Podcast appearances and mentions of brett kunkle

As moms or teachers or mentors, how do we help the young people in our lives grow deep roots of faith before they launch into the world? Today's guest has some practical answers. As Educators Specialist here at the Colson Center, Billy Hutchinson is all about helping Christian educators form their students in the Christian worldview. But this episode isn't just for educators! If you play any influential role in the life of a young person, you'll find encouragement and help in this conversation.  Show Notes:  A Practical Guide to Culture: Helping the Next Generation Navigate Today's World by John Stonestreet and Brett Kunkle  Kingmaker by Sonia Purnell  The Loves of Theodore Roosevelt: The Women Who Created a President by Edward O'Keefe   The Colson Educators Program  The Colson Fellows Program   The Identity Project    Want to know what it takes to be a Colson Fellow? Well, you can find out from someone who's already been through it by checking out the Pursuit series on the Colson Fellows blog. There, you can read testimonies of men and women like you from different backgrounds who took on the challenge of the Colson Fellows Program and came out on the other side transformed. Start with Catherine Wheeler's story. She was in my Colson Fellows cohort when I was a leader. She's an OBGYN and former abortionist whose transformation story really is amazing. You can read Catherine's testimony and many others by visiting colsonfellows.org/stories.   You don't have to look far to notice cancel culture is everywhere. Maybe your teen is nervous to speak up at school about being pro-life because she's afraid her opinion will be dismissed. Maybe you're hesitant to voice concerns at work because you're worried about backlash from your co-workers. These situations are common, but speaking the truth with love is our calling as Christians. The Colson Educators course, "Navigating Cancel Culture," can help. In partnership with "No Safe Spaces," the Colson Center and Brett Kunkle teach you how to understand cancel culture, recognize where it shows up, and respond with a Christian perspective. Ready to learn more? Sign up at colsoneducators.org.    The Strong Women Podcast is a product of the Colson Center which equips Christians to live out their faith with clarity, confidence, and courage in this cultural moment. Through commentaries, podcasts, videos, and more, we help Christians better understand what's happening in the world, and champion what is true and good wherever God has called them.  Learn more about the Colson Center here: https://www.colsoncenter.org/   Visit our website and sign up for our email list so that you can stay up to date on what we are doing here and also receive our monthly journal: https://www.colsoncenter.org/strong-women    Join Strong Women on Social Media:   https://www.facebook.com/StrongWomenCC  https://www.facebook.com/groups/strongwomencommunitycc/  https://www.instagram.com/strongwomencc/  https://linktr.ee/strongwomencc 

Christianity isn't based on blind faith, but on the reality that Jesus lived, died, and rose again. Today I'm joined by apologist Sean McDowell to talk about all the evidence we have for the resurrection of Jesus, and how we can wisely engage with seekers and skeptics about the hope we have in Christ.    Show Notes:  Chasing Love: Sex, Love, and Relationships in a Confused Culture by Sean McDowell  Same-Sex Marriage: A Thoughtful Approach to God's Design for Marriage by Sean McDowell   Evidence for the Resurrection: What it Means for your Relationship with God by Sean McDowell and Josh McDowell  The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus by Gary Habermas  More Than a Carpenter by Josh McDowell and Sean McDowell Foxe's Book of Martyrs by John Foxe On the Resurrection series by Gary Habermas   The Church Affiliate program brings the Colson Fellows Program to your local church. Pastors and church leaders can go through the Colson Fellows Program for free, so they are able to launch a Church Affiliate cohort and bring worldview training to their church members. For more details, visit colsoncenter.org/church.    Summit Ministries' 12-day Student Conferences are for young adults who refuse to settle. It's for those ready to take risks, ask big questions, and push past what's comfortable. There, you'll find friends who understand and mentors who will help you discover what it truly means to live with purpose. Register for Student Conferences using code STRONG25 for $200 off. Go to summit.org/promotions/strong women.   Educators—your worldview matters. It shapes your school. It shapes your classroom. It shapes your students. Are you cultivating a thoroughly Christian worldview? The Rooted Educator Worldview Summit is designed to help you do that. Join ACSI and the Colson Center June 16-18 in Grand Prairie, TX for this year's Worldview Summit. The lineup of speakers is one you don't want to miss: Dr. Larry Taylor of ACSI, author and speaker Brett Kunkle of Maven, author and speaker Alisa Childers, and more! This event is designed to help you cultivate your worldview so you can shape your students' faith for a lifetime. Time is running out to register! Secure your spot today at acsi.org/rooted.   The Strong Women Podcast is a product of the Colson Center which equips Christians to live out their faith with clarity, confidence, and courage in this cultural moment. Through commentaries, podcasts, videos, and more, we help Christians better understand what's happening in the world, and champion what is true and good wherever God has called them.  Learn more about the Colson Center here: https://www.colsoncenter.org/   Visit our website and sign up for our email list so that you can stay up to date on what we are doing here and also receive our monthly journal: https://www.colsoncenter.org/strong-women    Join Strong Women on Social Media:   https://www.facebook.com/StrongWomenCC  https://www.facebook.com/groups/strongwomencommunitycc/  https://www.instagram.com/strongwomencc/  https://linktr.ee/strongwomencc 

Is the so-called "gentle parenting" movement producing a generation of narcissists? Many Christian parents are ditching the Bible's model for childrearing and instead opting for modern-day secular parenting techniques. What are some of the issues that are arising from this shift, and what worldview underpins these new secular methods? Listen up if you're a parent, a grandparent, or even a child! For this midweek podcast, our good friend, MAVEN founder, and CIA Instructor, Brett Kunkle, sits down with Frank at the 2024 CrossExamined Instructor's Academy to discuss this new gentle parenting trend, its flaws, future outcomes, and its devastating impact on today's youth. What exactly is gentle parenting, and how does it work? Should parents revolve their lives around their kids? What wisdom can we glean from the Bible on parenting, structure, and corporal punishment? And should parents always seek to reason with disobedient children? All these questions and more will be addressed in this special CIA edition of "I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist"!To view the entire VIDEO PODCAST, be sure to join our CrossExamined private community. It's the perfect place to jump into great discussions with like-minded Christians while providing financial support for our ministry.You can also SUPPORT THE PODCAST HERE.BRETT'S MINISTRY: MAVENBRETT'S PODCAST: The MAVEN Parent PodcastARTICLE: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness

Are you looking for ways to help your kids discern truth in a culture that pushes transgenderism as the norm? Would you like advice for how you and your children can show love to those who claim to be transgender without compromising the truth? Join Ginger Hubbard and Katy Morgan as they continue their conversation with special guest Brett Kunkle, where they will discuss practical insights on how to talk with our children about transgenderism and how we can speak biblical truth into it. *** For show notes and episode downloads, go to https://www.gingerhubbard.com/blogs/podcast/episode-186-talking-with-children-about-transgenderism-with-brett-kunkle *** Support this podcast:   https://www.gingerhubbard.com/support *** Sponsor for this episode:   GWN | gwnews.com/ginger CTC Math | ctcmath.com Compelled | compelledpodcast.com

When we don't properly equip our kids about their faith, they often end up being inarticulate and can't defend it. It stops making sense to them on an intellectual level, and they start to walk away from it because they don't understand why they ever believed in God in the first place. Brett Kunkle walks us through what to teach our kids, why we believe in God, and how to explain our faith to our kids so they will be able to grow in knowledge and understanding of God, have a deeper relationship with Him, and ultimately experience His love for them.

Are you concerned about the societal shift toward gender identity but are unsure how to address this with your kids in age-appropriate ways? Would you like to nurture a biblical understanding of their God-given gender and cultivate an appreciation for the person God created them to be? Join Ginger Hubbard and Katy Morgan, along with special guest Brett Kunkle, as they discuss practical insights on how to talk with our children about gender identity and how we can speak biblical truth into it. *** For show notes and episode downloads, go to https://www.gingerhubbard.com/blogs/podcast/episode-185-a-biblical-look-at-gender-identity-with-brett-kunkle *** Support this podcast:   https://www.gingerhubbard.com/support *** Sponsor for this episode:   GWN | gwnews.com/ginger CTC Math | ctcmath.com Compelled | compelledpodcast.com ***

In this podcast, J. Warner discusses a model to help overcome apathy in the Church and turn teaching into training. Jim outlines the five step model he and Brett Kunkle have employed as youth leaders and demonstrates how this model can be used in other areas within the Church to decrease apathy and increase a passionate interest in Christian Case Making.

What is a good definition of “culture,” and why is it so effective at conforming us to believe certain things, and to behave in certain ways? How do we protect ourselves and the next generation from the negative influences of our increasingly secular culture? On this episode, Shane Rosenthal discusses these issues and more with Brett Kunkle, founder of Maven, and co-author of A Practical Guide to Culture.SHOW NOTESResources by Brett KunkleA Practical Guide to Culture and A Student's Guide to Culture (books)The Ambassador's Guide to Mormonism (booklet)A Motivating Mormon Roleplay (article & video)Don't Just Doubt Your Faith, Doubt Your Doubts (article)Five Tools to Equip Your Kids (article)Do Pronouns Matter? (article)Brett Kunkle Interviews his Co-Author John Stonestreet (podcast)Maventruth.com (Brett Kunkle's website)Other Related ResourcesThe Lost Tools of Learning, Dorothy Sayers (article)Creed or Chaos?, Dorothy Sayers (article)Recovering the Art of Persuasion, Shane Rosenthal (article)What is Faith? Shane Rosenthal (article)The Virtue of Doubt, Shane Rosenthal (article)Be a Berean!, Shane Rosenthal (article)So The Next Generation Will Know, McDowell & Wallace (book)Post Christian: A Guide to Contemporary Thought, Gene Veith (book)We Need Your Help!Support The Humble Skeptic podcast by making a one-time gift using the green button below. Until recently this option was only valid for US residents, but we're now able to accept donations from most foreign countries. Another way to help is by upgrading to a paid subscription via Substack ($5.95 per month, $59 per year). If you would like to make a “tax-deductible” donation, you can find out more about this option here.Upcoming Events• On Dec. 17th at Concord Church in St. Louis, Shane will discuss his conversion to Christianity from a secular Jewish background through a detailed study of messianic prophecy. This event is titled: What Child is This: How The Christmas Story Fulfills Ancient Prophecies (click here for more info).• Shane will be speaking at The Cross & Resurrection conference in the Memphis area on March 29-31, 2024.• The Humble Skeptic and ReThink315 will host a conference titled, Conversations That Matter, featuring Greg Koukl, Shane Rosenthal, and Jeremy Smith on April 5-6, 2024 at Concord Church in St. Louis.• Greg Koukl, Shane Rosenthal & Jeremy Smith will be speaking on apologetics-related topics at The Fellowship of Wildwood on April 7, 2024.• For more information, or to invite Shane Rosenthal to speak at your next event, use the following address: INFO at HUMBLESKEPTIC dot COM. Get full access to The Humble Skeptic at shanerose.substack.com/subscribe

