Why Are Our Kids Deconstructing Their Faith?

Why are so many Christian kids leaving the faith. That's just one of the questions will be answering on today's addition of core Christianity will hi this is Bill Meyer along with Pastor Israel Sanchez and this is the radio program where we answer your questions about the Bible and the Christian life every day.

Would love to hear from you. We can call us right now with your question. For the next 25 minutes or so. Here's the phone number it's 833 the core that's 1-833-843-2673, as always, you can post your question on our Facebook, Instagram or twitter accounts.

You can watch a drill live in the studio on YouTube and sinister message through the YouTube channel and you can always email us your question at questions at core, Christianity.com first up today let's go to a voicemail from one of our listeners named Mariela thank you for that question. It sounds to me like maybe there's just a little bit of confusion there with. With regard to creating sin. We don't believe that God is the author of sin. God can't see any can't be tempted by sin. God created a world in which sin was possible. He gave Adam and Eve free will he give them freedom of choice to to to obey him to obey his commandments, but they chose to disobey and as a result of their disobedience. Paul says in Romans chapter 5 sin entered the world, and death through sin, and so God is not the author of sin and and and if it was a we can confess and truly believe that God is good as the creator of all things. When he made everything he made it good that the early chapters of Genesis make that absolutely clear everything the Lord made was good, including man and woman, but he gave them freedom of choice and it was through our sin that that sin, evil entered into the world and so I thank you for that question. Hope that clears it up for you. Your listing to core Christianity with Pastor Israel Sanchez. Let's go to Leo who is calling in from Oklahoma. Leo what your question for Israel question concerning Old Testament versus New Testament on marriage and divorce, are you married to woman that one boys and they divorced shortly after the boys were born and she remarried that marriage failed and she was looking at reconciling with her former husband, and how the law forced to Old Testament and New Testament yeah really interesting question. I think of what Jesus and the Gospels said in reference to divorcing pieces of that there were these accommodations were made essentially in the Old Testament because of the people's hardness of heart, but but divorce really is something that didn't. It grieves the Lord it's it's not not something we sobering out now. We do know that in in the Bible that there are legitimate reasons for divorce, adultery is one that Jesus gives.

I also mentioned sometimes abandonment from first Corinthians chapter 7 but also in first grade. In chapter 7, you have an X rotation to reconcile where where that's possible.

And so I think in a situation like this, obviously, an American and divorce those kinds of questions are really complex. I don't know exactly every detail with regard to this couple situation but I thought I would say if if there has been this this other failed marriages, there no longer together, that this couple can pursue reconciliation and and be reconciled and truly be married before the Lord.

What was that your question is, is it okay for them to to come back together specifically or reading for the Roosevelt wife letter or why he died or they divorced and remarried, where I understood you but I know yeah yeah you do have that that discussion there in the book of Deuteronomy but but I would say so. So look I I'm not entirely sure why. Initially there. Their marriage didn't work out and it could be that that it wasn't for good reasons. There was a split and the wife got remarried but but nevertheless I think it would still be permissible. Okay for them to come back together before the Lord to be reconciled, like the apostle Paul talks about in first Corinthians chapter 7 then so and so on that and that's it. So I would say that this not necessarily binding on on the couple today and that would be my my counsel. I think that question thanks for calling and Leo. We appreciate you being a regular listener to core Christianity hears our phone number if you have a question about the Bible or the Christian life. It's 833. The core 833 the core or 833-843-2673. Here's a voicemail received from one of our listeners named Julie, three grandchildren, all my adult children have a child who is or decided there again or change gender or really believe very hard quote. Our children will use the tools that we had a box at that age. We tried to raise our children this generation is better are going to church but they believe that God can really create very discouraged children that they were ready question yeah Julie something were observing all around us is me. A lot of people today talk about that deconstructing their faith and there are a number of really famous Christians, we might say, people who were kind of in the public eye.

