How do we help kids who doubt their faith? Let’s ask a skeptic!
How should a Christian parent react to a child that is question the Christian faith? How can both the child and the parent set boundaries to keep the relationship secure? This clip is from an interview with Genetically Modified Skeptic, a popular Atheist Youtuber.
CHECK OUT THE FULL INTERVIEW: https://youtu.be/VJX28l54YxE
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@SeanMcDowell Sad that GM Skeptic has turned down a very dark path recently. Praying for him and for so many others that are blinded to the gospel.
This is good advice. I wish I had know this back when my son went through his faith crisis in high school. I did everything wrong, as I look back, regarding communication with him, during that season. I should have put boundaries in being intentional with our dialogue; we would both randomly start debates, which almost always ended terribly and unproductively. Thankfully, despite it all, my son eventually became a Christian (after years of deep seeking — he’s brilliant, by the way! :)… And now he is getting ready to graduate from college a year early with a degree in Philosophy and plans to attend Law School. But his coming to Christ is 100% all God’s grace and mercy and timing… because I did not communicate well during his crisis. But I did pray. And he did know I loved him. I guess there’s that. Praise God for His ability to work in people’s lives and hearts, despite our often poor communication methods 😮 But I would very much suggest the tactics in this video, since I learned the hard way.
Those who are Christian truly believe that faith = salvation. For their children to not have that faith means they will eternally lose their children. Its a VERY hard thing to swallow. However, this is also a control issue and not even God takes the authority in controlling us… and neither should you as a parent.
"Thus says The Lord: It is the penitent man who shall know God, and penitent you must be; die to yourselves daily. Cast off the skin of this world and walk with Me as I am, and not as you would have Me be.
Beloved ones, do you long to obey? Then obey. Do you wish to stay clean? Then stay clean. Doubt is your enemy, doubt is a stone of stumbling at your feet. For I tell you the truth, one whose faith has come to completion, having received the full revelation of who I am, will not sin. For only the face of The Holy One is before their eyes.
Beloved ones, only One is without sin, The Son of Man. Yet the desire to sin is still within you, and now also The Truth, and so the battle rages. Therefore, beware. For doubt leads to disobedience, and to disobey God is sin, and the penalty of sin is death. Yet I have overcome death, having written your name in the Book of Life from the very foundation of the world. What is left then? Only the death of sin itself, and the passing away of death.
Beloved, cast off your sins, depart quickly from temptation, and to the accuser turn a deaf ear. For I tell you the truth, evil has lost its grip on the redeemed… Therefore hear My words, and also do them; give heed to My speech, and embrace all I have given you; drink deeply from this cup, and be created anew, says The Lord your Redeemer."
~
"Thus says The Holy One of Israel: What is the knowledge of man? Is it not a stone of stumbling? And the pride of man, a rock of offense? How then shall the blind see or the deaf hear, unless I heal them? Or how shall one grab hold of the line, unless it is first placed within their reach?
Yet all those who call of themselves Christian seek out knowledge, only to proclaim their own glory before men. Indeed, they proclaim falsely that they know the Way, though they remain lost in their own deceptions. For as it is written: My people are foolish and have no understanding; they are skilled at doing evil, but of doing good they have no knowledge;[1] they refuse to obey the voice of The Living God, nor will they receive correction. Behold, truth has perished among them; it has altogether been cut off from their mouths![2]
Yet My servants are wise. They fear The Lord, and wait upon Me with all patience and faith, doubting nothing, humble servants who study My Word,[3] knowing I am The Author and The Finisher thereof. When they wake and when they lie down, I am there; I am their life, and they are My joy, says The Lord.
Therefore when My servants come to an impasse in My Word, according to their own understanding, what is their reaction? They continue on, without hindrance or doubt. For their relationship with The Author is intimate, their trust without reservation. Thus they remain at peace, and wait upon The Lord for the light of understanding, knowing in their heart every word is true, ready to receive the spirit of the Word, stumbling not over its letter. And until My people are established firmly upon this premise, they will remain daunted, striving to see but never fully understanding, straining to hear but remaining dull of hearing.
