The Limitations of Youth Ministry - A Note to Parents

So... today I want to speak specifically to parents of high school kids.

A couple weeks ago I gave a presentation on the existence of God.  The following Monday I was asking some follow up questions at Bible Study.

Here was one of them:

"OK, so let's suppose this God you've described does exist.  How do you know the Christian revelation is the valid one?   Especially when there are other people like Jews, Muslims, and Zoroastrians who say its their religion?"

The kids who've gone off to college will tell you this is the most common question they get asked.  And yet, the response I got that evening from the high schoolers... was mostly silence.

They're not ready for college.

My Presentation on the Existence of God

Last Thursday I had the opportunity to talk to the students about the existence of God and run through four cosmological arguments.  Check it out!

If I was Pres. Trump's Speechwriter...

I learned earlier today that President Trump (still feels surreal to write that) will be addressing the March for Life.  

What might he say?  Or perhaps… if I was one of his speechwriters, what would I put in front of him? 

It would need to be heartfelt, honest, compassionate, and still retain a good bit of polemical zing.  And - let's face it - the thing would need to be a bit self-congratulatory to sound genuine. 

So here’s what I’d float across President Trump’s desk:

Should we Teach the Santa Myth?

One question I’ve brought up at Youth Ministry is whether we as Christians should continue to perpetuate the Santa Myth.  And by the Santa Myth I mean the following:

“Convincing children that there is a man who lives at the North Pole who monitors their behavior and annually distributes presents.”

My position is:  No.  This is both immoral and counterproductive to raising children in the Christian faith.

Today I’m going to defend this claim with a somewhat Thomistic flair.

Quick Answer: Was Jesus Really Born in the Spring?

Christians, like everyone else, can be tempted to be the smarted person in the room.  Many times this involves knowing little quirks about the Bible which supposedly debunk commonly held perceptions.  

Sometimes these quirks can be helpful.  Such as knowing alternate translations of texts, or the proper ways to fit together timelines.  Other times... they broach into the territory of "too clever by half".  

Such is the case of people insisting Jesus couldn't have been born on Dec 25 - and HAD to be born in the spring.  The evidence typically used to support this claim is from Luke's infancy account:

"And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night." - Luke 2:8

Folks will latch onto the detail and say:

It couldn't have been winter because there are sheep present!

A Walk Through Advent - Part IV

Today we finish up with Luke's account of Jesus birth.  Merry Christmas!!

A Walk Through Advent - Part III

Previously we read through the annunciation of Jesus to Mary.  Today we pick up where we left off with the annunciation to Joseph: