An URGENT Warning to Christian Parents

Summary

The speaker emphasizes the need to shift from merely teaching to actively training young people in faith, drawing a parallel to physical training for athletes. They argue that testing students' understanding and readiness is crucial, as is equipping them with the tools and knowledge to defend their beliefs. The speaker shares personal anecdotes and strategies, including 'Ricochet apologetics' and the importance of inoculating students with truth to prepare them for intellectual challenges they will face, especially in secular environments like universities.

Takeaways

• 📚 The speaker emphasizes the need to shift from merely teaching to actively training young people, as teaching alone has not been effective in preparing them for future challenges.
• 👥 The speaker suggests that young people will eventually take the place of the current generation in roles like attending church, and thus it is crucial to prepare them now for these future responsibilities.
• 🛡 The difference between teaching and training is illustrated, with teaching being about imparting knowledge and training being about preparing for upcoming battles or challenges, much like athletes or fighters do.
• 💡 The importance of testing young people is highlighted to identify their current level of understanding and readiness, which is a crucial first step in the training process.
• 🚨 The speaker uses the analogy of police training to emphasize that testing and field experience are vital for equipping individuals with the skills needed to handle real-life situations.
• 🤔 The necessity of challenging students' beliefs early on is underscored, using the example of role-playing as an atheist to expose students to opposing viewpoints and stimulate critical thinking.
• 🛠 The need to require more from students than just attendance is stressed, arguing that they are capable of handling more complex and demanding material.
• 🛡️ The concept of 'inoculation' is introduced, where students are exposed to objections and challenges to their beliefs in a controlled environment to prepare them for encountering these outside the church.
• 🛠️ The importance of equipping students with the tools and knowledge to defend their faith is discussed, drawing a parallel to how police officers are given tools and training for their duties.
• 📚 The speaker advocates for including philosophy and logic in religious education to help students understand and articulate the reasons behind their beliefs.
• 🎯 The final takeaway is the need for a structured approach to youth ministry that includes testing, requiring more, equipping with tools, and preparing students to answer tough questions about their faith.

Q & A

What is the main issue discussed in the transcript regarding youth education in religious contexts?

The main issue discussed is the ineffectiveness of traditional teaching methods in preparing young people for future challenges, emphasizing the need to shift from teaching to training as a more effective approach.

What is the difference between teaching and training as presented in the transcript?

Teaching is described as imparting knowledge, while training is equated with preparing for an upcoming battle or challenge, requiring active engagement and practical application of skills.

Why does the speaker mention Royce Gracie and his dojo?

Royce Gracie is mentioned as an example of someone who trains for a specific purpose—winning fights. His dojo serves as a metaphor for the kind of focused, results-oriented preparation young people should receive.

What is the acronym 'YOU' in the context of the transcript?

The acronym 'YOU' is not explicitly defined in the transcript, but it seems to be part of a model for youth ministry or religious education, with 'YOU' possibly standing for a set of principles or steps to be followed.

What role do tests play in the training model proposed by the speaker?

Tests are crucial in the training model as they serve to identify the current level of understanding and skills of the students, providing a baseline to measure progress and a motivation to improve.

Why does the speaker advocate for higher expectations from students in religious education?

The speaker believes that students are capable of handling more than what is typically required of them in religious education. By setting higher expectations, students are challenged to engage more deeply with the material and prepare better for future challenges.

What is the concept of 'Ricochet apologetics' mentioned in the transcript?

'Ricochet apologetics' refers to the unintentional learning that occurs when younger students are exposed to more advanced discussions, in this case, the speaker's college-level teachings on Christianity, which his younger children picked up from being around older students.

How does the speaker suggest equipping students with the tools to defend their faith?

The speaker suggests equipping students by providing them with the truth and the positive case for Christianity, including evidences and responses to atheistic objections, much like providing police officers with tools and training.

What is the importance of 'inoculation' in the context of preparing young people for challenges to their faith?

Inoculation in this context means exposing students to objections and challenges to their faith in a controlled and supervised environment, so they become 'inoculated' and better prepared to handle such challenges when they encounter them outside.

Why does the speaker emphasize the need to teach students philosophy and logic as part of their religious education?

The speaker emphasizes the importance of teaching philosophy and logic to equip students with the ability to critically analyze and defend their beliefs, as well as to understand and respond to secular viewpoints and objections.