Thus for My wise and faithful servants,
All barriers are removed…
For their peace is in the knowing,
I AM WHO I AM, though they yet
Stand at the beginning, unable to see the end…
An heir of all I will reveal to them
When the fullness of time has come in…
Says The Lord.
[1]Jeremiah 4:22
[2]Jeremiah 7:28
[3]2 Timothy 2:15 (KJV)"
http://trumpetcallofgodonline.com
As a Christian, I have to admit, Drew is my favourite Atheist YouTuber.
There is a crisis among Christian youth groups today… 67% of all current Christian youth will abandon their faith by their early 20s… most will fall prey to agnostic & atheistic university professors… They will also fall prey to aggressively antagonistic peers on college campuses… Despite all the Sunday school lessons, Bible studies, youth rallies, Church camps and missions trips, their “Sunday school answers” will prove inadequate, for them & others… “Sunday school answers” are also insufficient in adulthood… The point here is that our youth at the middle school, high school level AND their parents are being sorely disserviced by not being taught simple apologetics to encourage their own personal faith, showing our faith to be a reasoned, defensible faith… Hosea 4:6 says God’s people perish from lack of knowledge, while I Peter 3:15 instructs us to be prepared to give a defense for our hope… This begs 3 questions… 1) WHAT do you believe? 2) WHY do you believe it? 3) CAN you communicate it in a clear & winsome manner when asked? Just food for meditation, prayer & discussion… Shalom…
I would like to see Sean engage online in more interfaith dialog like this. He has such a respectful and non-confrontational approach that such conversations could be quite illuminating given the same approach from the other person of differing faith (or lack thereof).
As a Christ following mom of an atheist daughter, I learned so much from this conversation. Thank you, Sean and GMskeptic.
All the gods are man made. This god mumbo jumbo starts to get really embarrassing. This childish behaviour must to stop now. Grow up!
Plot twist gm skeptic becomes a Christian
He didn’t but it would have been cool if he did
The one time where Drew and I agree…
Keep doubting! Doubt is good!
Would it be fair to call GMSkeptic's advice "not rooted in scripture", or "unbiblical"? I ask this because he is a self proclaimed atheist so he logically is not basing his opinion on biblical teaching, right?
I’m sorry that my question doesn’t have anything to do with this very enlightening video! I would like to know if you have a video on predestination (Calvinists view) thank you!!
I love this. To still be able to express genuine love to your child after they confess unbelief, isn't that a reflection of God's love? It doesn't mean the parents have to stop talking about God around the kid. It's just that…pushing/forcing something on someone rarely reaps positive results. I've seen it firsthand. And besides, if Christianity is true (and I wholeheartedly believe it is) then it can stand up for itself. Plus, there's nothing wrong with asking questions. Doubt's not a bad thing. Cuz when those doubts get their answers, your faith would not only be restored but reinforced!
At the beginning of 2020, my faith was this weak, small flame. But before the year ended, I became so enthusiastic about God that I now plan to pursue theology once I wrap up college. This was only able to happen when my unbelieving friend challenged me with a bunch of uncomfortable questions. It bothered me that I wasn't able to defend my 'faith' properly so I decided to do research on why I should stay a Christian the whole summer break. Turns out it wasn't that it was easy to stump Christianity, I just lacked knowledge of it. Biblical theology is actually really smart, and super fun to learn 😀 Since then, my love for God and His word doubles every day.
I just wish Christians weren't so quick to shoot down GMS's response :(( I get where they're coming from. But it's as if we forgot that, before we believed, we were also unbelieving knuckleheads that were trying to find the meaning of life from anywhere BUT the Book of Life itself…
https://youtu.be/gyhBCPM5X0Y
Thanks for sharing the sort version. I listened to the while interview and it was so good, but is very nice to share this short version with friends. I am praying for this young man💓💓
One who has unquestioned faith from birth should thank God for not being born into a cult, though they wouldn't know if they had been. A faith like that may be a blessing for some, but it seems to me a dangerous roll of the dice with their soul. Besides that, a faith that has pushed doubts aside better be prepared to face them all at once the moment life gets tough.
