Resisting the Desire to Entertain Rather Than Train
Chapter 6
Love Trains
Resisting the Desire to Entertain Rather Than Train
“Jim, can Joey and I meet with you?”
I (J. Warner) immediately felt some trepidation about the request. Joey’s dad sounded serious over the phone, and I could hear his voice quiver as he described the problem to me. Joey was a member of our youth group before I became the pastor, and during my first year, he was one of the students I worried about most.
He was bright, friendly, and engaging. But he had been hanging out with friends who introduced him to drugs at an early age. Joey was slowly slipping away from our group, from his family, and from his commitment to Jesus.
Joey had been an active member of our group for several years. He was attracted to the activities we hosted, and like many other youth groups in Southern California, our calendar was filled with camps and outings involving board sports of one kind or another. Spring wakeboarding. Summer surf camp. Winter snowboarding. At each of these events, we managed to slip in a Christian message at the end of the day, but if I’m honest, that wasn’t our true focus. Far more time was spent entertaining our students (and their friends) than teaching or training them as Christian believers.
Now, after only a year as Joey’s pastor, I couldn’t help but wonder if our priorities as a youth group were misguided. Could we have changed the trajectory of Joey’s life? Maybe. Maybe not. But his situation highlighted an imbalance in our engagement with the students. We were more focused on mirroring the priorities of our culture rather than igniting a passion for God. Joey’s story was just another motivation for me to redesign our approach and move from entertaining to training.
Something Timely
In my first year as the youth pastor, I taught several short series from biblical texts. Eight weeks in Ecclesiastes. Ten weeks from the book of James. I tried to remain true to the text, teaching line by line, and I did my best to faithfully communicate the Word of God. But something was missing. I struggled to define a specific purpose for my approach. What was our ultimate goal? The spiritual development of our students? How, precisely, would we know if we were achieving this goal? How could we accurately measure our progress? It dawned on me that teaching is not the same as training.
The Difference between Teaching and Training
Training—to put it simply—is teaching toward a challenge. Athletes train in preparation for an athletic contest. First responders train to prepare for the challenges they will face in their next shift. Training is goal oriented. The challenge is already on the calendar, and as it approaches, each trainee experiences a sense of urgency and healthy apprehension. The calendared challenge infuses the preparatory teaching with meaning. The teaching suddenly matters, because without it, each trainee will be unable to meet the challenge successfully.
This simple “TRAIN” acronym describes the training process we’ve used with students:
T – Test: Challenge your students to expose their weaknesses
We begin by showing our young people how much they don’t know by exposing them to the objections of nonbelievers or alternate views from differing religions. One of the very best ways to accomplish this is by inviting someone from one of these differing groups to speak to students about what they believe. If this isn’t possible, we’ve also successfully role-played as an atheist or someone from a different religious system.
R – Require: Expect more than we think students can handle
As we discussed in the last chapter, we then raise the expectations we have for each student, offering this elevated expectation as a sign of respect. In other words, we treat them as responsible adults, ready and capable to take on the challenges we are going to schedule for them.
A – Arm: Teach students the truth so they can defend it
Next, we carefully examine the claims of Christianity in light of the common objections offered. This means guiding our students through the written work of skeptics and heretics as well as teaching them the truth from God’s Word. This takes time—eight to twelve weeks prior to any challenge we might calendar—and it is specifically targeted at the challenge students are being asked to accept.
I – Involve: Deploy students into the battlefield of ideas
This is perhaps the most important aspect of training: We craft a challenge for our students and set it on our calendar. The entire training process is pointed toward this challenge (more on this in the next chapter). The culminating event is designed to motivate students to attend and participate, and the teaching that occurs in the weeks prior to the calendared challenge takes on a sense of importance and urgency as the date approaches.
N – Nurture: Tend to the wounds students may suffer, and model the nature of Jesus
Finally, we prepare for the inevitable “bumps and bruises” students will suffer as they encounter people who oppose Christianity and resist their efforts to share the truth. This could be an unkind word spoken to a young Christian or deep-seated doubts that emerge in discussion with someone from another faith. Regardless, strong relationships are critical to pastorally nurture young people experiencing personal struggles. As leaders, teachers, and parents, we can draw on the “capital” of our relationships if we’ve invested in our young people prior to difficult times. But this will also require us to know the truth well enough (to become the source of knowledge described in chapter 3) to guide our students when they meet a counterfeit.