Mentally he must be developed so that as he grows older he may have the capacity to grasp the true meaning of social and political questions of the day. His mind should be so trained that he will be able to detect and reject fallacious statements, and quick to discover the claptrap of which our newspapers are so full. E. A. Smith, “Citizenship: Our Responsibility as Teachers”, June 1911 L'Umile Pianta Show Summary: Today's guest on The New Mason Jar is Erin Kunkle, a veteran homeschool mom, speaker and co-host of the MAVEN parent podcast How Erin first heard about Charlotte Mason What is Maven all about? What do we mean when we say “culture” and why it is important to stay engaged with it? Does teaching apologetics and Christian worldview align with a Charlotte Mason education? How can we talk about cultural issues in a way that encourages kids to learn to think for themselves? Erin's advice for talking with kids about difficult topics   Books and Links Mentioned: Affiliate links are included below. For the Children's Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay Culture Making: Recovering Our Creative Calling by Andy Crouch More Than a Carpenter by Josh MacDowell with Sean MacDowell A Practical Guide to Culture by Brett Kunkle and John Stonestreet Questioning the Bible by Jonathan Morrow The Story of Reality by Greg Koukl   [We] must listen and consider, being sure that one of the purposes we are in the world for is, to form right opinions about all matters that come in our way. Charlotte Mason, Ourselves   Find Cindy and Erin: Morning Time for Moms Cindy's Patreon Discipleship Group Mere Motherhood Facebook Group The Literary Life Podcast Cindy's Facebook Cindy's Instagram Maven Maven Conferences Maven Podcast  

Tim and Greg chat with Frank Beckwith, Frank Turek, Scott Klusendorf, Brett Kunkle, Natasha Crain, and Alan Shlemon about their involvement with Stand to Reason, what they've learned from this ministry, stories from the last 30 years, and more.   Topics: Tim and Greg chat with friends and colleagues who have had a significant relationship with Stand to Reason over the last 30 years. (00:00) Mentioned on the Show:  Politically Correct Death: Answering the Arguments for Abortion Rights by Frank Beckwith Relativism: Feet Firmly Planted in Mid-Air by Frank Beckwith and Greg Koukl Decision Making and the Will of God: A Biblical Alternative to the Traditional View by Garry Friesen Does God Whisper? Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 (on decision making) by Greg Koukl Street Smarts: Using Questions to Answer Christianity's Toughest Challenges by Greg Koukl Hell Interrupted Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 CrossExamined Instructor Academy Is Truth True? – Greg's debate with Marv Meyer Scaling the Secular City: A Defense of Christianity by J.P. Moreland How Should We Use Graphic Images? – Video of Scott Klusendorf Making Abortion Unthinkable: The Art of Pro-Life Persuasion by Greg Koukl and Scott Klusendorf Frank Beckwith – Baylor University Frank Turek – CrossExamined.org Brett Kunkle – MAVEN Scott Klusendorf – Life Training Institute Natasha Crain – Speaker, author, blogger, podcaster Alan Shlemon – Stand to Reason

Guest speaker Brett Kunkle shared an important message about how culture influences our kids and what we can do to prepare them.

How can you increase the chances that your child won't walk away from the faith when they get older? Most young people who are raised as Christians receive some form of discipleship training within the safety of their home church, rarely having their beliefs challenged by non-Christians. But are the typical youth group pizza parties and "feel good" camp experiences strong enough to sustain their faith once they become adults? In this midweek podcast episode, co-pastor and Maven Christian apologist, Brett Kunkle, joins Frank at CIA 2023 to explain why he developed immersive worldview mission experiences for high school and college students, and how they successfully prepare young Christians to understand and articulate the truth of Christianity to others. During this episode, Frank and Brett answer questions such as: At what age should kids begin learning the basics of Christianity? How are catechisms helpful in discipleship training? What 3 stage process should you consider as you disciple your kids? Why are so many young people apathetic towards Christianity? How do Maven immersive experiences uniquely motivate youth to develop a personal passion for their faith? What activities do kids participate in during a Maven mission trip?   Investing in our children while they are still young is a vital key to increasing the likelihood that they will cling to Christianity into adulthood, and ultimately for life. Maven immersive experiences and mission trips have proven to be life-transforming--equipping students with the tools to engage with others and grow in their faith as they share their faith with secular society. Producing strong Christians is good, but producing strong witnesses and ambassadors is even better! To view the entire VIDEO PODCAST be sure to join our CrossExamined private community. It's the perfect place to jump into some great discussions with like-minded Christians while simultaneously providing financial support for our ministry. You can also SUPPORT THE PODCAST HERE. Maven: https://maventruth.com/ More info on Maven Immersive Experiences: https://bit.ly/44UXYGJ   Download Transcript  

This is one of my favorite episodes because Erin and I get to interview our husbands. Being made in the image of God as male and female is a good thing. It is not an accident that we are created to be a man or a woman. When God made us male and female, he said it was very good. We were created not to compete or be opposed to each other, but to work together in the cosmic task God has invited us into—to care for His creation and cause it to flourish. Join us as we wrestle through the idea of difference and design with our amazing and funny husbands.    Our Bodies Tell God's Story: Discovering the Divine Plan for Love, Sex, and Gender by Christopher West  A Practical Guide to Culture: Helping the Next Generation Navigate Today's World by John Stonestreet, Brett Kunkle  Restoring All Things: God's Audacious Plan to Change the World Through Everyday People by Warren Cole Smith, John Stonestreet   Erin and her husband, Brett, run Maven which “exists to help the next generation know truth, pursue goodness, and create beauty, all for the cause of Christ.” Check out more about Maven here: https://maventruth.com/   The Strong Women Podcast is a product of the Colson Center which equips Christians to live out their faith with clarity, confidence, and courage in this cultural moment. Through commentaries, podcasts, videos, and more, we help Christians better understand what's happening in the world, and champion what is true and good wherever God has called them.  Learn more about the Colson Center here: https://www.colsoncenter.org/   Visit our website and sign up for our email list so that you can stay up to date on what we are doing here and also receive our monthly book list: https://www.colsoncenter.org/strong-women    Join Strong Women on Social Media:   https://www.facebook.com/StrongWomenCC  https://www.facebook.com/groups/strongwomencommunitycc/  https://www.instagram.com/strongwomencc/ 

Can a boy be “trapped” in a girl's body or vice versa? Are there any good reasons to detach our biological sex from our gender identity? How does transgender ideology hurt people? How do we best love those who are struggling with gender dysphoria without compromising the truth? In this episode, we present a recent talk that Brett Kunkle gave to a group of fathers at a church in Southern California. It will help you navigate today's transgender revolution.

