In a world where social media influencers proclaim “truth,” and cultural mantras like “follow your heart” or “God just wants you to be happy” are widely accepted, intentional Christian parenting has never been more critical. Statistics from the 2019 Barna Group indicate that 64% of youth leave the church after high school. The 2025 American Worldview Inventory from the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University shows that only 1% of early teens, ages 13–14, hold a consistent biblical worldview. Research tells us that many of these students are walking away from Christianity because they do not believe it tells the truth about reality.
We must counter the cultural attack on our teens and help them understand the evidence for Christianity. While we can’t guarantee our kids’ salvation, we can equip them with tools to strengthen their faith. Deuteronomy 6:6–9 lays the example for us to disciple our children constantly: “These words . . . are to be in your heart. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”
As parents, we set the rhythm for our homes and schedules. Balancing family time, school, homework, church, and extracurriculars can feel like an uphill battle.
It’s our responsibility to instill a biblical foundation and love for God’s Word in our kids and point them to the Lord at every opportunity.
One key tool for building a confident faith is apologetics, which can be incorporated as part of how we teach our teens about Christianity.
What Is Apologetics?
Maybe you’ve never heard the term apologetics before, or perhaps you’re an expert apologist. Either way, clarifying terms in a world that often hijacks them is crucial. The word apologetics comes from the Greek word apologia, which literally means “a reasoned defense or argument” (like a lawyer presenting a case in court). So, Christian apologetics simply means making a case for and defending the truth of Christianity. It’s knowing what we believe, why we believe it, and communicating it clearly. As 1 Peter 3:15 says, “. . . always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and respect . . . .” We’re called to share the reason for our hope with grace, an important skill in a world that struggles to engage with people of differing views.
Apologetics can really be broken down into two parts. Providing reasons for the truth of Christianity (which requires understanding what Christianity teaches) and answering objections (which requires knowing what those challenges are and how to respond). Let’s unpack that a bit.
Understanding Christianity and Worldviews
Our teens need to know what Christianity teaches. This starts with knowing God’s Word, which in turn teaches us who he is (his characteristics and attributes). Culture often wrongly defines “faith” as believing without evidence, but the Christian faith is reasonable and evidence-based. We must teach our teens the evidence for Christianity and why we can trust God’s Word as Truth.
We also need to help them understand other worldviews. A worldview is a set of beliefs that shapes how someone answers life’s big questions: Who am I? Does God exist? How did everything begin? What’s wrong with the world? How do we fix it? A person’s worldview drives their actions, decisions, and values.
Equipping teens to understand worldviews helps them evaluate ideas through a biblical lens and understand why someone with a different worldview approaches a topic from a differing perspective.
Answering Objections
The second part of apologetics is answering objections. When we prepare our teens for driving, we talk about the challenges they will encounter and practice navigating with them. We work to prepare them for the day they drive off on their own, without us in the passenger seat next to them, ready to grab the wheel and course correct. Similarly, we must frontload and teach them that challenges to Christianity exist, what those are, and how to respond thoughtfully—not just memorizing and parroting the answers we give them. Equip them to think critically and have the ability to engage challenges on their own.
While equipping your teen with apologetics doesn’t guarantee salvation, not doing so leaves them unprepared to face a world that challenges their Christian beliefs. Here’s a starter kit for applying apologetics in everyday parenting.
Practical Tips
Start with Questions: Create a culture in your home where questions are welcome. Encourage your teens to ask tough questions like “How do we know Jesus rose from the dead?”, “Why do we trust the Bible?”, or “Why does God allow suffering?” If this is new to your family, just start by setting a rhythm—maybe at the dinner table or during car rides. Pick a chapter from a resource like Natasha Crain’s Talking with Your Kids about Jesus. This book provides clear, concise responses to address skeptics’ challenges about Jesus’s identity, teachings, death, and resurrection, with conversation starters at the end of each chapter. Another great option is the Summit YouTube playlist on understanding the Bible and worldview, which offers short videos on such topics as the reliability of the Bible. Watch together, pause to discuss how you’d respond, then compare with the video. This builds critical thinking, fosters open dialogue, and shows questions are okay, inviting your teen into the conversation with you (and a bonus: if you aren’t comfortable in this area, you are learning with your teen!).
Engage with Culture: Teens face daily cultural pressures about identity, sexuality, and moral relativism. Use resources like Red Pen Logic with Mr. B for quick responses to flawed thinking. Impact 360’s YouTube channel offers great videos with question-specific topics and concise responses, and can open the conversation up for you and your teen to discuss further. Practice responses to real-world examples using billboards, social media, or memes as you encounter them during your day. This equips them to think critically and engage with culture confidently in real time.
Model It Yourself: Learn alongside your teen. Saying, “I don’t know, let’s find out together,” builds trust and relationship. Pick a book like So the Next Generation Will Know by Sean McDowell and J. Warner Wallace, written for parents with practical strategies to help teens build a resilient Christian worldview. Its discussion prompts (and student version of the book) will encourage topic-specific discussion points and action items for you and your teen. Reading and learning alongside your teen demonstrates that you care and are willing to work through tough things with them.
Equip Yourself: As a parent, you can’t pass on what you don’t have, so cultivate a love for and understanding of God’s Word along with Christian apologetics. There are some wonderful resources available to equip parents in this area. Summit Ministries is a great place to start with online resources including the Upside-Down Parenting Podcast, where you can gain practical parenting insight, biblical wisdom, and encouragement. The Colson Center is not specifically geared toward parents, but it is an excellent resource and a valuable starting point for growth in this area, offering online content, conferences, and recommended resources. Grassroots Apologetics for Parents is a Bible-centered ministry that equips parents to understand worldview and apologetics, bridging the gap between knowing the world will challenge their kids’ faith and knowing how to respond.
Growing in your knowledge and ability to defend your faith enables you to live out your faith confidently, allowing your teens to see it.
Apologetics isn’t optional in a world pulling our teens away; it’s essential for pointing them to Christ. Start today: ask a question, open a book, pray together. Your investment has eternal implications.
By Janel Greig