Every one of us, whether we are parents, youth workers, or Christian educators, must decide what we are going to teach our young people about God and living as a Christian. But more importantly, if we want to energize them beyond the classroom, we need to create reasonable, engaging challenges and then train our young people toward those opportunities.
What Is the Content of Our Training?
As a youth pastor, I (J. Warner) discovered quickly that many of the parents of my students didn’t really care what I taught their children, as long as it resulted in “proper Christian” behavior. One honest father once told me, “If your youth group can keep my kids from using drugs and having sex, I would consider it a win!” That rather candid sentiment may be more common than you think. In my first year on the job, many of the topics I engaged with my group were entirely about appropriate behavior. But that obviously didn’t stop Joey from slipping into narcotic use.
So what areas of instruction are most important for developing energized, committed young believers who hold a biblical worldview? What broad categories should we explore as we design challenges that turn teaching into training?
In the last chapter, we introduced a simple “two whys for every what” strategy that will serve us well now as we chart three classes of Christian truth (one “what” and two “whys”). We call this approach “TAB Worldview Training”:
Theology (Doctrine)
We begin by describing what is true. It’s a lot easier to spot a counterfeit once you know what the original looks like. That’s the case for Rolex watches, $50 bills, and even claims about God. Our young people need to know what the Bible teaches, especially at a time when most Christians don’t.
A recent study found that while nearly 87 percent of American households possess a Bible, most who live in these homes (53 percent) rarely open them. Only 19 percent of Christians say they read the Bible every day, and only 20 percent report thinking about biblical truths throughout the day. Perhaps as a result, only 17 percent of “Christians who consider their faith important and attend church regularly actually have a biblical worldview.”
Unsurprisingly, a biblical worldview is grounded in biblical teaching. You can’t align your life to the truth of the Bible if you don’t even know what it says. That’s why everything begins and ends with the study of God as revealed in Scripture: theology. The term is derived from two Greek words, Theos (Θεός), meaning “God,” and -logia (-λογία), meaning “utterances, sayings, or oracles.” The T in our acronym—theology—obliges us to discuss the nature and role of Scripture; the attributes of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit; the definition of salvation; the nature of humans; and the role of the church.
Apologetics (Defense)
As we said before, every “what” should be accompanied with two “whys,” the first of which is “Why is this true?” For every theological claim we make to our young people, we must answer this critical why question.
The ancient discipline of Christian apologetics began in the first days following the ascension of Jesus. The term is derived from the Greek word ἀπολογία (apologia), which means “speaking in defense.” Luke used the word to explain Paul’s actions in front of King Agrippa (in Acts 26:2), Paul used it to describe his “defense and confirmation of the gospel” (Philippians 1:7 NASB), and Peter used it to encourage believers “to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:15 NASB). If you’re like us, you probably cringe at using a word so similar to apologize when considering the importance of making a defense. That’s why we sometimes refer to this activity as Christian “case making” rather than Christian “apologetics.”
When challenged in their faith, young Christians eagerly want to know if Christianity can be defended. For this reason, as pastors, teachers, and speakers, we’ve addressed a broad range of issues and objections to the Christian worldview. Our list may seem a bit overwhelming, but we hope it will help you identify common areas of concern to Gen Z. In the appendix, we’ve listed specific resources (books, curriculums, conferences, etc.) that will prepare you to engage these topics. Remember, youth influencers don’t have to be experts. Instead, we need to know just enough to guide young people toward truth. Take small steps toward preparing yourself to address the following areas of inquiry using some of the resources in the appendix:
Issues Related to Truth
Does objective truth exist? Even if it does, can it be known? How is truth defined? Why is any one definition of truth superior to another? How can we be confident in our conclusions given our limited capacity as humans? Can something be true for you but not true for me?
Issues Related to God’s Existence
What evidence do we have that God exists? Are there signs in the natural world that point to a supernatural being? Hasn’t science disproven miracles? If an all-loving, all-powerful God exists, why is there evil or suffering in the world? Can people be good without God?
Issues Related to the Bible
How do we know that the Bible is true? Why should we trust it if it was written only by men? How can we trust the Gospels when they don’t even seem to agree with each other? Doesn’t science contradict the teaching of the Bible? Doesn’t the Bible contain errors? Why does the Bible condone genocide, slavery, and other bad behaviors? What does it mean to consider the Bible authoritative? How do we best interpret Scripture?
