I'm like I can't hear. It's club music. It's loud, wow. So club music. It's loud, wow. So I I couldn't hear. And I said I had my hair, you know, I had my locks back then and my hair smelled like cigarette smoke, cigarette smoke and weed smoke from being in the club. I'm like this is this is not good, right, right. But when my mom put it to me that way, your, your soul is your responsibility. Now I was like, oh, that's a big responsibility, right, right.

Speaker 2: 7:58

So I began to take it a bit more seriously then, and then I've been put in situations where so that was step one board, have you know, having a kid, uh, having a child out of wedlock. Then then I married her, I married the girl, and you know the questions about faith. And then step two was, um, they had started to do young adult ministry, they had started to do young adult meetings, they started to do yam, yeah, and you know, in its early phases we were going from church to church and then, you know, ray had asked me hey, I want you to teach one. And I started, I started sweating, like you were on the phone. Immediately, I started sweating like, oh, ok, yeah, yeah, I'll do it. And I had to study to know what I was talking about. Yes, yes, yes.

Speaker 2: 8:58

And then through that, you know, even in terms of dealing with my wife, because at the time, you know, at my wife, at the time, she really wasn't feeling church, she didn't understand why I had to go as frequently as I went, right, right, so then, when yam came up, it was like, no, I gotta do this. You know, nervous, nervous as I was, I still had to do it. So, immediately started sweating, I studied and I'm like this just feels right, Wow. And I and I had to be honest about that. It just it. It felt like what I should be doing, not not necessarily preaching and teaching, but just studying, just studying god's word and getting closer to god and being able to answer these questions that some of these people might have had. Yeah, so, you know, I taught, I taught that.

Speaker 2: 9:43

You know, one of the I taught the one that I was supposed to teach, and there was, there was a, uh, there was a muslim girl there and she had questions and I'm like, okay, what is this? You know, what does this mean? And we kind of had, you know, we she kind of held her questions for for after and you know, but through my dealings with God questions and my dealings with, at the time, my wife's parents, I was already kind of on that journey of studying, so I had a way to answer her questions and I'm like that felt really good. Wow, you know that that felt better than you know going to the club, that felt better than living it up. That felt better than you know just knowing that what I'm doing is could be making God proud. Wow, I was like, oh man, wow, you know, and I'm not going to lie, I've had ups and downs. I've had, you know, my, you know moments, you know since then. But moments like that have always brought me back to say that's, that's where it's really at Right, right.

Speaker 3: 10:53

You know. That's where it's really at, man. Right, right, amen. Haven't you heard that, arjo? I tell people, the Word of God changed people, man, because I used to be a clubber too. But when I got in the church in fact I went in front of the club preaching the gospel I said this is the same club that tried to take me out.

Speaker 1: 11:06

I'm going to go in front of the club and preach the gospel.

Speaker 3: 11:09

But yeah, man and man, thank you again for your transparency, because I want people to understand that when you get in the church you know you don't change overnight. It takes a process, it's just. The thing is, the more and more you get into that word and you get closer to Christ, the less of the world you want. You don't need the world anymore. It's like you find yourself like shredding At this point. It's about making God proud, like you said, like here's your daddy. You're like man, dad, I know you're proud of it, part of your son. You're proud of your daughter. So again, man, thank you again for sharing that. Um, so, I know we're pressing for time. Adni, do you got a question or two? Because I got one last question, but I'm gonna let that go before we, before we go, okay so I'm so happy you shared that, because devon is about to graduate.

Speaker 1: 11:53

He's turning 18 in January, so just and he's look y'all. I'm proud of my son. I think I did a great job with him. I'm not tooting my own horn, but I believe that through the grace and mercy of God, I planted some great seeds in him. But he's getting to that point of I have a girl that I'm interested in right. He said she is a member of the church. I'm not sure because I haven't met her yet.

Speaker 2: 12:22

Okay.

Speaker 1: 12:23

But um, to get him in that space of um studying the word of God, because he had, like he has not been in church because that is not a member of the body, okay, and that's who he lives with. But he understands that he has a calling and there's that that, like I can't leave God's hand, I have to stay focused, and that's just not for Devon, but that's also for the young adults that are like I don't understand the word of God. I really want to study it, I really want to grow deeper and be sanctified, because what you were sharing was sanctification. The Holy Spirit was sanctifying you as you were studying. How do we, how do you or how do we as parents, talk to our young adults to get them into the point where they could study the word and allow the word to sanctify them and get them to understand their assignment here on earth?