What is the speaker's view on the role of challenges and tests in motivating students to learn and prepare?

The speaker believes that challenges and tests are essential motivators for learning. They create a sense of urgency and necessity, compelling students to take their education seriously and to prepare for real-world applications.

Outlines

00:00

📚 The Shift from Teaching to Training

The speaker emphasizes the need to transition from merely teaching to actively training young people in the church. They argue that teaching has not been effective in preparing youth for future challenges, as evidenced by the lack of change over the past century. The speaker illustrates the difference between teaching, which is about imparting knowledge, and training, which is about preparing for an upcoming challenge or battle. Using the example of a dojo and Royce Gracie's training for the Ultimate Fighting Championships, the speaker urges the congregation to adopt a training model that includes testing youth to identify their current abilities and preparing them for the future.

05:00

🛡️ Equipping Youth with the Tools for Spiritual Battle

The speaker discusses the importance of testing and challenging youth to understand their current level of understanding and readiness. They use the analogy of police training and the need for officers to be prepared for real-life scenarios. The speaker then moves on to the importance of requiring more from students, arguing that they are capable of handling more than what is typically asked of them in religious education. The speaker shares personal experiences as a youth pastor and how they raised the bar for their students, resulting in a deeper understanding and retention of religious teachings. They stress the need to equip students with the truth and the tools to defend their faith, similar to how police officers are armed and trained for their duties.

10:01

🧬 Inoculating Youth Against Secular Influences

The speaker advocates for the inoculation theory in religious education, which involves exposing students to philosophical and secular ideas early on, under controlled and supervised conditions. This approach is likened to a medical inoculation, where exposure to a small amount of a virus helps build immunity. The speaker argues that instead of isolating students from objections and criticisms of faith, they should be equipped with the knowledge and tools to understand and respond to these challenges. They emphasize the importance of teaching students philosophy and logic from a Christian perspective, as well as being aware of and prepared to address popular atheist texts and arguments. The goal is to prepare students to make a positive case for Christianity and to be able to defend their beliefs against scrutiny.

Keywords

💡Teaching vs. Training

The video emphasizes the distinction between 'teaching' and 'training.' Teaching is defined as imparting knowledge, often in a passive manner, while 'training' is an active process preparing individuals for specific challenges or battles. The speaker illustrates this by comparing traditional classroom teaching to the rigorous preparation athletes and fighters undergo. The theme of the video is to advocate for a shift from merely teaching young people to actively training and equipping them with the skills and knowledge to defend their faith in a challenging world.

💡Next Generation

The term 'Next Generation' refers to the youth who will inherit the values and responsibilities of the current generation. In the context of the video, it is crucial to prepare the youth not only for their future roles in society but also to ensure the continuity of faith and religious values. The speaker stresses the importance of training the youth to be ready for the intellectual and spiritual battles they will face, such as secularism and atheism.

💡Youth Ministry

Youth Ministry is a term used to describe the programs and activities within religious communities aimed at young people. The speaker criticizes the current approach to youth ministry, which he feels is too focused on entertainment and not enough on equipping young people with the tools to defend their faith. The video's theme revolves around transforming youth ministry into a more rigorous training ground for young believers.

💡Inoculation

In the video, 'inoculation' is used metaphorically to describe the process of exposing young people to objections and criticisms of their faith in a controlled and supervised environment. The goal is to prepare them to withstand these challenges when they encounter them in the real world. The speaker suggests that by 'inoculating' students with the arguments against their beliefs, they will be better equipped to defend their faith when faced with skepticism or hostility.

💡Evidences for Christianity

The speaker frequently mentions the need to provide young people with the 'evidences for Christianity,' which are arguments and logical reasons supporting the truth of Christian beliefs. This concept is central to the video's message, as it is through these evidences that young believers can be armed with a solid foundation for their faith and be able to respond to objections and challenges.

💡Atheism

Atheism is the absence of belief in any deity. In the video, atheism is presented as a significant challenge to the faith of young people, especially in secular environments like universities. The speaker uses the concept of atheism as a catalyst for the need to train young believers to be able to defend their faith against such worldviews.

