Nearly 50% of teens in the U.S. regularly attend church-related services or activities. More than ¾ talk about faith with their friends Three out of five teens attend at least one youth group meeting at a church during a typical three-month period.

61% of today’s young adults (millennial) who were regular church attendees are now “spiritually disengaged.” They are not actively attending church, praying or reading the Bible.

Of those who no longer believe that all of the accounts and stories in the Bible are true: – 39% first had doubts in middle school. – 43% first had doubts in high school. – 10% had their first doubts during college

The doubts came first, followed by departure. Students didn’t begin doubting in college, they simply departed by college. Genesis 1:1- “In the beginning God created the heaven and earth.”

The shift was not arbitrary; it was calculated, particularly by deists (Deists believe in the existence of God, on purely rational grounds, without any reliance on revealed religion, religious authority, or holy text the Bible.) who were looking for so-called scientific justification for rejecting the Flood of Noah’s day as an explanation for the fossil-bearing sediments, and for rejecting Biblical authority in total.

The Bible has become so irrelevant in our culture today that that’s what most people think it is- just a spiritual “fairy tale.” If I can’ trust the Bible in the earthly things, why should I trust the Bible in spiritual things.

Someone may object, “The Gospel doesn’t rise or fall on the days of Creation.” That is true, it doesn’t, but the Gospel does rise and fall on the authority of Scripture. And the authority of Scripture does rise and fall on the days of Creation.

A belief that the earth is millions of years old has two profoundly negative effects on people’s beliefs: – It undermines the authority of the Book of Genesis and therefore the Bible as a whole. – It leaves open an excuse to justify that evolution could have occurred because given enough time, anything can happen.

Application So what do we do about it? What can you and I do to equip our children to obey Peter’s command: – “ But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.”

Parents- recognize that you are primarily responsible for the education of your children in general and the Christian Education of your children in particular. (See Deuteronomy 6:4-9) – Mom and Dad- do you have a robust faith? – Mom and Dad- do you know the answers to the questions that undermine the faith of your children? – Mom and Dad- if you don’t know those answers, you must equip yourself or you will not be able to equip your children.

Paul Haubner (NEA Speciailist) “ The schools cannot allow parents to influence the kind of values-education their children receive in church; that is what is wrong with those who say there is a universal system of values. Our goals are incompatible with theirs. We must change their values.

“Fundamentalist (Bible Believing) parents have no right to indoctrinate their children in their beliefs. We are preparing their children for life in a global one-world society and those children will not fit in.” (Outsiders)

One current presidential candidate said this past April: “Education is the most important non- family enterprise in the raising of the next generation.” Humanist Magizine- John Dunphy wrote: “The battle for mankind’s future must be waged and won in the public school classroom. The classroom must and will become the arena of conflict between the old and the new; the rotting corpse of Christianity and the new faith of humanism.”

Matthew 19:14- “Jesus said, Suffer the little children to come unto Me, for such is the kingdom of heaven.”