Speaker 2: 13:20

That's. That's one that I'm honestly still working on because, like I said, my, my daughter, my oldest, is uh, you know, like I said, her mom went back to the Catholic faith. So I'm trying to, I'm trying to get my daughter to understand. You know certain things about the Catholic faith and certain things about you know the church of Christ and and you know that form of true worship and you know it's. It's one of those things where you know, back in the days we got baptized young because we were simply scared to go to hell, you know now I don't know if that fear is the same Mercy. You know it's one of those things where I don't even know if these kids nowadays believe that there is a hell. So I try my best to encourage my daughter.

Speaker 2: 14:26

Hey, listen, this was the path that I took. I want you to look it up yourself, getting your way. I want you to look it up yourself, almost look it up like and the name escapes me, but there's a famous atheist who went out of his way to. He's a famous skeptic who went out of his way to try to disprove Christianity. He wound up becoming a Christian. He wound up writing some amazing Struggle, struggle, thank you.

Speaker 3: 14:54

A Case for Christ right. It came out in my movie amazing trouble, Thank you. Uh, okay, christ Right, it came out in my movie. Yes, yeah.

Speaker 2: 14:58

Yes, thank you very much. I the name escaped me, but thank you, yes. And he wound up writing some amazing Christian literature. You know, there's also the, the cold case detective, uh, jay Warner Wallace, um, who again was just a skeptic and he began looking into it and it's like, okay, I don't, I want you to look into it.

Speaker 2: 15:20

Yeah, you know, look, I would almost, I would almost dare my kids to look into it and disprove it and and see and see what that does for you. You know what I'm saying, because once you begin to look into it and you see, hey, there's historical evidence for this, there's more manuscripts for this, for the word of God, than there is for Shakespeare being real. There's more evidence for the existence of Jesus Christ, of Nazareth, being real, being born, having died under, you know, under, caesar being crucified and then being seen after he was crucified and died, you know, than there is for Plato's existence. So you know, I would almost dare them to look into it with the goal of trying to disprove it, you know, and then come back and let's have that conversation, but I don't know if I'm bold enough to say that to my kids just yet.

Speaker 3: 16:24

Well, they're going to watch this podcast.

Speaker 2: 16:25

Yeah, I'm sure they are they might, but within the same vein, as a parent, you have to be open-minded yourself into hearing their perspective. Yeah, and then saying, okay, I hear you, and you kind of have to use some of those apologetics strategies of asking questions. They call it the Socratic method of learning. You yourself ask the questions, or the Socratic method of teaching. You know, you ask the question to them and let them discover that answer. You ask the question to them and let them discover that answer, because I think our kids are tired of being browbeat with. This is what the Bible says. This is what the Bible says. Okay, you know what I'm not going to do, that I'm going to ask you a question. I want you to answer it. So I would almost flip it back on them. You have these questions. Fine, I have questions of my own. I like to ask you.

Speaker 3: 17:19

I like that. But, adney, we're going to wrap things up. But you know, like we always say, we, we always ask our guests one last question, cause, adney and I know that when you're in the body we are on a mission for Christ, we can, we for Christ, we honor. It's not a mission impossible, it's a mission that's possible. Right, it's a mission that's possible. So when we ask our guests, man, you know, what do you want to be remembered for spiritually when God call you back home?

Speaker 2: 17:47

That's a tough one that is a tough one. I would say I would want to be remembered for standing up for my faith. You know, here's a man, here's my son, my child, who stood up for my only begotten son, who stood up for my only begotten son, who stood up for my word, amen. You know, in the midst of trial, tribulation and even doubts, yeah, you know, from those that were around him, because I I've I've had issues, you know, on the job in times past, where you know I had somebody trying to give me, you know, some certain books. And you know, read, read this book and you won't be Christian, no more. I'm like man please.

Speaker 2: 18:40

Let's have the conversation who tried to get me to disbelieve in Christ, and this, that and the third. And I'm like, no, no, no, there's this, there's this, there's this, let's squash that. And he wasn't my friend anymore. But but you know, I'm, I'm glad that I was able to stand, you know, firm in my faith.

Speaker 3: 19:04

Amen, amen, all right world. So there you have it, man. Thank you again, man RJ, for coming on to the show. You know, like Adney and I always say we get excited when folks come on. Can we just sit back and hear folks share their God-given testimonies? So, we appreciate you so much, but all right world. So remember to like, share and subscribe. I didn't say that in the beginning, so hopefully they get it towards the end. Remember that Jesus Christ, he is the King of Kings and he's the Lord of Lords. Be blessed.