One of the consequences of the events in 2020 was a great reshuffling of churches. Many people left their church, looking for a more biblically faithful alternative. We know that some of our followers have had a hard time finding a new church or have wondered whether to start a house church. Our friend, Uncle Kunkle (aka Brett Kunkle from MAVEN), is coming on to talk about his family's effort to start a house church in his backyard. Let's talk about the pros and cons of house churches. Special guest: Brett Kunkle, Founder & CEO of Maven Guest's website: https://www.maventruth.com

One of the consequences of the events in 2020 was a great reshuffling of churches. Many people left their church, looking for a more biblically faithful alternative. We know that some of our followers have had a hard time finding a new church or have wondered whether to start a house church. Our friend, Uncle Kunkle (aka Brett Kunkle from MAVEN), is coming on to talk about his family's effort to start a house church in his backyard. Let's talk about the pros and cons of house churches. Special guest: Brett Kunkle, Founder & CEO of Maven Guest's website: https://www.maventruth.com

Is there an opportunity for all of us to become better Christian Case Makers? What challenges face us when we make a case for Christianity? In this week's Cold-Case Christianity Podcast, J. Warner airs the live YouTube conversation from last year's CrossExamined Instructor's Academy with Frank Turek, Bobby Conway, Jorge Gil, Brett Kunkle, Alisa Childers and Greg Koukl.

Parental Discretion is advised for this episode. We will be discussing the harmful effects of pornography on those who consume it. It's a very destructive addiction that can affect everyone in the family including children. It's a tough topic that is rarely talked about. So let's get started.References mentioned in this episode:Children School Porn - TheBlazeE-book: Your Brain on Porn | Covenant EyesA Practical Guide to Culture: Helping the Next Generation Navigate Today's World: John Stonestreet, Brett Kunkle: 9780830781249 - Christianbook.com

The proposal of new “normal" family structures are causing the culture to rethink the supremacy of the traditional family. Same-sex parents. Families where children are conceived by assisted reproduction. Single-parent homes formed by divorce. Stepfamilies. Cohabiting parents. These new ways of being a family raise a host of questions.Are mothers and fathers essential? Do children do just as well in these new family structures? Is it time to set aside our biases for the traditional family? Are we free to reimagine what a family is? In this episode, Brett Kunkle and John Stonestreet begin to tackle these tough questions.

In this Worldview Wednesday episode Kelly and Chelsea tackle just one headline. The veteran school communication monitoring software company Gaggle has deemed it now irrelevant and unnecessary to alert school administration when words falling under the LGBTQ banner are used in student communications. The company's stated goal is to ensure the safety and wellbeing of every student but one must ask, based on statistics of mental health and wellbeing of LGBTQ youth, if their change in ethics actually serves their goals? And, how does all of this impact a Biblical worldview? Articles referenced: Gaggle Drops LGBTQ Words From Student Surveillance Tool Following Bias Concerns CDC statistics on sexual violence based on orientation Scripture referenced: John 19:1-16 Eph 5:11-12 Books referenced: Knowing God by J.I. Packer One Perfect Life by John MacArthur and yes, Elephant & Piggie: The Complete Collection by Mo Willems A Practical Guide to Culture by John Stonestreet and Brett Kunkle

In our recent paideia sermon series, we looked at many passages that give us wisdom when training our children. This article by John Stonestreet at the Colson Center speaks to that topic. He contrasts inoculation with indoctrination as two methods of preparing our children to be "in the world but not of it." In this episode, I cover the article's highlights and offer some brief commentary on why parents should guide their kids through cultural questions rather than pretending those questions don't exist.  A Practical Guide to Culture - John Stonestreet and Brett Kunkle  

John Stonestreet and Brett Kunkle have written an important book every parent should read. They tackle many important threats to our kids. I look at one chapter that discusses the evils of pornography and what parents can say to their children about it.

Brett Kunkle of Maven trains young people in the great privilege of sharing Jesus to a world deeply in need of the restoration that he brings.   Maven   Pre-order Dr. Jeff's new book Truth Changes Everything and email your receipt to jeff@summit.org for a free signed booklet.   The Dr. Jeff Show on YouTube   Summit Ministries    Summit Student Conferences   Reflect: Christian worldview commentaries on popular movies and songs

Listen in as Brett, Erin, John, and Sarah talk about parenting in this cultural moment.     Brett Kunkle and John Stonestreet Reflection Show Notes  The MAVEN Parent Podcast  The Strong Women Podcast 8. Men and Women: Appreciating our Differences with John Stonestreet and Brett Kunkle  A Practical Guide to Culture by John Stonestreet and Brett Kunkle  A Student's Guide to Culture by John Stonestreet and Brett Kunkle  The Benedict Option by Rod Dreher  Erin and her husband, Brett, run Maven which “exists to help the next generation know truth, pursue goodness, and create beauty, all for the cause of Christ.” Check out more about Maven here: https://maventruth.com/    The Strong Women Podcast is a product of the Colson Center which equips Christians to live out their faith with clarity, confidence, and courage in this cultural moment. Through commentaries, podcasts, videos, and more, we help Christians better understand what's happening in the world, and champion what is true and good wherever God has called them.  Learn more about the Colson Center here: https://www.colsoncenter.org/    Visit our website and sign up for our email list so that you can stay up to date on what we are doing here and also receive our monthly book list: https://www.colsoncenter.org/strong-women 

