The old adage “Because I just know” is no longer enough to answer questions about our faith anymore. Young Christians are being bombarded with a message from our culture telling them that their beliefs are outdated, archaic, and politically incorrect.
Our kids need a firm foundation and knowledge of our faith to keep it up when they leave home.
The number of young adults from evangelical homes leaving the church after they leave home is staggering. 70%! (Lifeway) And according to the book “Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers,” the reason for that is intellectual doubt and skepticism.
So, basically their knowledge of the faith isn’t strong enough.
If the above reasons weren’t good enough reasons to teach our kids theology, here are 3 more reasons we should be teaching our kids now.
3 Reasons to Teach Doctrine and Theology to Our Kids
1. They’re going to ask anyway. Why shouldn’t they learn from you the foundations of our faith rather than from someone who has conflicting views. Or worse yet, from social media, TV, books, magazines, and anything else that falls into their hands.
2. All the bible stories and scripture they’re learning right now will all be tied together with this new knowledge of our faith.
3. It will give them a seed planted in their minds that will continue to grow as they grow their knowledge of the faith.
We have to be proactive and diligent in teaching our children these things. We’re instructed to impress them upon our children. To talk about them when we sit and when we walk, when we lie down and when we get up. To tie them as symbols on our hands and bind them on our foreheads. To write them on the doorframes of our houses and our gates. Dt 6:7-9
Basically, we have to write them upon our hearts and upon the hearts of our children. And we have to purposely do this or it will not be enough.
3 Easy Ways to Teach Our Faith to Our Children
1. Read the Bible
In her book “Nothing Less: Engaging Kids in a Lifetime of Faith,” Jana Mcgruder reveals Lifeway’s study on how kids really grow spiritually. The study analyzed 2,000 Protestant adults with kids now between the ages of 18-30. The study looked at those kids and their faith now grown and the parenting practices and habits of the children as they were growing up.
The top factor of the highest spiritual condition of these now young adults was that as a child they regularly read his/her bible.
The easiest way to read the bible is to start reading it. If you need to grab a bible study to go along with it and help you out.
Make it a priority and let your kids know it should be a priority.
Related: My Favorite Kids Bible Devotions to Influence Your Child’s Spiritual Health
2. Focus on Yourself
I’m not talking about all this self-love stuff we read about. I’m talking about your actions.
What are your children seeing from you? Are they seeing you volunteer? Do you share your faith with others in front of your children? Do you make church a priority and make sure your kids know that? Are you reading YOUR bible?
Focus on your own spiritual health and your kids, being the brilliant people that they are, will pick up on it.
We have to intentionally live out our faith in front of our children.
3. Teach Theology and Doctrine
These two words used to frighten me. I always thought these words were over my head. There was no way I could teach theology to my kids. I would need a PhD to that.
Not true. It’s actually really simple.
Theology simply means the “study of God”. Doctrine means “teaching or instruction of God”.
When your child is young start with simple catechisms and build on them as time progresses. You can start with old testament stories of the bible. Take Adam and Eve or Cain and Abel, for example, and use these to teach the meaning and concept of sin. These give our kids a foundation on which everything else will hang.
I’ve began Sound Words for Kids: Lessons in Theology with all of my kids. I’m teaching my kids what the bible says about God, creation, the fall, and salvation using catechisms, but with a fun twist to it.
Sound Words is helping me answer typical biblical questions with biblical answers.
By writing this I’m trying to stress the importance of these things in your children’s faith. There is no substitute for the Word of God. Our children need to know it, believe it, and live it with a faith that can move mountains.
Rebecca is the creator and author of Homeschool on the Ranch. She spends her time mommin’, homeschoolin’, and helping her husband run a ranch. She loves helping and encouraging women to be the women God created them to be. Find her on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. Join her Facebook group Relaxed Homeschool Moms for more encouragement and inspiration.
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