I appreciate the video, Sean. And your ministry.
As a parent, the idea of my children coming to me and expressing disbelief in Christ is the worst thing I can imagine. I do not currently want to rejoice at my children’s being cast into the lake of fire.
Maintaining a loving relationship IS important. But why?
Because Christ commands us to love our enemies.
Is it too extreme to say an adult unbelieving child is an enemy of their parents?
Reluctantly I would have to say yes.
The unbelieving world is NOT neutral towards things of God. Their entire life’s goal (whether they are aware of it or not) is going to be to tear down Christ and the gospel message. Even their desire to have a healthy relationship with their parents will be tainted by this rebellion.
And so I DO believe parents should continue to LOVE their kids because Christ commands us. All the while understanding that they cannot be our “friend” in the sense that many parents wish their kids to be their friend.
And putting the child in the driver’s seat to set the terms on how the relationship will play out is asking for trouble.
If our children cannot handle the terms we set for them (according to the word of God) perhaps them running off and ruining their lives is actually the best thing that could happen for them shy of salvation. Like the fig tree planted in manure or the prodigal son running from home. All the while praying for them and eagerly waiting to welcome them home with loving arms.
Even the apostle Paul instructs the church at Corinth to deliver a member’s body into the hands of satan so that his soul might be saved. He rebukes them for putting up with their wicked behavior and wearing their tolerance as some badge of honor.
It’s important to listen to our children, but we must be ready to correct and teach and guard our hearts against their evil influence in our own lives. We can’t forget that mankind is wicked no matter how polished the outside appears or even how many truly precious memories we share with them.
I appreciate where your heart is at on this Sean. And I’m sure I’m missing larger context that was touched on in the larger interview or perhaps a recap-video. But I think the sentiment of putting unbelieving children in the driver’s seat of setting the terms on how their relationship with their parents “ought” to go moving forward, sounds nice and wholesome, but is ultimately not wise and perhaps a worldly trap of the enemy against the saints.
Matthew 10:34-39
“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
2 Timothy 2:22-26
So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.
2 Timothy 3:1-5
But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.
1 Corinthians 5:4-6
When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.
Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?
Psalm 10:3-8
For the wicked boasts of the desires of his soul,
and the one greedy for gain curses and renounces the LORD.
In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him;
all his thoughts are, “There is no God.”
His ways prosper at all times;
your judgments are on high, out of his sight;
as for all his foes, he puffs at them.
He says in his heart, “I shall not be moved;
throughout all generations I shall not meet adversity.”
His mouth is filled with cursing and deceit and oppression;
under his tongue are mischief and iniquity.
He sits in ambush in the villages;
in hiding places he murders the innocent. His eyes stealthily watch for the helpless;
Proverbs 26:4-5
Answer not a fool according to his folly,
lest you be like him yourself.
Answer a fool according to his folly,
lest he be wise in his own eyes.
And obviously if a parent is not spiritually mature enough to know how to love their enemy AND correct them according to the word of God. They need to pray fervently for wisdom without doubting lest they cause more damage.
GMSkeptic is given more advice to parents who really don't care about what their children believe… This is what I would if I wouldn't care if my child believe in God!
🥰🥰🥰
The “natural man” cannot grasp that, for to him reality is based only on the evidence of the senses. The man of reason could justify the verse’s end, saying if it has any meaning then the writer must mean recurrence. The sun comes every day and the moon completes its cycle and the seasons come and go. If we took a picture of the universe today, the scientists can compute how long it will take to return to this point in the picture. So the intellectual man could justify the verse; but that is not what is meant, for it is addressed not to the man of reason or the man of sense, but to the man of Imagination. What is it all about? “That which is, already has been; that which is to be, already has been, and God seeks what has been driven away.”
THE MIND CAN BELIEVE ANYTHING, THIS WORLD IS A SCHOOL WHERE WE EXPERINCE EVERY THING BELIEVED ABOUT LIFE, DEATH IS HAPPENING ON EVIL AND GOOD, THE SPIRIT NEVER DIES NO MATTER HOW YOU LIVE , THE BODY DOES QUIT ON ALL OF US AT AGE DIFFERENCE PERIODS, THE MIND IS THE SAME THAT CAN DO EVIL AND GOOD, BE FEAR AND BRAVE, HATED AND LOVE ITS ALL THE SAME MIND AND NO BODY IS LOST EVEN IF MIND THINKS THEY ARE.
