I’ve often shared the statistic that two-thirds of young people will leave the church by the time they reach college age—and very few return. I was reminded of this recently when I saw a post someone shared on social media that said:
“Fact: 70–88% of youth born in evangelical homes leave the faith after one year in a secular college. Maybe. Just maybe. We start to focus on more doctrine, more ability to explain what and why they believe, and less performance, less trend, less show, less entertainment.”
Now, I’ve basically been saying the same thing for years—decades! There’s been such a focus in American churches on entertaining young people so they’ll want to come to church and very little emphasis on doctrine, theology, apologetics, and the gospel.
So many young people grow up with a shallow faith, no answers to the skeptical questions of our day, and a worldview foundation that says man determines truth (the same foundation our culture has).
But what’s ironic is that when I speak to young people, I find they are so hungry for answers! They love the rich and authoritative teaching from God’s Word. They’re tired of the shallow entertainment they’ve been fed—they want “meat”!
Biblical worldview teaching is incredibly important, both in the home and in the church. Remember, fathers, it’s your responsibility to train your children in the admonition of the Lord and not ultimately the church’s responsibility! Don’t neglect it in your home! Remember that money, status, sports achievements, and everything else fades away—but our children have eternal souls that will live forever.