Today Sarah and Erin are joined by their husbands, John Stonestreet and Brett Kunkle. Together they discuss humanity's origin story and how it is profoundly pro-woman. Amid cultural confusion about what a woman is, John and Brett give practical advice for how to navigate transgender ideology for ourselves and our kids.    Brett Kunkle and John Stonestreet Show Notes  The MAVEN Parent Podcast  The Strong Women Podcast 8. Men and Women: Appreciating our Differences with John Stonestreet and Brett Kunkle  A Practical Guide to Culture by John Stonestreet and Brett Kunkle  A Student's Guide to Culture by John Stonestreet and Brett Kunkle  Genisis of Gender by Abigail Favale  The Theology of the Body by John Paul II  Strange New World by Carl Trueman  Irreversible Damage by Abigail Shrier  Erin and her husband, Brett, run Maven which “exists to help the next generation know truth, pursue goodness, and create beauty, all for the cause of Christ.” Check out more about Maven here: https://maventruth.com/    The Strong Women Podcast is a product of the Colson Center which equips Christians to live out their faith with clarity, confidence, and courage in this cultural moment. Through commentaries, podcasts, videos, and more, we help Christians better understand what's happening in the world, and champion what is true and good wherever God has called them.  Learn more about the Colson Center here: https://www.colsoncenter.org/    Visit our website and sign up for our email list so that you can stay up to date on what we are doing here and also receive our monthly book list: https://www.colsoncenter.org/strong-women 

Many people in the Evangelical-faith space say it's necessary to deconstruct your faith so that you can “reconstruct” it into an even stronger version than before. But is that really an essential step to growing your faith? Jason poses some hard-hitting questions on today's show to Maven founder and apologist, Brett Kunkle.Links to Brett Kunkle Maven Truth Website Maven Truth on YouTube Maven Truth on Instagram Maven Truth on Facebook Jason Jimenez on Social Media Follow @JasonPJimenez on Twitter Follow @JasonPJiminez on Instagram Subscribe to Jason Jimenez on YouTube Additional Resources Challenging Conversations book on Amazon Stand Strong Ministries Website Stand Strong Ministries on Facebook

According to a recent Barna study, roughly 65% of Americans claim to be Christians and yet only 6% of Americans hold a biblical worldview. This means that over 94% of Americans (many who identify as Christian) no longer view the Bible as their ultimate authority on how they navigate life. With so many rejecting the Bible (and thus the words of Christ) as their guide, they have nowhere to turn but themselves. In this special episode recorded at the CrossExamined Instructor Academy (CIA) 2022 in Cincinnati, OH, Frank teams up with guests (and CIA instructors) Natasha Crain, Alisa Childers, Richard Howe, and Brett Kunkle to discuss the real issues the remnant of Christians need to be addressing today. Hint – it's not atheism. If you would like to submit a question to be answered on the show, please email your question to Hello@Crossexamined.org. Subscribe on Apple Podcast: http://bit.ly/CrossExamined_Podcast Rate and review! Thanks!!! Subscribe on Google Play: https://cutt.ly/0E2eua9 Subscribe on Spotify: http://bit.ly/CrossExaminedOfficial_Podcast Subscribe on Stitcher: http://bit.ly/CE_Podcast_Stitcher  

According to a recent Barna study, roughly 65% of Americans claim to be Christians, and yet only 6% of Americans hold a biblical worldview. This means that over 94% of Americans (many who identify as Christian) no longer view the Bible as their ultimate authority on how they navigate life. With so many rejecting the Bible (and thus the words of Christ) as their guide, they have nowhere to turn but themselves. In this special episode recorded at the CrossExamined Instructor Academy (CIA) 2022 in Cincinnati, OH, Frank teams up with guests (and CIA instructors) Natasha Crain, Alisa Childers, Richard Howe, and Brett Kunkle to discuss the real issues the remnant of Christians need to be addressing today. Hint – it's not atheism. If you would like to submit a question to be answered on the show, please email your question to Hello@Crossexamined.org. Subscribe on Apple Podcast: http://bit.ly/CrossExamined_Podcast Rate and review! Thanks!!! Subscribe on Google Play: https://cutt.ly/0E2eua9 Subscribe on Spotify: http://bit.ly/CrossExaminedOfficial_Podcast Subscribe on Stitcher: http://bit.ly/CE_Podcast_Stitcher

According to a recent Barna study, roughly 65% of Americans claim to be Christians, and yet only 6% of Americans hold a biblical worldview. This means that over 94% of Americans (many who identify as Christian) no longer view the Bible as their ultimate authority on how they navigate life. With so many rejecting the Bible (and thus the words of Christ) as their guide, they have nowhere to turn but themselves. In this special episode recorded at the CrossExamined Instructor Academy (CIA) 2022 in Cincinnati, OH, Frank teams up with guests (and CIA instructors) Natasha Crain, Alisa Childers, Richard Howe, and Brett Kunkle to discuss the real issues the remnant of Christians need to be addressing today. Hint – it's not atheism. If you would like to submit a question to be answered on the show, please email your question to Hello@Crossexamined.org. Subscribe on Apple Podcast: http://bit.ly/CrossExamined_Podcast Rate and review! Thanks!!! Subscribe on Google Play: https://cutt.ly/0E2eua9 Subscribe on Spotify: http://bit.ly/CrossExaminedOfficial_Podcast Subscribe on Stitcher: http://bit.ly/CE_Podcast_Stitcher  