Issues Related to Christianity
What about people who’ve never heard of Jesus? Isn’t it unfair to condemn them? I don’t believe I am a sinner, so why do I need a savior? If there’s a hell, why would a loving God send people there? Why would God allow people to suffer eternally in hell just because they don’t accept Jesus as Savior? If Christianity is true, why are so many Christians hypocrites? What about all the historic atrocities that have been committed by Christians? Why are Christians so uptight and strict about sex?
Issues Related to Jesus
Isn’t it narrow minded to think that Jesus is the only way to God? Isn’t Jesus simply a myth crafted from prior dying and rising “saviors” like Mithras, Horus, and Osiris? What evidence do we have to demonstrate Jesus even existed? If He did exist, what evidence do we have to demonstrate the resurrection of Jesus really occurred? What is the evidence Jesus claimed to be God?
Issues Related to Alternative Christian Views
If the Bible is true, why do so many Christian denominations interpret it differently? Why do Christians disagree about important but noncentral issues like the age of the earth, the need for baptism, and the end times? If Christianity is true, why don’t all Christians agree on political issues?
Issues Related to Alternative Worldviews
If Christianity is true, why do so many other religions produce good, moral, fulfilled human beings? What about miracle claims in other religions? Why should I believe Christianity is true instead of other historic views of God, like Islam, Mormonism, Buddhism, etc.? What if I were born into another religion?
Issues Related to Ethics
If God loves all people, why would He condemn gay people just because they were born with a different sexual orientation? Is Christianity sexist? Is gender binary? How should Christians approach social media? How should Christians think about life issues, such as abortion, euthanasia, and capital punishment? Should Christians care about the environment? What is a Christian position on racial reconciliation?
Behavior (Demeanor and Deeds)
The second “why” we described in the last chapter is: “Why does any of this matter to me?” We must help young people understand how the claims of Christianity impact their lives. As our friend John Stonestreet, the president of Colson Center for Christian Worldview, often says, “Ideas have consequences; bad ideas have victims.”
The claims of Christianity matter, and we have to help Gen Zers understand this reality: The apostle John once wrote, “Whoever says ‘I know him’ but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked” (1 John 2:4–6). Theology and apologetics are not directionless pursuits. They point us toward holy behaviors and provide us with answers to several questions that matter to young people:
Who Am I?
Young people often define their identity in destructive or unproductive behaviors. Dr. Les Parrott, professor of psychology at Northwest University, identifies five common ways teens establish their identity: (1) through status symbols like clothing, smartphones, or accessories; (2) through forbidden behaviors like smoking, drinking, drugs, and sexual activity; (3) through rebellion against parents and authority figures; (4) through mimicking idols like celebrities and well-known personalities; and (5) through cliques that exclude those who are not like themselves. But these fleeting approaches fail to provide young people with a meaningful identity. Our status and distinctiveness in Christ, on the other hand, provide us with a transcendent, lasting identity. “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
What Is My Purpose?
Our identity is linked closely to our sense of purpose, and young people want an answer to the question: “Why am I here?” Recent studies reveal that people who can answer this question and have a clear sense of purpose and mission (1) sleep better at night, (2) have better cognitive function, (3) possess a more positive self-image and participate less in destructive behavior, (4) experience beneficial changes in gene expression, and (5) even live longer.
Young people, like many of their older peers, seek to find purpose in work, recreation, and relationships. After futilely trying to find meaning in everything this world had to offer, King Solomon ultimately wrote: “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man” (Ecclesiastes 12:13). The apostle Paul was equally emphatic: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). People who believe in God are more likely to report a higher sense of purpose in their daily lives.
How Should I Live?
God’s Word provides guidance and protection to those who “walk in the same way in which Jesus walked.” The high virtues and principles of Christianity—wisdom, justice, self-control, courage, faith, hope, and charity—are still the highest ethical ideals of Western civilization. Scripture helps every believer navigate the world in which we live. It guides us toward loving, healthy responses and protects us from dangerous, destructive choices.
TAB Worldview Training provides a template by which parents, youth workers, and teachers can begin to train the next generation. We’ve just described several specific theological, apologetic, and behavioral categories worthy of our time and attention.
How, Exactly, Should We Teach It?
