Teaching Youth a Good (but not always safe) Gospel
Editor’s Note: this is the second article in this month’s “Cultural Apologetics” series. Cultural Apologetics enables Christians to built a bridge between the world of Scripture/theology and the world of culture. Our hope is that this series will empower youth workers to better communicate the truth and beauty and power of God’s Word to students.
The Christian faith is not merely about believing a set of true propositions. It is an invitation to believe in a Person who has the power to transform us from the inside out and give us a new outlook on life. This is why another way of saying “the gospel” is “the good news,” because it’s not merely rationally justifiable to be a Christian; it’s also desirable. Christianity is good.
While truth is foundational, it is not exhaustive. For youth pastors and leaders to provide a holistic and compelling cultural apologetic in their evangelism, they need to share one that is not only true, but also good. That is, we want to show youth not only that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is true for their lives, but it is also good for their lives and the culture around them.
We want to encourage youth to learn and observe how good Christianity is: individually and corporately. To do so, we need to teach and show students the good news.
Tell Students Christianity is Good
We should begin our cultural apologetic on the good of Christianity by teaching our students all the ways in which Christianity is good for them and has been good for the surrounding culture. Thankfully, the well from which to draw is deep. As a youth pastor, you can point to the ways in which the Christian faith has provided a basis for medical treatments, public education, artistic expression, and even the foundation for modern science. Christianity has left its mark on history far beyond its doctrinal statements; it is responsible for shaping the world in numerous spheres.
A clear example of why this has happened comes from what the Bible teaches about humanity. Christianity uniquely tells us that all persons everywhere are made in the image of God. That means all people have inherent worth and dignity just by existing. This view flies in the face of personhood theory which says you only have worth if you can achieve various functions or if you belong to the right group. Christianity wonderfully declares out that you have worth regardless of your age, race, ability/disability, etc. This is a good teaching! But it is but one of the many good doctrines of the Bible that has lead to real human flourishing.
Show Students Christianity is Good
There is also a strong apologetic provided when Christians live radically in the world, while living radically not of the world. As youth see this kind of Christian living played out before them, and participate in it themselves, a vision for Christianity that’s grounded in the goodness of God is established. We should provide opportunities for youth to practice Christian servanthood. Showing youth how, in clear response to Christ’s command, we ought to care for the poor, the widow, and the orphan, can give students a tangible glimpse of the real-world impact that gospel living can have.
Doing service at a crisis pregnancy center, or a nursing home, or a homeless shelter will show youth how impactful Christianity can be for others. Youth, especially those living in relative affluence, need a faith that compels them. Sometimes, to shake them from their indifference, those discipling youth may need to show them how Christianity runs counter to their normal life experience. This can include showing how Christianity doesn’t see others as burdens; instead, they are compelled to serve out of love and to offer real-world hope to those in need. Foundationally, the gospel calls them to a more hopeful, meaningful, and abundant life. Yet, this comes through denying ourselves, picking up our crosses, and following Jesus (Matt. 16:24; Luke 14:27).
Remind Students Christianity’s God is Good
In other words, as youth leaders, we need to teach and show Christianity’s goodness. But we should be reminded that we cannot do this on our own. All of the goodness and hope we find in the gospel is because the God to whom it points is good. We find our ultimate example for Christianity’s goodness in our Savior, Jesus Christ. There is a well-known line in The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe in which Lucy, one of the main characters asks a talking Beaver about Aslan, the Savior-King Lion: “Is He safe?” “Safe?” said Mr. Beaver. “Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you.”
The same can be said of Christ. Is Jesus safe? Hardly. He calls us to lay down our lives for his namesake, pick up our crosses, and follow after Him. As we seek to show students how the gospel can provide real-world hope in difficult circumstances, they will also be exposed to the brokenness of the world. This will not always be safe. And yet, God is still good! He is the greatest good. He’s the King, I tell you! His gospel is still good news. Because of that, we should teach and show students how good our Savior is and how good life is under His rule.
As we seek to teach them the gospel and point them to how it has impacted their world, may we see a generation of students who are willing to stake their lives on the better hope available to them: the goodness of God. The gospel truly can speak into the needs of their world, and may that truth give them confidence to insert it into the discussions our world is having. May our testimony moving forward show the world that our God is not only real, but is someone worth pursuing.