Kirk Cameron is joined by Brett Kunkle, Founder and President of MAVEN. They discuss the benefits of setting boundaries when it comes to technology with your kids. Later, they discuss how phones and social media are effecting today's youth and what parents can do to help. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listen to Sarah and Erin reflect on their conversation with Lori Leander.    Lori Leander Reflection Show Notes  Breakpoint  Sarah's thoughts on mentorship  The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis  Practical Guide to Culture by Brett Kunkle and John Stonestreet  The Strong Women Podcast 5. Seeing and Knowing Yourself and Others with Kathy Koch  The Strong Women Podcast 67. How Am I Smart? A Facebook Live Conversation with Kathy Koch  The Strong Women Podcast 30. A Mentoring Posture with Barbara Masoner  Find a Counselor through Focus on the Family  Join Strong Women on Social Media: https://linktr.ee/strongwomencc   Erin and her husband, Brett, run Maven which “exists to help the next generation know truth, pursue goodness, and create beauty, all for the cause of Christ.” Check out more about Maven here: https://maventruth.com/    The Strong Women Podcast is a product of the Colson Center which equips Christians to live out their faith with clarity, confidence, and courage in this cultural moment. Through commentaries, podcasts, videos, and more, we help Christians better understand what's happening in the world, and champion what is true and good wherever God has called them.  Learn more about the Colson Center here: https://www.colsoncenter.org/    Visit our website and sign up for our email list so that you can stay up to date on what we are doing here and also receive our monthly book list: https://www.colsoncenter.org/strong-women 

So many of the cultural debates that rage around us and captivate our attentions result from dueling definitions of truth. All ideas have consequences, especially our ideas about truth. It matters greatly whether truth even exists, whether truth can be known, and how we should think about those who reject truth.  Fifty years ago, in his landmark discussion of the flow of Western history, Francis Schaeffer offered what he called “a simple but profound rule” about truth: “If there are no absolutes by which to judge society, then society is absolute.”   Even a brief look at the half century since he wrote reveals how right he was. Because of the loss of belief in the existence of truth, our cultural conversations become more fractured and disconnected, our willingness to hear one another out seems to diminish by the day, and corporate, political, and other cultural activists readily work to impose their views on everyone else. And, who's to say that they're wrong if nothing is truly right?  Like Schaeffer, Chuck Colson would often appeal to the idea of “true truth,” the idea that truth exists independently of people and our clashing opinions. At least in theory, this provided a means to check who is right and who is wrong. Having abandoned the idea of the reality of truth and our ability to know it, we didn't find the sort of freedom and tolerance promised. Instead, we gained chaos, conflict, and coercion. “Truth” belongs to those with the social power to decide.  In recent years, many Christians have either abandoned or deprioritized the notion of truth, elevating personal experience over what God has revealed about Himself and His world. Years ago, Chuck Colson warned in his book The Faith that Christians must not give up on the idea of truth nor downplay its importance, even in an attempt to gain a wider hearing. Christianity matters precisely because it is true. If it isn't true, it doesn't matter. Here's Chuck:   Why does truth matter so much? Because the Church simply can't be the Church without being on the side of truth. Jesus came as the champion of the truth and of those on the side of the truth. Without understanding this, the Church cannot even present the Gospel. Without truth, it resorts to therapy and has patients, not disciples.   Much of Christianity's retreat from the truth or tempering of our witness in the West has been motivated by good intentions—not to offend or be judgmental, the desire to feel more personally connected to God and to make Christianity more relevant and culturally acceptable. The history of Christianity, including the faith's surge in the Third World today, shows the reverse to be the case. While we always want to be sensitive to other cultures, we cannot be co-opted by them.  The early Christians who treated plague victims certainly weren't embracing the pagan culture. Nor were they trying to make Christianity more relevant and win over the hearts of an empire; they were simply carrying out the truth of their faith—that every person is made in the image of God and therefore possesses dignity. The task of this generation—as it will be in every generation—is to understand Christianity as a complete view of the world and humankind's place in it, that is, as the truth. If Christianity is not the truth, it is nothing, and our faith mere sentimentality.  Next Thursday, the Colson Center is hosting a conversation on truth with Lee Strobel, author of the classic The Case for Christ and Brett Kunkle, founder of president of MAVEN, an organization committed to communicating truth to the next generation. This conversation is the focus of the third annual Great Lakes Symposium on Christian Worldview to be held on August 4, at the beautiful Great Lakes Center for the Arts in Bay Harbor, Michigan. During the event, I will be pressing that truth matters, Brett will discuss how we can regain confidence in the idea of truth in this skeptical age, and Lee Strobel will be presenting the case for truth.  Attendance in-person or online is completely free. In-person seating is almost full, but there is still availability for the livestreamed event. You must sign up to receive access, but thanks to the generosity of local donors, this symposium is being offered entirely free of charge.  In a world where many people deny the existence of truth, learning how to clearly and confidently live out our Christian faith requires that we equip ourselves with a firm grasp of the trustworthiness of the Gospel. Again, please join us online as we work together for a more truthful world. 

A line typically attributed to George Orwell states that “in times of universal deceit, telling the truth will be a revolutionary act.”    Well, we live in times in which “deceit” has been joined by “confusion.” So, even claiming to know truth can mean being called a “liar,” even when it comes to the observable realities of shared history or biology.  In other words, telling the truth today requires nothing short of revolutionary courage.    That's why I hope you can join me, Lee Strobel, and Brett Kunkle for Great Lakes Symposium on Christian Worldview this August 4 at the stunning Great Lakes Center for the Arts, located in Bay Harbor, Michigan. Thanks to generous sponsors, the event is completely free for those who can attend locally and will be livestreamed for everyone else.  To attend in person or livestream, register at GreatLakesSymposium.org.    Christians must re-embrace the idea of truth. Please join us August 4 at Great Lakes Symposium on Christian Worldview, where we can spur each other on to do exactly that.     

