The Fight for Faith

Stickers and signs celebrating students’ favorite products, activities, music and clubs decorate the hallways of the public high school Anthony attends. Last spring Anthony put a small sticker on his locker that pictured The Passion of the Christ. School authorities informed Anthony that he must remove the sticker — or else.

Christian students are sometimes taunted and belittled by authorities and peers for taking a stand for their faith. They get ridiculed for saving sex for marriage and ostracized for saying no to other inappropriate behavior. Christian kids walk through middle- and high-school doors across the country, somehow navigating the stormy sea of today’s culture. As teachers stress evolution and cut God from history, those young in the faith somehow must muster the courage to stand for their beliefs. Some Christian kids stumble in the battle; a few shine so brightly their peers are influenced to join them in their pursuit of the Savior.

Parents must support their teens for such a mission and prepare their younger children for the cultural storm that awaits them. God has called parents to train their kids. Here are a few tools:

#1: The Word

Every night I was home during my children’s adolescent years, I tucked my kids into bed. Then we memorized and discussed the Bible. We’d take a verse and talk about its meaning. We memorized key Scriptures. In the morning, we’d read a quick verse from Proverbs at the breakfast table.

#2: Prayer

In Luke 11:1-13, Jesus exhorts us to pray repeatedly. Prayer is crucial for any parent who wants to see godly kids graduate from high school unscathed by the world. I said nightly prayers for my kids and with my kids, showing them God cares about even the smallest detail of their lives.

#3: Awareness

Learn what’s going on in your teens’ world. Be ready to give a biblically based response when your kids ask questions about controversial issues. This will help them learn to think through their beliefs as they see you do the same.

#4: Small groups

Small groups are effective for instruction and peer accountability. I had the privilege of meeting with my two sons’ eight best friends for doughnuts and Bible study almost every week during middle and high school. We would discuss their most pressing issues and apply Scripture and prayer to their challenges.

Gary and Norma Smalley say that a small group should be parents’ No. 1 priority for their teens. If you can’t lead it, facilitate its inception and find an adult who has a love for kids and is willing to jump into the huddle.

#5: Involvement

In 30 years of working with thousands of kids, I have found that parents who stay involved in their kids’ lives tend to have the best kids by far. Support your church youth group. Parachurch groups such as Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Young Life, Youth for Christ, Student Venture and K-Life are also good. Involve your child in at least one good youth group meeting a week.

Equipping the saints — our kids — for the work of service is the highest calling for moms and dads. Take the time to train your children so they can persevere in the face of youth culture.