Through music, or a number of other things had a platform and have decided that they no longer want to follow Jesus, or that they're going to essentially deconstruct their faith altogether, and I think what will people mean by that is, or just calling into question even rejecting many of the things that were brought up with. I and as you said some of these people homeschooled raised in in families that attended church every Sunday. That kind of thing. And yet it is a great tragedy and it really is. It is heartbreaking. I think about other warning that the apostle Paul gave to Timothy in first Timothy chapter 4 verse one. He says the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and the teaching of demons. There is this the sort of apostasy that the spirit of God prophesy talked about you know it to the apostles.

I think it's part of what what were seeing is people departing from the faith of banning the faith, giving heed to the doctrines of demons. If you want, and some of that is just that the broader sort of cultural ideologies that reject God. I have some of the things that you would mentioned a lot of this is just what we were hearing from the culture around us. I think part of the issue is a lot of young people are shaped more by media, social media, broader culture than they were by the gospel. Growing up there is it a sociologist named Christian Smith and he talks about this. Basically the religion of a lot of the youth in the United States. He called it moralistic therapeutic deism. It's moralistic and God wants us to do good things. It's therapeutic.

You know that God wants me to be happy and healthy. So prosperity gospel-ish then it's Deism. Mrs. got a sort of Altair. He's watching over us. He wants us to be moral people. If we do good, good things will happen, but there's there's not a lot of gospel there, and there have been I think many many many young people who have been brought up in the sort of moralistic religion that wasn't actually rooted in the word of God getting in the teachings of Jesus and the gospel and people are destructive deconstructing that all over the place.

That is to make sense.

Why, because that that kind of religion just simply doesn't work. It's not the religion of the apostles, not the religion that Christ gave to his followers but but the other thing is I know that there are people who really just strove to to raise their children in in the faith in the Lord taught them these things took them to church and still you know that there they veto later in life there. Their children aren't walking with the Lord like they would like and so part of it is just realizing the need for the Holy Spirit and prayer.' We can't.

You can't save your kids. We have to embrace that reality and do everything that we ought to do as followers of Jesus to to train our children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord while relying on the Holy Spirit on God to do what we can't do to regenerate to open the heart and so so that it really it is a difficult and Christian Smith. He also your HEB recently wrote a book talking about the way in which parents try to pass their faith onto kids and and one thing is clear based on the research and that is that parents what we are the number one influence in our children's lives.

In terms of passing the faith on it isn't the church. It is in their youth group, it isn't. It isn't even that the that there sort of peer group. How we follow Jesus in our everyday life, his parents, as is the number one thing that they're looking at.

So there's this real sobering warning there.

In one sense, but that can also be empowering, knowing that hate God has entrusted us with with these children to love and to teach the word of God and to really examine our own our own hearts and thinking and thinking through into what is it look like for us as a family to live out the implications of the Christian faith that we hold to in terms of loving one another in terms of loving our neighbors. I think all of that is really important and so a very complex question but I would recommend you check out some of the writings of Christian Smith got a number of articles discussing this in particular and devote yourself to prayer, because at the end of the day like like the Scripture says it is a work of the Holy Spirit. We know that the spirit of the antichrist is also at work in the world today deceiving people blind people and so that we need to focus on the gospel and on the grace of the Holy Spirit in the lives of our children know it or will you and I've talked about the fact that unfortunately so many Christian kids that go off to a secular college or university or even some Christian colleges. Their faith is is being deconstructed by their professors and so one of the things I'm really encouraged about is the are these ministries that are teaching kids apologetics and Christian worldview before they go off to college to really prepare my thinking of a stand to reason and Summit ministries where these kids can go for a program and really learn how to defend their faith, how to articulate their faith. So they're not sitting ducks for the wolves and those secular schools yeah you know it it that is so important, Bill. I think that the importance of apologetics is is is becoming more and more evident how we don't just have to do you don't believe certain things. But wait, it's important that we we know why we believe them that were able to defend those those truths that we've embraced and so we have a responsibility brothers and sisters as as Christians and as parents in particular to to really instill these truths. The truth of God's word in our own hearts and in the hearts of the children that the Lord entrusted to us and and relying on the grace of God and me is that that's that's the key, I think, and so I know that this is something that just weighs heavily on so many people's hearts. I like to reference Monica and and the story of St. Augustine and how he was converted and in his 30s and houses, years and years of praying for her son until the Lord did this this amazing work in his life and so just want to encourage you to keep praying for your children and and fixing your eyes on Jesus as as you have conversations with them about the Lord you're listening to core Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez and we have a wonderful Bible study. We want to tell you but it's actually one that Israel wrote himself. It's on the book of Jonah and it's available to you right now yes Jonah 1 of the minor prophets a book about a book about a guy who did not want to obey the Lord God was calling him to preach the gospel to the Ninevites. This wicked wicked group of people. And Jonah didn't want to. Oftentimes you know the people who hurt us or the people who are evil, quote unquote, we we want bad things to happen to them.