Hilary Morgan Ferrer, founder of Mama Bear Apologetics and author of Mama Bear Apologetics Guide to Sexuality, joins us today. Hilary shares her story of feeling called by God at a young age and her involvement in apologetics. She has a heart for equipping moms to guide their children as they wrestle with questions about Christianity and for encouraging women to study and get involved in the field of apologetics. In part two of our conversation with Hilary, we dive into discussing her book on sexuality.    Hilary Morgan Ferrer Show Notes – Part Two:  Mama Bear Apologetics  Mama Bear Apologetics Podcast  Mama Bear Apologetics: Empowering Your Kids to Challenge Cultural Lies by Hilary Morgan Ferrer  Mama Bear Apologetics Guide to Sexuality: Empowering Your Kids to Understand and Live Out God's Design by Hilary Morgan Ferrer  Strong Women Podcast 28. Living Faithfully with Dottie McDowell  Strong Women Podcast 9. Sexual Discipleship with Dr. Juli Slattery  Strong Women Podcast 84. What is the Purpose of Sex? with Dr. Juli Slattery - Part One  Strong Women Podcast 85. What is the Purpose of Sex? with Dr. Juli Slattery - Part Two  Strong Women Podcast 31. Our Bodies Proclaim the Gospel with Christopher West  Sex and the Supremacy of Christ by by John Piper, Justin Taylor, Ben Patterson, David Powlison, & R. Albert Mohler Jr.  Our Bodies Tell God's Story by Christopher West  The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self by Carl Trueman  Faithfully Different: Regaining Biblical Clarity in a Secular Culture by Natasha Crain  A Practical Guide to Culture by Brett Kunkle and John Stonestreet  Ready Player One by Ernest Cline  Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis  Cold Case Christianity by Jim Wallace  Love Thy Body by Nancy Pearcey  Irreversible Damage by Abigail Shrier  Unprotected: A Campus Psychiatrist Reveals How Political Correctness in Her Profession Endangers Every Student by Miriam Grossman  Live Not by Lies by Rod Dreher  Cynical Theories by Helen Pluckrose and James Lindsay  Them Before Us by Katy Faust and Stacy Manning  Tactics by Greg Koukl  Rules for Radicals by Saul Alinsky  Overhauling Straight America article by Marshall Kirk and Erastes Pill  Join Strong Women on Social Media: https://linktr.ee/strongwomencc  Erin and her husband, Brett, run Maven which “exists to help the next generation know truth, pursue goodness, and create beauty, all for the cause of Christ.” Check out more about Maven here: https://maventruth.com/   The Strong Women Podcast is a product of the Colson Center which equips Christians to live out their faith with clarity, confidence, and courage in this cultural moment. Through commentaries, podcasts, videos, and more, we help Christians better understand what's happening in the world, and champion what is true and good wherever God has called them.  Learn more about the Colson Center here: https://www.colsoncenter.org/   Visit our website and sign up for our email list so that you can stay up to date on what we are doing here and also receive our monthly book list: https://www.colsoncenter.org/strong-women 

The Parent Life Podcast is a weekly resource for parents desiring to raise Christian Children. It is a ministry of Fruit Cove Baptist Church in Jacksonville, FL. Jason Stanland is the host and the middle school pastor at Fruit Cove Baptist. In this episode, Brett Kunkle of Maven returns to the Parent Life Podcast to discuss his book "Ambassador's Guide to Mormonism." As parents, our kids can ask some hard questions. This episode is for parents wanting to gain an overview of Mormonism and how they can communicate with the kids about Mormonism. Helpful links from today's episode are here... maventruth.com www.str.org www.colsoncenter.org mrm.org mormoninfo.org For more Info linktr.ee/jstanland Times: 0:00 - Intro 2:26 - Do Mormons and Christians Believe the Same Thing? 7:01 - Why Write This Book? 11:44 - Why is it an Ambassador's Guide? 13:39 - How to Use Tactical Questions 18:23 - What is Maven? 20:30 - Outro

The Parent Life Podcast is a weekly resource for parents desiring to raise Christian Children. It is a ministry of Fruit Cove Baptist Church in Jacksonville, FL. Jason Stanland is the host and the middle school pastor at Fruit Cove Baptist. Jason interviews Brett Kunkle of Maven, a premier thinker about developing a biblical worldview and apologetics. Brett is experienced in helping parents develop a biblical worldview and learning how to pass those beliefs on to their children. Helpful links from today's episode are here... https://maventruth.com https://www.str.org https://www.colsoncenter.org For more Info linktr.ee/jstanland Times: 0:00 - Intro 2:02 - Get to Know Brett 5:37 - What is Worldview and Apologetics 9:14 - The Danger of No Apologetics in Parenting 24:42 - Outro

A warm welcome to everyone. Thank you for tuning in! Today's guest is Brett Kunkle. Brett has been working with youth and young adults for twenty-SOMETHING years (possibly 21, possibly 29...)! 4 years ago, he and his wife founded Maven. Maven's got my heart because they have the apologetics & Christian worldview focus we so often talk about on this show, but they also have the youth aspect which is near to my heart. Brett is in a super busy season, leading Immersion Experiences, teaching, speaking, leading, traveling (in addition to being husband and dad, of course) - but he took time to be with us. We were so grateful to have him and for this important conversation. Learn, grow, enjoy! Go, Braves! MAVEN is youth-focused. We are passionate about young people. Youth. Students. Junior highers. High schoolers. College students. The next generation. Because of our love for youth, we are also passionate about the people who disciple the next generation. Parents. Grandparents. Pastors. Youth leaders. Organizational leaders. Educators. We want to come alongside them to partner, guide, encourage, teach, train and equip them to raise up the next generation for the cause of Christ.Maven Truth“Truth + Goodness + Beauty. Maven exists to help the next generation know truth, pursue goodness and create beauty, all for the cause of Christ.”This is a great pairing with last week's episode: Guide to Sexuality | Mama Bear ApologeticsOur episode with Brett's wife, Erin: Disciplining Our Kids From A Christian Worldview | Erin KunkleOur episode with Katy Faust, mentioned in the show (she will be at MAVEN 2022):The Kids Are Not Fine | Katy Faust