That's for sure! I love that my children can choose on their own and making their faith their own. It's painful and hard to watch but I want to have a healthy response. Thank you so much for doing this. Love you, thank you, fair boundaries.
Sean, well done this was a great question. And Drew thank you for your honest and wise input. This whole conversation is great stuff.
Lots of wisdom here!
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (1. Corinthians 13,7 ESV)
The hardest of all things in life is to love.
There lots of views among Christians. Many would not think it would be a big deal.
I also know that, despite the stereotypes, there are Muslims who also think it's a big deal.
I personally know a Muslim woman with atheist children. And there are Muslim scholars who believe atheists can be rewarded by God afterlife, just like a faithful Muslim. Hasan bin Farhan Al-Maliki says that the goal of Islam is being a good person, worshipping God is a means to reach that goal and there might be more atheists in Heaven than Muslims.
I interpret the question "How do we help kids who doubt their faith?" to a skeptic or an atheist as something like: "How would you like to be treated by Christian parents?", or "How should kids who doubt their faith be treated by their religious parents?"
It’s easy to love GMSkeptic here because he’s so nice. Let’s do our best to offer that same love to all our other atheist friends even if they’re not as nice to us lol.
The answer to this question is simple. Stop making Christianity about knowledge all the time and going to bible sematar- I mean bible seminary, and actually make the bible alive for once. If your church cannot even hear anything from God or nothing that God said is happening and you're just having lame service where nobody gets help and you read a bunch of scriptures for and hour, you can't stop your kids from questioning this. I'm currently questioning this all right now. Am I wrong???
Amazing answer off the cuff. He's obviously thought about this before 😀
Thanks for inviting non believers also.
I would love it if you could have a discussion with Dr. Bart D. Ehrman.
His books (heaven and hell), ideas…
Drew's answer was biblical and he knew it would have to be Biblical for us to receive it. (smart man)
We're supposed to love our enemies (all Unbelievers) and pray for those who persecute us.
Sometimes, this means family members. And since we have to treat them as pagans, this also means boundaries.
Questioning isn't synonymous with unbelief, however certain questions shouldn't have to be asked.
If someone is questioning the existence of GOD, there's no way they're a believer.
You're not even on level one yet if you're not sure about this.
I have plenty of non christian friends and family members. They may doubt the deity of Christ, not believe the Bible is the word of GOD, or believe in the concept of sin, judgement, etc.
But they all know GOD is real.
This is helpful thank you both for having this conversation in a public arena.
Have them look back to their baptism and remember the promise Christ has attached to it.
Tell kids lifetime is a very short subset of eternity and some people don't want to be with God forever.
Nonbelievers are not saved and they project themselves on to others.
Be saved and enjoy God forever with the miracle of your life that God made possible
Which version of the Christian faith? I would suggest that you don't have them read the bible. Once they see the ignorance and violence in it, no different from any other set of myths, they may realize that this is just nonsense.
Start with the basics of Christianity: Interject a need and provide a cure.
You’re welcome.
Ironically a biblically based approach. Actually, maybe it isn't ironic. Alanis Morrisette ruined the word.
I used to hear in my old church: we will have some big surprises once reaching in heaven! I just hope Drew's heart is as pure and articulated as his speech is. I'm not insinuating anything – I really hope so.
What a silly idea to ask heathen what should we do! Don't you have The Bible for that? How many times does Paul or prophets ask heathen this question?
I think Genetically Modified Skeptic gave a very thoughtful and wise answer. We must understand that doubting is not a bad thing. Asking questions and not being sure or wavering in confidence is Okay. Especially amongst Children, Teens and Young Adults. We who are parents or are going to be one day, need to understand that doubting is like being in a boat and the sea is raging in a storm. If we cannot have peace and stability like Christ in the boat, then the storm will most definitely overcome our children.