This post is part 3 of 3 of our special interview with Ken Ham, the president of Answers in Genesis. Here are the links to read part one and part two.
MtC: What do you believe is the solution to the mass exodus taking place with the younger generation?
Ken: Churches need to do a better job of teaching young people how to defend their faith. Our research shows that, for the most part, young adults are not taught about the Bible as a true book of history, nor how to defend the Scriptures against the faith-shattering attacks of this age, such as evolution and the belief that the earth is millions of years old. Apologetics teaching is basically missing from the church. This has greatly contributed to the decline of the church and its influence on our culture.
MtC: What curriculum’s would you recommend for ministers to children and youth to use during their various times of ministries?
Ken: For starters, from our ministry of Answers in Genesis, there is: the History Revealed
Curriculum, the God’s Design for Science Curriculum Set, the Demolishing Strongholds Curriculum Set and my DVD, “The State of the Nation.” And Master Books produces many fine resources as well.
MtC: What can parents do to teach their children the assurance of the reliability of the Bible?
First, they must realize that they can no longer depend on Sunday schools and youth ministries to educate their children in the things of God. The family is the educational unit that God created to transmit the knowledge of godly, biblical teachings to the next generation. So education begins in the home.
Your first priority as a parent is to live the Word of God in a natural, sincere way. If you try to preach it to your kids without living it, you’ll only add to the hypocrisy that has turned so many of them away.
Second, you need to realize that our society is no longer a Christian one. Our children are living in a culture that is saturated with counter-Christian messages built on a foundation of evolutionary secular humanism. It’s your job to protect your kids and prepare them for life in this post-Christian society. You need to teach them how to answer the skeptical questions of this age. Show them that you do not compromise God’s Word with man’s fallible word. Teach them to stand on the authority of the Word and to defend the Christian faith.
Make the Word of God a natural presence in your home, and evaluate your church to make sure it is living and teaching the Word. You may have to make a decision to stay as an agent of change, or join a church that already shares your stand in these areas.