💡Role Playing

Role playing is a method used by the speaker to challenge and test the faith of young people. By adopting the persona of an atheist, the speaker aims to deconvert the students in a simulated environment to reveal their weaknesses in defending their beliefs. This technique is used to demonstrate the necessity of training and equipping young believers to be prepared for real-life challenges to their faith.

💡Fundamentals of Faith

The 'fundamentals of faith' refer to the core beliefs and principles that form the basis of a religious conviction. The speaker argues that youth groups often neglect teaching these fundamentals, focusing instead on activities that do not strengthen the students' faith. The video advocates for a return to these fundamentals as a foundation for training young believers.

💡Secular Slant

The term 'secular slant' is used to describe the tendency of certain institutions, such as universities, to favor secular perspectives over religious ones. The speaker uses this concept to highlight the challenges that young believers face in environments where their faith may not be supported or may even be actively challenged.

💡Ricochet Apologetics

Ricochet Apologetics is a term coined by the speaker to describe the unintentional learning that occurs when young people are exposed to discussions about defending the faith, even if they are not the direct target of the teaching. In the video, the speaker shares a personal story of how his younger children learned about defending Christianity by being present during discussions intended for older students.

💡Affirmative Defense

An 'affirmative defense' in the context of the video refers to the positive case that believers can make for their faith. The speaker emphasizes the importance of equipping young people with the knowledge and arguments necessary to not only defend against criticisms but also to positively assert the truth of their beliefs.

Highlights

The need to prepare young people for future challenges by training them, not just teaching them.

Teaching vs. training - Teaching is about imparting knowledge, while training prepares for an upcoming battle.

The importance of testing young people to assess their abilities and readiness for challenges.

The analogy of police training to emphasize the necessity of equipping young people with the right tools and skills.

The concept of 'Ricochet apologetics' where teaching aimed at one group can also benefit others.

The importance of setting high expectations and requirements for young people in religious education.

The need to equip young people with the truth and tools to defend their faith against objections and challenges.

The idea of 'inoculation' in religious education, exposing students to objections early to prepare them for future encounters.

The importance of not isolating students from secular philosophy and instead teaching them to engage with it critically.

The role of testing in motivating students to improve and prepare for future challenges.

The need for youth ministry to move beyond just games and fun activities to include serious study and preparation.

The potential impact of role-playing as an atheist to challenge and strengthen students' faith.

The importance of providing students with a solid justification for their faith to help them stand firm in the face of scrutiny.

The four-step process of teaching truth, God's existence, trustworthiness of the Bible, and the resurrection of Jesus to young people.

The testimony of a young adult who found youth group too soft and unprepared for the challenges of college and secular ideas.

The call to action for religious educators to equip and arm students with the knowledge and skills to defend their faith effectively.

