Worldproofing Your Kids

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Worldproofing Your Kids

• Sue Bohlin
• Probe Ministries
• www.probe.org

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5 Questions for Christian Parents to Keep in Mind

• 1. Who makes the rules?
• 2. How do we know what is true?
• 3. Where did we come from?
• 4. What are we supposed to be doing here?
• 5. Where are we going?

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Who Makes the Rules?

• As a nation we used to believe that God made the
  rules
• Through special revelation He told us what they
  are
• Shift in the culture
• Man makes the rules

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Who Makes the Rules?

• When man makes the rules
• Strong and powerful vs. weak and defenseless
• Everything breaks down into chaos
• Much pain and suffering in this life is the
  result of making our own rules and violating Gods

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Who Makes the Rules?

• When God makes the rules
• Life works the way it was designed
• There are good reasons for the rules
• Josh McDowells Right From Wrong Gods rules
  protect and provide
• Sex before marriage purity protects our hearts
  and bodies, purity provides a better sexual
  relationship within marriage
• Dont cheat and lie God is truth, honesty and
  truth-telling protects us from the pain of lies
  and provides for a peace-filled life

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How Do We Know What is True?

• Christian view of truth absolute truth
• Western world used to believe all truth was Gods
  truth
• Renaissance and Enlightenment Man is the
  measure of all things
• Modernism People believed there is a body of
  truth out there that can be discovered through
  our reason

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How Do We Know What is True?

• Postmodern view of truth no such thing as true
  truth
• Truth is what I make it, whatever works for me. I
  create truth based on my feelings and experience.
• Christian absolutism (Jesus Christ is the only
  way to heaven)

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How Do We Know What is True?

• How do we help our kids know what is true?
• 1. Foundational truth of our lives is Gods word
• Not just a body of truth alive and active (Heb.
  412)

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How Do We Know What is True?

• Teach them the Bibles strongest truth claims
• In the beginning God created the heavens and the
  earth
• People are infinitely valuable
• We have a sin problem and we need a Savior
• Jesus claims to be God
• Our kids need to know the truth before they can
  spot a lie

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How Do We Know What is True?

• 2. Teach them not to be afraid of criticism from
  those who do not believe in truth.
• Those who claim a postmodern worldview dont live
  by it
• Postmodernism doesnt match the real world
• Those who claim there is no absolute truth still
  stop at red lights
• They pay for groceries with the same money we do

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How Do We Know What is True?

• 3. Strengthen our kids confidence in the truth
  by teaching them logic.
• Begin with the simplest rule A does not equal
  non-A.
• Two opposite ideas cannot both be true
• Teach them to recognize red herrings, ad hominem
  arguments, begging the question

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How Do We Know What is True?

• Philip Johnsons book Defeating Darwinism by
  Opening Minds
• Make it a game Spot the Lie.
• Songs, movies, TV shows, commercials and
  advertisements
• Encourage them to recognize when people make up
  private meanings for words
• That depends on what the meaning of the word is
  is.

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How Do We Know What is True?

• Truth matters to God because He is truth. It
  should matter to us as well.

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Where Did We Come From?

• Also Who are we?
• The way we answer these questions also determines
  how we deal with
• Animal rights
• Abortion
• Infanticide
• Euthanasia

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Where Did We Come From?

• Not about sex and the stork but creation and
  evolution
• 2 basic answers
• God made us
• We are an accident of the universe the unplanned
  product of matter plus chance plus time

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Where Did We Come From?

• If God made us
• We are infinitely valuable and intrinsically
  significant
• God personally called each of us into existence
• Every other human on the planet is equally
  valuable and loved

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Where Did We Come From?

• If evolution is true
• There is no point to our existence
• We have no value because there is no value-giver
• Cornell professor Will Provine If evolution is
  true there is no such thing as life after death,
  there is no ultimate foundation for ethics, no
  ultimate meaning for life there is no free will.

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Where Did We Come From?

• We come hard-wired from the factory longing for
  transcendence
• We desperately want to be part of a larger story
  where we are beloved and pursued
• We long to know there is meaning to the world and
  to our lives
• We come equipped with an innate sense of fairness
  and justice
• These concepts have no meaning in a world without
  a God who is absolutely just and moral

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Where Did We Come From?

• Tap into these basic longings to teach the
  creation story
• Its the only adequate explanation for our
  legitimate thirst for
• Relationship
• Significance
• Fairness
• Transcendence
• The creation account also helps us understand
  other issues

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Where Did We Come From?

• Its not murder to use animals for food and
  clothing
• Animals are not like humans
• Not made in the image of God
• Need to be good stewards

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Where Did We Come From?

• Creation account makes human life sacred and holy
• Its wrong to kill babies before they are born
  (abortion)
• Its wrong to kill babies after they are born
  (infanticide)
• Its wrong to kill the sick and infirm
  (euthanasia)

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What Are We Supposed to be Doing Here?

• Whats your purpose in life?
• Many high school and college students To have
  as good a time as possible.
• Cultures expectation that everything is supposed
  to be fun and entertaining
• Wal-Mart employees

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What Are We Supposed to be Doing Here?

• Cast a vision for our childrens part in the
  larger story of life
• God has a plan and a purpose for their life
• He calls us to play our specially designed part
• Innate longing for transcendence they have a
  role in the big story of creation, fall and
  redemption

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What Are We Supposed to be Doing Here?

• Teach by word and example that work has dignity
  and value
• Work is not part of the curse! It is part of
  Gods perfect design
• Adam and Eve were stewards of the Garden
• Work is part of being a difference maker
• Student, fast-food counter person, house cleaner,
  computer programmer, president, mechanic,
  administrator, teacher, mother or father we are
  called to make a difference in the world and in
  Gods kingdom

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What Are We Supposed to be Doing Here?

• Be a cheerleader for our childrens God-given
  gifts and talents.
• Be students of our kids to understand their
  package
• Explore personality styles

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What Are We Supposed to be Doing Here?

• Spiritual gifts
• Acknowledge gifts and encourage kids to develop
  them
• Help kids discover they are called to a special
  place of service with a special unique set of
  equipment to do whatever God has called them to
  do!

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Where Are We Going?

• Another way to inspire confidence in the
  Christian worldview is to celebrate the fact that
  the best part of life is still ahead.
• To recognize the larger cosmic story of creation,
  fall and redemption, we need to point kids to the
  certainty of an afterlife.
• Remind them that their choices on earth will
  determine their future in heaven.
• Train them in the wisdom of considering both
  short-term and long-term consequences of choices.

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Where Are We Going?

• Take our children to biblical passages and good
  books that give them a glimpse of where were
  headed.
• We are half-hearted creatures, fooling around
  with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy
  is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants
  to go on making mud pies in a slum because he
  cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a
  holiday at the sea. C.S. Lewis

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Where Are We Going?

• The Chronicles of Narnia

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Where Are We Going?

• Perhaps we are now qualifying for what degree of
  power and authority we will be granted when we
  reign with Christ. The New Testament assures us
  that those who endure, those who serve now, will
  reign later. We can challenge our children, Are
  we making daily decisions to serve, to develop
  our gifts and talents so we will be best prepared
  to reign with Christ? Lael Arrington
• You can keep your fork

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Where Are We Going?

• You can keep your fork