147: A Teenager's Guide to God
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Not long ago, the guy who headed the youth group at Covenant Presbyterian Church decided to hold a debate. Half the kids in the youth group had to argue for Christianity. Half the kids had to make the case that Christianity was all made up, a fairy tale, and the Christians lost. And I think the number one reason why is because they tried to just come at it with a lot of facts. Dan Adamson is the youth leader. And it was amazing to watch the ones that were debating Christianity said, "Jesus is real. There's people that found them and there's proof on this and the evidence..." Yeah, I think I like to go record. "Artilogical records." And what was so awesome by the non-Christian debate team, as they said, "Fine, we totally acknowledged that Jesus is real, but so was Muhammad. So was Buddha. So was this." And the Christians were like, "Yeah, but Jesus is real. And he died on the cross and he rose again." And the non-Christ came out and said, "Well, there's people that believe that, but there's also people that believe Muhammad was this." And what I wish the Christians would have done would have been said, "Here am I. I believe God is real because he's changed my life and put myself on their witness stand and say, "Here's what I was before God and here's who I am now." The problem is, for the teenagers in this youth group, the phrase, "Here's who I was before I found God." It has no meaning. They all come from families that discuss the Bible at dinner. They go to church every Sunday. They come from the kind of homes where all the kids can tell you how many swears are in the movie "Titanic." Because every TV show and film is pre-screened. "I have kids that are willing to serve, kids that know the Bible, kids that know their theology." This is the only truth they've known. They've been told from the very beginning God loves them, God has a plan for them. Jesus is their savior. They've been singing, "Jesus loves me since they've been five years old." It's time for them to develop their own faith, not just to parrot back what their parents say. Dan says this, most of the parents say it. They need to question what they've learned and come to their own conclusions. If they don't do it now, Dan says they'll do it later. But that parent sent a youth pastor to nudge them toward God. So, Dan decided to take them to West Virginia. It will be a mission trip, the youth group's first mission trip, that have to help poor people, that have to testify about God's word to strangers. It will be hard. And hardship can make you turn to God. And they see the kind of things that make people engage serious questions about their faith. If they begin doubting because they look in this world and they see hard lives in West Virginia, they see people that are hurting and they see this and they look up and they think, "Why would God allow that to happen?" That's like an example of, I think, where I'd start singing more growth. So that was the plan. Now, let's meet some of the teenagers. Kelly Hoover's age 14, long brown hair, braces, lip gloss, Kelly's outgoing and bright. And she's somebody capable of saying exactly what is on her mind. Well, I really, I really want to meet the kids there and just, 'cause, I mean, I don't want to sound like snidey or anything, but I'm more privileged than most people. I mean, I live in a big house. I have a pool. And I don't really see kids a lot who don't have as much as I do. And I really just want to see what it's like and how living with them is. And I really just want to teach them about Jesus, 'cause I don't know how I live without Him. And sometimes I think how blessed I was to be born in such a family. Welcome to W.B.E.C. Chicago and Public Radio International. It's a American high from our glass. Today on our program, A Teenager's Guide to God, the story of five adults, 11 kids, and six days in West Virginia of adults trying to mold the faith of teenagers and things not working out quite as planned. It's not a fact of religious life in America that in this country founded by Christians
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