Check out the following interview between Sean McDowell and Jeff Myers in the book Apologetics for an Ever-Changing Culture A Biblical and Culturally Relevant Approach to Talking About God. Sean and Jeff discuss what issues are relevant to the rising generation and the importance of Scripture’s core convictions that lead to a flourishing life.
Sean: What topics and issues seem to be especially relevant to young people today?
Jeff: Since you and I first talked about this 15 years ago, Summit Ministries has trained 600,000 young people in worldview and apologetics through its courses and curriculum. Students’ number one question today is the same as it was then: Why would a good God allow evil? But our approach to that question (and all other questions) has expanded. Instead of immediately launching into a logical apologetics, we first ask, “What kind of world do we live in?” “Did God really create?” “Did Jesus really rise from the dead?” We use apologetics to help students see that a biblical worldview is plausible. Then we demonstrate how thinking biblically allows us to provide plausible solutions to the existential crises of our times.
We also make it personal. In the last 15 years, I’ve experienced a lot of turmoil and suffering. I’ve learned that God doesn’t send us into the desert of life to abandon us but brings us into the desert of life to be with us. God hangs out in the desert. God strengthens us in the desert, shaping us into the image of His Son.
Sean: Do you think we need to make substantial changes in our approach or content when presenting apologetics to this generation?
Jeff: Seventy-five percent of students say they do not have a sense of purpose that gives meaning to their lives. And more than 50 percent have struggled with anxiety and depression.1 There is nothing theoretical about their doubt. But where do they go for answers? The culture tells students that they can only find truth inside themselves. This sounds empowering, but it is terrifying. They know how inadequate and lost they feel.
Youth need a biblical worldview that is rational, but also one that makes sense in terms of their hopes and dreams, and their fears and disappointments. Truth and relationship must intertwine. We teach our Summit Ministries staff to picture truth and relationship as two strands of a DNA double helix. Jesus connected truth and relationship by communicating truth while walking alongside His disciples—literally. We want our students to see—from our teaching and from the way we care—that a biblical worldview isn’t just another alternative. It makes sense of everything, for everyone, everywhere.
Sean: Christians sometimes have a posture of defensiveness and fear towards the culture. When doing apologetics, what kind of posture should we take and why?
Jeff: Defensiveness and fear come from a deep-seated belief that if we don’t have an answer right now then we must forfeit our beliefs and adopt the views of our critics. I’m encouraging students to take on a posture of patient curiosity. Jesus asked hundreds of questions in the Gospels. We can do the same by treating faith challenges as God’s invitation to grow. This frees students from needing to have a snappy “drop the mic” answer to every question, and to become lifelong learners.
Sean: What is one lesson you have learned from teaching and speaking that relates to apologetics and worldview that you wish you knew when you first started out?
Jeff: When I first started out, I thought that it was my job to call students back to a purer, simpler time of innocent belief. I no longer think that way. I don’t want to turn back the clock. I’m interested in identifying Scripture’s core convictions that lead to blessing and flourishing even in a complicated world in crisis.
Excerpted from: Apologetics for an Ever-Changing Culture. Copyright © 2024 Sean McDowell. Published by Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, Oregon 97408. www.harvesthousepublishers.com