Not good things, but God has a heart, even for sinners.

And that's one of think you see in the book of Jonah God's God's heart for even the wicked, those who need his grace is a sense Jonah to preach the gospel to Nineveh and is the 10 week Bible study throughout their through the book of Jonah that I think will encourage you as you grow in your understanding of God's love for sinners love to make that available to you for a $25 you can go to our website@corechristianity.com/offers and look for the Jonah Bible studies again.

The pastor Israel wrote a great resource for your church for your small group or for you individually. To learn more about that incredible book and God's relationship with Austin.

For those who are abandoning tried to abandon him or depart from him.

And while our role in that that issue, let's go back to the phones Evan from Kansas City is on the phone Evan what your question for pastor. Israel and I think about how the Bible let me know the Bible that I would love to grade so yes and you say well were the books of the Bible determined by a particular church Council and the way I like to put it is well know the books of the canon were received by the church so was like a group of people got together and said hey these are these are the inspired books, these ones aren't the inspired books and they just seal the deal.

Know the books that were truly inspired by the Holy Spirit were received by the universal church.

They had this catholicity. We might say, so that early on that were Catholic is means universal. Early on, churches received these books as those which were truly inspired by the Holy Spirit and they would they would copy them that we have so many New Testament manuscripts there are and are typically a few criteria that are given in terms of everything that the New Testament canon what what the church was thinking to apostolate city that is were these books written by an apostle or someone associated with the apostles antiquity where the ancient I mean is was a stuff written much later that just came on the scene later is this associated again with the apostles. From the very beginning.

The catholicity pieces is injustice a writing or a book or a letter that was received by some Christians.

In some places, but it was really received by the universal church.

And then there's this coherence in terms of doctrine in terms of theology you read some of the other Gnostic Gospels. For example, written much later and you read that the true gospel that we have in our canon of Scripture and is very clear that they don't cohere.

We got two different things very, really different things there, and so so the sort of criteria that the early church was was basing this off of you did have something concrete there but it wasn't. It wasn't the idea that that the canon was decided in a counsel at the Council of Nicaea really what the Council of Nicaea in 325 was focusing on was answering questions about the person of Jesus Christ. There was a heretic was name was Arius who is teaching that there was a time when Jesus did not exist, that he was a created being.

Yes, he was divine but he wasn't equal with the father. Consubstantial is the technical word for that, that you sometimes of the same essence method that's really what the, the Nicene Creed initially in 325. What was focusing on was dealing with that heresy and and addressing it on the basis of what the Scriptures teach and also on the basis of what that the father's if you will, the early Christians who came after the apostles. What they taught as well is so is rejecting that doctrine specifically that that brought together the Council of Nicaea, initially in terms of of resources on the canon of Scripture I know in the book core Christianity there. There is a section on on the word of God and on inspiration. I think another guy who you can look at is a gentleman named Michael Kruger and he has a number of resources on that the canon of Scripture that I think you might find very helpful. Hey, thanks so much for your question. Great question. And thanks for listening to core Christianity by the way we want to say thank you to a special group of people who make this program possible. They are called, our inner core. These are folks that make a monthly contribution to this the ministry and allow us to be on the air on a regular basis and when you join the inner core there actually some very special resources that you receive including a video devotional from Pedro but sent out once a month and a copy of that book that Israel mentioned core Christianity. If you want to find out more about joining the inner core. Just go to core Christianity/inner core.

Let's go to Jim in St. Louis, Missouri Jim what your question for atrial color. Chapel Wingfield and you are right on with Charlie chapel.