Transcripts

problem I think we have to get to a

place where we can provide answers for

our young people and prepare them

because those young people will also be

our age not too long from now they'll be

just like us sitting in the church we

prepare them now you won't have to worry

about it later and you'll also be able

to prepare the Next Generation because

you were prepared so when people ask me

how do you solve this problem I always

say the same thing and I've been writing

about it for years on the

website stop

teaching my gosh it's not that just stop

teaching teaching is not working the

church has been teaching for 100 years

here in America and apparently it's not

working we've got great teachers in the

church but we've got to stop teaching

young people it's doing us no

good we've got to start

training and training is different than

teaching training is very I want to

illustrate the difference between

teaching and training so you can catch

it okay so let's divide this in half

teaching is just about imparting

knowledge you know blah blah blah blah

blah blah this is this this is this w w

w got it we've all been in front of good

teachers but we're like you know I'm

trying to stay awake I hope that's not

you guys this

morning okay now the other issue of

course is training is different than

this training is preparing for a battle

that's about to

come boxers

train Fighters train athletes train why

because there's a game on Sunday why

because there's a fight in 8 weeks you

will train if you know a challenge is

coming if you told all of your students

that they don't have to take a test

you're all in algebra class trust me

you're all going to get a don't don't

worry about it there's no tests in this

class just just listen to me while I

teach you algebra how many people in

that class do you think are actually

going to learn algebra okay

zero no test coming no point in training

no point in paying

attention here's a guy who lives in our

city or did at least one he's got a dojo

there his name is Royce Gracie I don't

know if you know him or not but he won

four see four of the first five Ultimate

Fighting

Championships my son has been to his

dojo I remember the first time he went

to this Dojo he came home and he had a

huge lump on his head my son's a police

officer I said oh my gosh you just and

he would go he get beat up again and

when he would come home he would have

this bumps and cuts on his face and I

used to say why do you continue to go he

says because it takes him a little bit

longer each time to make me look this

way and as far as cops go sometimes all

fights are going to go to the ground at

some point and you just may have to hang

on long enough for your backup to get

there so how long you can hang on is

important this guy you think this guy

trains yeah why does he train because

he's got a fight coming it turns out the

fight that's coming is what turns

teaching into training because now

you're taking it very seriously and this

guy takes his work very seriously so I

want to share with you a paradigm that I

think would change the way we do youth

ministry and change the way we even

think about our own religious education

it's a train model and it's not that

hard to grasp of course it's a acronym

because we are all pastors at heart and

we like

acronyms it's you do these five things

and I think everything changes the first

thing we have to do is we have to test

young people you got to find out where

they're at everyone gets a

test this is the Crest Bar in my city

it's a biker bar and I guarantee you

there's a fight here every night and if

you're a trainee a rookie who's got a

field training officer you're going to

buy that call because every fight call

is going to send a training car because

that training car is going to get there

and the training officer is going to do

this to see if you as the rookie can

handle a bar

fight because you got to test Everybody

by the way if you can't handle a bar

fight we're going to fire you cuz we

don't want to get killed later on every

night when this turns into a nightmare

we're going to send a training card to

see if the officer can pass the

test now what it's not like we're trying

to be mean we're trying to if nothing

else if he fails the first test he'll

start getting ready he'll go back and

he'll train he'll be at that Dojo

getting beat up tomorrow because he

wants to pass the test the next time

tests are incredibly important for

officers they're also incredibly

important for students when I first get

asked to work with youth groups let me

tell you what I do I asked the the

pastor to introduce me as the local

professor of philosophy at whatever big

university is close by and I will come

in and role play as an atheist I don't

want the students to know who I am

because in that hour my goal is to

deconvert everyone in the room and you

would be amazed at how fast it happens

because as I start pushing these buttons

as an atheist the students cannot really

respond

and all the joy you might have when you

first show up it turns into Expressions

that are not so good because at the end

of this we literally have students who

when I finally reveal that I'm actually

a Christian they'll come up and they'll

say thank God I I was starting to wonder

if this any this was

true wow you mean to tell me after all

that we've done as parents in 30 minutes

in a in a role playing scenario I could

shake you that bad oh yeah we've seen it

over and over again my son who's 26 he's

an excellent role player when he does it

it's really powerful cuz he's closer to

their age it's very powerful you have to

test students the same way you why do I

start this way I start this way because

now they know their need did that feel

good no would you like to be in a

situation where you could do better yes

well the next six weeks we're going to

train you to do

better that's what we do but they won't

even pay attention if I don't show them

how bad the situation is to begin with

so I test my students before I start the

second thing I have to do of course is

you have to be ready to require

something more than we typically require

of our students hey I was a youth pastor

in a mediumsized church that was

actually affiliated with the church

plant that Troy

did he's been a part of a church that

was a sister Church of my of my church

in

California and I can tell you when I was

first a youth pastor I I had a certain

view of youth ministry okay and I did

not require a lot from my students I was

happy if they just showed up have a good

time here want to come back and bring

your friends for me youth ministry as I