Now that we’ve described the content of our training, let’s take a brief look at a number of simple training imperatives:
Be Persistent
Don’t be afraid to revisit TAB topics and questions repeatedly, especially if you’re a youth pastor or Christian educator. As an officer, I (J. Warner) spent nearly twenty-five years training. Very little of this effort involved anything new. Instead, it included scenarios and skill sets that I’d been employing for my entire career and had practiced multiple times until my responses were simply a matter of muscle memory. In a similar way, we can’t assume that one spiritual discussion, lecture, or sermon will be enough to engrain truth into the minds of our young people. Revisit theological, apologetic, and behavioral topics repeatedly.
Be Balanced
Remember that two “whys” for every “what” requires us to be balanced in our conversations and instruction. TAB training rests on three legs, discussed in equal proportion. When our conversations get out of balance and lean too heavily on one of these three legs, they may sound lopsided or preachy. Seek balance as you train up the next generation.
Be Humble
In their zeal, some people who begin to explore and master the evidence for Christianity or God’s existence may struggle with humility. As Christian apologists, we’ve both wrestled with this and consciously strive to remember that being knowledgeable about a topic does not make us superior. In fact, there will always be someone who knows more about a topic than we do. Be sure to express appropriate humility to the young people you are training. They will likely identify this humility as a sign of transparency, an attribute Gen Zers admire.
Something Timeless
Be Practical
Because of how deep-seated secularism is in our culture, students often do not make natural connections from their beliefs to their behavior. That’s why it’s important to regularly help them see how theology shapes our actions.
As a youth pastor, I (J. Warner) would occasionally role-play (or ask students to role-play) as someone who was tempting others toward inappropriate, un-Christian behavior. What should we do when tempted? What should we say? How should we respond if we fall into such behavior? Role-playing helps young people prepare for temptations before they occur.
In addition, whenever I (Sean) teach a theological topic to students, I always ask, “Why does this truth matter? How does it relate to our lives? In other words, so what?” Ask this question, and help students draw practical conclusions for their daily lives from theological truths.
Be Understated
One important expression of our humility involves the way we make the case for what we believe. If I (J. Warner) have learned one thing in my experiences in criminal trials, it’s the danger of overstating the case to a jury. Every case has strengths and weaknesses. Be honest with the young people you train. Don’t overstate the case for Christianity or God’s existence, and don’t understate the opposition’s case either. If you do, you’ll only set up your students for even greater challenges when they discover the actual extent of the evidence.
Be Personal and Contextual
Given what we’ve discussed so far in this chapter, you may be asking yourself, “Is there some form of existing curriculum that can help me accomplish this task?” The answer is yes … and no.
As teachers and youth pastors, we’ve scoured the internet (and the marketplace) looking for curriculum ideas to help us train young people. We’ve even created curriculums (see the appendix). But these kinds of courses are designed to be used in brief, controlled settings that may look different from your specific situation. For that reason, we suggest you look for available curriculums, online syllabuses, internet resources (and even the TAB outline we’ve given you in this chapter) as a starting point. Use this material to form and supplement your own material. Become a dedicated student and take the time to modify existing plans and curriculums to meet your specific needs.
Something Timeworthy
Be Visual
As we described in chapter 2, Gen Zers are incredibly visual, just like their older Millennial counterparts. That’s why we started communicating in a new language many years ago.
I (J. Warner) call this language “Visualish.” Rather than compose a message on paper and then try to find images to support my words, I try to think visually from the very start. What word picture or visual sequence would help me explain this concept? What visual metaphor has the power to speak a thousand words on this issue? What object lesson can I use to make the case? Start speaking “Visualish” as you use images, props, and video to communicate your message.
I (Sean) am not an artist like Jim, so being visually creative is not as natural for me. This is why I regularly ask creative students for help in designing slides or finding helpful visuals. They are often more than happy to help.
Be Adventurous
Training isn’t training unless it’s preparing us for a real challenge. As you provide two “whys” for every “what,” point your training toward something adventurous. We’ve repeatedly seen young people get excited about “out of the box” experiences, especially when these experiences seem difficult, exciting, or stimulating. When we first started calendaring challenges for our young people, some of them said, “Are you crazy? You really want us to do that?” Then after thinking about it for a few moments, several responded, “When do we go?” Young people have always been drawn to edgy experiences. Let’s create some that will give them confidence that Christianity is true. More on this in the next chapter.
Training begins with a test, moves through a period of equipping, and then ends with a challenge. If we want young people to “abide in Jesus and walk in the same way in which he walked,” we’ll need to show them what they don’t know, provide them with a well-balanced view of Christianity that encompasses theology, apologetics, and behavioral truths, then give them a chance to demonstrate their proficiency.