Let Them Ask Questions

I had begun to lead two adolescent spirituality groups each month at a local behavioral health center. One was a half-hour, mandatory session on Mondays. The other was an hour-long, voluntary session on Saturdays. Each of these offered a chance to provide evidence for the gospel—and the hope of the gospel—to confused and hurting young people. On a Saturday afternoon, a handful of youth wandered into the teaching room. One of them inquired as she entered, just what would we be doing in the group? I told her that it might be a little different than she expected . . . I was a scientist. She looked intrigued but still warned me that it had better be interesting—she was easily bored.

So Many Questions, So Much Confusion

Well, she wasn’t disappointed! It was an inquisitive group and a lively discussion. When they realized that I wasn’t just telling them what to believe but why they could believe the truths of Scripture, their interest was definitely piqued. One after the other, hands shot up to see what I thought about cavemen and dinosaurs. How could we explain the evidence of intelligence in ancient civilizations if we were still in the process of evolving from apes? How could people live to be over 900 years old?! There was such an obvious hunger for answers to these questions that had been lurking on the fringe of their faith—or keeping them from faith. Questions they hadn’t always felt safe to ask in church—and when they had asked, no one seemed to have the answers.

Again, I was amazed by the number of questions these kids have, the types of questions they have, the false beliefs and misunderstandings that are rampant in our culture—especially among youth who are so heavily influenced by the internet, social media, and Hollywood. Their answer to ancient intelligence was aliens! I could assure them that we were created in the image of God, brilliant from the beginning and not evolving from apelike creatures. From a biblical perspective, we should not be surprised by the evidence of impressive scientific and cultural advancement. After all, within six generations of Adam, the Bible speaks of the establishment of agriculture, music, and metalworking (Genesis 4:20–22). We find the mighty warrior, David, and the prophet, Isaiah, hiding in caves—but that didn’t make them unintelligent! We don’t find “cavemen,” we find men living in caves.

These youth had been deceived by the mockumentary on mermaids. I could talk about the creation of kinds and how God had made them to reproduce after their own kind—not evolve into something else that was half fish, half human. And I could share the genetics behind that! I could point out the shortcomings of supposed “ape-men” fossils, often touted as “missing links.” Indeed, Darwin himself acknowledged the absence of “innumerable transitional forms” in the fossil record for what would have had to have been millions of years of evolutionary change in all life-forms. Rather, things just show up fully formed and functional—just as we would expect, according to God’s Word.

A Safe Place to Seek

I think they appreciated having a chance to voice their questions and be heard as much as they appreciated the answers I attempted to provide to their rapid-fire questioning. There was jesting amongst them and laughing. For a moment, there was joy and a hint of hope in their dark and troubled worlds—a chance to explore their beliefs and to sense hope that this whole loving God thing might actually be true! There was evidence, after all. I thanked God for that in our closing prayer and left encouraged that these kids had indeed felt his presence with them during our time together.

On Monday, the “easily bored” girl was still there, and as she came into the mandatory session, she seemed excited to have me there again. She pronounced publicly to the group of more than twenty that this would be an interesting session! Indeed, a month or so later, the same girl had returned to the behavioral health center, and again on seeing me, she voiced how glad she was to have “the science lady” back.

Part of her comment included that I let them ask questions instead of “just talking to us.” This series of encounters has really affirmed the need for us as believers and evangelists not only to provide evidence but to create a safe place for people to voice their current beliefs without judgment or condemnation and to create a loving environment where the gospel can be explored and hopefully received by skeptics and unbelievers!

“But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves.”

2 Peter 2:1 NIV

“For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.”

2 Timothy 4:3–4 NIV

“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.”

James 1:19–20 NIV

“Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone,

able to teach, not resentful. Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance

leading them to a knowledge of the truth.”

2 Timothy 2:23–25 NIV