You know, on the other day I just heard you say you don't believe in the rapture.

I was just trying to get the pros and times where you're getting your bowling were all been taught all the year the rapture believed some light on that hey brother yeah I mean appreciate your question yeah I don't believe in the rafters at sometimes, you know, articulated by churches today really the way I understand it, and I think this is this is right in line with the teaching of the Bible and at the end of the day.

Jim that's what we want to focus on is the teaching of Scripture is it that the saints are gathered together after a time of great tribulation. You see this in Matthew chapter 24 so it's not that there gathered together before the tribulation. But after a time of great tribulation, which I actually think is descriptive of of the church age if you will this. Right now between that the ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ and his second coming, which were looking for.

To which were waiting for. It seems to me that you don't have in the teaching of the New Testament to comings of Jesus, that is, one at the rapture as it does again at sometimes called and then another one at the second coming.

I think there's there's some confusion there. Usually what you have and were talking about the coming of the Lord are being gathered together to him, all of that being described in the context of the last day that the final judgment, the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.

Places like second Thessalonians chapter 1 verses seven through 10 target the judgment of the wicked in the glorification of the saints happening at the same time and so that that can happen at the second coming, which were looking forward to a man I don't think there's a separate coming of Jesus to rapture the church if you will and and I appreciate the fact that you want to dig into this and and again at the end out. I would just say let's let's focus. Let's Lena, let's reason together with with the teachings of of the Bible and and I think when we do that by me. I would say that this disposition.

Not only is it the historical position of the majority of Christians throughout church history, but just makes more sense to me. When we look at the key tax in first and second Thessalonians, or in Matthew chapter 24 and so appreciate your question and please do feel free to do follow-up if you want some of the time that you thanks Jim, this is core Christianity let's go to Bethany in Orlando Florida betting what your question for atrial and I think the show and this is I wanted to know because they unite file a lot and I'm in the shallow based mostly and so I wanted to say I think it is it sinful to pray in the shower sinful to pray while naked, no I don't I don't believe that it is Bethany look I think it is actually a really good question. Were thinking about the posture that we have what were praying typically and in the New Testament in just about the Bible.

Standing is the primary posture prayer. You also see kneeling we don't often think about postures of prayer today. I think I think we just are to have this hyper spiritualized view of prayer that doesn't involve the body. It also think all the body is just unhelpful is not a part of prayer.

Prayer is something you do in your you know sitting down and that's that's adding the primary posture of prayer in most people's my Gina sitting down or laying down on your bed. That kind of thing, but usually in Scripture it's standing or kneeling. The idea of standing was the and of being attentive, oftentimes even raising the hands is this picture of surrender before the Lord.

It's his picture of willingness openness to receive from God.

So posture is important. It's not insignificant but at the same time I think you know we should pray always and without ceasing, as the apostle Paul told the Thessalonian church and so I think it's I think it's fine the of good that it's sinful or wrong for you to pray in the shower think the lungs were coming before the Lord in faith and and trusting in him through his son Jesus Christ that that that's that's the key thing right there are sinful ways of praying in Jesus talks about this in Matthew chapter 6 he gives a couple of warnings when he when he teaches disciples to braces look, don't pray like the scribes and the Pharisees, the religious leaders who love to make a show so there's a hypocritical way of praying were using prayer to try to prove to others that were holy were pious were righteous. Jesus says that kind of prayer is sinful.

So that's the kind of broke one of Whitney also says don't pray like the Gentiles, that is, the pagan nations who just need a repeat the same thing over and over almost as if was a sort of magical incantation. I think that God is going to hear them because of their many words are just sort of spamming God. If you will, but it would it's it's not prayer from the heart.

It's just the repetition of words sort of treating prayer like this. This magic talisman. We avoid that as well.

We pray to the father in the son, Jesus Christ, and through the grace of the Holy Spirit and you can come to the. The father had come to the throne of grace at all times because of what Jesus Christ has done for you. Whether you're walking in the park or in the shower driving in your car and that's one of the beautiful things about the new covenant brothers and sisters we have direct access to the true and the living God through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on our behalf that pray at all times take advantage of that wonderful axis that you have before the Lord.

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