was trying to think it out and plan it

out was all funny games okay youth

ministry looked a lot like this pizza

video

games good stuff important stuff but

that was all we were doing

really our students can handle so much

more I mean think about what we ask of

our students as parents we got them in

AP courses they're getting ready for

college oh my gosh the bar is super high

in other areas of their life and you as

a parent have no problem with the bar

being high there but when it comes to

Religious Education eh show up we're

happy that's what's got to

change and you might think well how much

can kids handle I wanted to show you

this is my family when I first started

as a youth pastor I have my daughters uh

and my sons my sons came along first and

then we adopted two girls out of foster

care this is Annie and Mia so we have a

kind of a range of Ages here and my boys

were in their you know

Junior High years 12 and 10 when my

girls were still in elementary

school well I they wouldn't stay with

their uh Affinity groups you know they

wouldn't go to Sunday school they wanted

to sit with their parents in the youth

room with all the high

schoolers so I I would let them come and

they would sit on the laps of all the

high school students and just hang out

with the high school students and I was

teaching the high school students at a

college level because I wanted them to

grab the evidences for Christianity I

made a case every week for Christianity

and I responded to all the atheist

objections to Christianity but I was

doing at a pretty high level these kids

while they were hanging out with us

caught all of

it I didn't was I'm not targeting these

you'd be amazed at what young people

will they'll raise up if we'll set the

bar High they'll they'll jump that high

bar so all my sons and daughters they

caught all of this stuff I call it

Ricochet apologetics right I wasn't

aiming at them it bounced off the other

students and they caught it so now that

they're older and here they are as

adults are close to adults they are all

pretty solid at least they know now look

if they're going to want I always say

this if your students want to chase

stupid stuff in college that's on them

if they're chasing the stupid stuff on

College because we didn't prepare them

that's on

me I've prepared them doesn't mean

they're going to stay because there's

that third circle right that's the

problem but we want to require more of

our students

third thing you got to give him

something you got to equip him with

something you got to give him a tool

give them the truth arm them with the

case so they know what the positive case

is for

Christianity we got to do that you

wouldn't give police officers no weapons

or no tools to go out and ask them to do

their job as a matter of fact we give

them a bunch of tools and not only we

give them a bunch of tools we give them

a bunch of training on how to use the

tools we do two things we give them

tools and the training to use the tools

that's how you arm police

officers well think about it we have

students how are we equipping them how

are we arming our students what are we

doing with these folks I suggest we've

got to inoculate them before they leave

here don't isolate your students from

the truth don't isolate your students

from all the objections instead you know

a flu inoculation is what you give them

a little bit of the flu and then later

on when they're exposed to all the flu

theyve already been inoculated because

they saw early they got it early under

your supervision what we're doing with

inoculation theory in the church is

we're trying to give our young people

the truth early don't be afraid of

philosophy this passage sometimes

Christians will look and say we don't

want to get involved in secular

philosophy see to it that no one takes

you captive through philosophy and empty

deception according to the tradition of

man according to the elementary

principles of this world rather than

according to Christ this is not an

admonition for us to avoid teaching our

students philosophy it's an admonition

to teach teach them philosophy according

to

Christ and not get caught up in the

philosophy and tradition of men so I'm

going to teach my students philosophy

and logic and all the evidences for why

Christianity is true and why atheism

can't be true and when we're done

they'll be inoculated and I'm going to

begin in my Care by making sure they're

aware of every atheist text that's

popular in the

culture I'm going to assign this as

reading because I'm going to be talking

about it for the next for for

for four years you're with me all I did

was talk about these kinds of texts I'm

not going to stop there but I want them

I want them to hear the objections from

me before they hear them from a

professor does that make

sense and then of course they're fully

inoculated of course I've got to solve

the problems I raise so of course I'm

going to do that in scripture and I'm

also going to supplement that with all

kinds of great texts that are out there

that you guys should be on your

bookshelf if these works are not on your

bookshelf you're not going to be able to

make a case for what you believe either

of course the best text you can buy is

this one right

there which you can get out in the hall

after no never mind okay but my point is

we want to be able to prepare our

students to make an affirmative defense

for what it is they believe and when we

do that I think we end up in a better

place because we prepared our students

so someone like Gabriel here who said

this I thought was pretty powerful I was

in several youth groups in high school

and unfortunately found that youth group

was too soft we played a lot of games

had a lot of fun Retreats but rarely

learned about the fundamentals of faith

and why we believe what we believe and

what it is that we do believe now that

I'm in college my faith is under

constant scrutiny always being tested by

scientific Concepts in the secular slant

of most universities I wish I had been

equipped with a more solid justification

for my faith knowing how to answer the

tough questions how to respond to

arguments how to stand firm in what

feels like a storm against my

spirituality we have to help our

students we have to equip them we have

to arm them that's why yesterday when we

did our conference what do we talk about

we began at the bottom with truth then

we take a step up from that we want to

talk about God's existence why should we

trust the Bible and then why do we think

Jesus actually rose from the dead that

four-step process is what I want to

teach young people so they can defend it