As promised, here is our Mama Bear Apologetics: Guide to Sexuality episode! I pray it blesses your weekend!RAISE THEM TO VALUE GOD'S DESIGN"Starting at a young age, kids are being fed damaging misinformation about sexuality, gender identity, and human biology. As a parent, it's up to you to help your children understand God's truth about these integral concepts in the face of the candy-coated lies that saturate today's world.As society continues to blur the lines of what is good, true, and acceptable, God's standards remain clear and unchanging. This book will give you the wisdom to confidently raise your children to understand sex and gender through a biblical lens."Mama Bear Apologetics, the Guide to Sexuality - Mama Bear ApologeticsHillary Morgan Ferrer, founder of Mama Bear Apologetics, has a burden for providing accessible apologetics resources for busy moms. She has a master's in biology, and her specialties are scientific apologetics, dealing with doubt, and identifying causes and solutions for youth leaving the church.  Amy Davison is a former Air Force veteran-turned-writer and podcast cohost for Mama Bear Apologetics. She received her MA in Christian apologetics from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and loves helping parents raise their children to be warriors in the faith. She specializes in biblical sexuality, how to incorporate apologetics into parenting, and cultural challenges to the faith.Mama Bear Apologetics | Train Yourself. Equip Your KidsThis discussion fits in well with other discussions we've been having at Freedom Families, such as: Marriage, Family & God's Design | Peter Kapsner The Christian Worldview | David WheatonLove Thy Body | Professor Nancy Pearcey pt. 1Love Thy Body | Professor Nancy Pearcey pt. 2The Kids Are Not Fine | Katy FaustEquip Minds to Save Lives | Scott KlusendorfAnd next week's episode with Brett Kunkle, Love Not By Lies! https://duckduckgo.com/

The greatest commandment given by Jesus is: Love the Lord your God with all your hearth, soul, and mind (Mat 22:36-40). Anything we love more is an idol. So it's safe to say anything that consumes 7-12 hours of your day (screen time) could definitely be the object of your worship. Kelly and Chelsea look into what idolatry looks like in our modern culture and how parents can apply the truth of scripture in raising and discipling kids. Book References: Counterfeit Gods by Tim Keller A Practical Guide to Culture by John Stonestreet and Brett Kunkle

In this episode we dive bravely into discussing restoration in the age of pornography with guest, Greta Eskridge - reclaiming a healthy, godly sexuality from fear, trauma, shame and depression - with simple practical steps to fight porn with your kids, family and community.What an incredible honor to chat with Greta as she saturates with her fun, warm authenticity along with hope, empowering insights and strategies.Listen in to get encouraged and equipped with the power of restoration and connection - whether you're in need of restoration or you want to be equipped to support and help protect those around you from this pervasive issue. Greta would love to connect with you. Find her on Instagram as @maandpamodern #gretafightspornOr on her website www.gretaeskridge.comPlus, Greta has compiled some great resources and tools. Find some below, and full list at www.bydami.comSHOW RESOURCES:To help your family fight pornography & to cultivate a healthy sexual culture in your homeBOOKS:Books addressing pornography and body safety (to read with your kids)Good Pictures Bad Pictures Jr. by Kristen Jensen (ages 5-8)Good Pictures Bad Pictures by Kristen Jensen (ages 9-12)God Made All of Me by Justin and Lindsey Holcomb (ages 4-10)How to Talk to Your Kids About Pornography by Alexander Dina (ages 12-18) *non-sectarianBooks addressing healthy sexuality (to read with your kids):The Story of Me by Stan and Brenna James (ages 4-8)The Bare Facts: 30 Questions Your Parents Hope You Never Ask About Sex by Josh McDowell (read with your teen)Chasing Love—Sex, Love and Relationships in a Confused Culture by Sean Mc Dowell (read with your teen)A Student's Guide to Culture by John Stonestreet & Brett Kunkle (read with your teen)Books addressing healthy sexuality (for adults to read):Find the rest of the full show notes at www.bydami.comGet your hopes up!@damitenin

In this episode, Mikel Del Rosario talks with Brett Kunkle about helping Christian students engage their faith and cultural issues, focusing on how they learn and apply apologetics training in conversations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Can the cure for a culture in decay be found in “The Student’s Guide to Culture”? Authors John Stonestreet and Brett Kunkle are here to explain.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Breakpoint’s John Stonestreet and Brett Kunkle of Maven continue looking into the antidote for a culture gone awry with ideas generated in their book, “The Student’s Guide to Culture.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The stats are sobering. According to the American Psychological Association, the average age of a child's first exposure to pornography is 13 years old, with some seeing it as young as five. According to another survey, 42 percent of children have been cyber-bullied, and more than a third have been actively threatened online. One in five twelve-year-olds has been contacted by a predator.   Other pitfalls of unsupervised and unlimited screen time may not be quite as awful, but still worth knowing. One doctor, writing at Psychology Today in 2015, described how overuse of technology leaves kids “moody, crazy, and lazy.” Phones and tablets overstimulate young nervous systems, resulting in disrupted sleep, fried reward circuits in the brain, multiplied stress, and fractured attention spans. The younger the child, the worse the damage seems to become. All of this is why so many top executives and engineers in Silicon Valley refuse to give their own kids the mobile devices they make. In 2018, the New York Times ran a feature describing these parents at Facebook, Apple, Microsoft, Mozilla, and other tech giants who raise their own children tech-free. One Facebook veteran ominously told the Times, “I'm convinced the devil lives in our phones and is wreaking havoc on our children.” Are we taking the alarm being sounded by these executives seriously enough? Christopher Null at WIRED magazine thinks we are not. In a recent piece, he describes the “ethical debate” some parents think they must have over whether they should respect their children's privacy online. He quotes an author who makes the argument that supervising our kids' tech use signals a lack of trust, and only conditions them to accept totalitarian surveillance. I'd tell you how ridiculous I think this is, but Null has spared me the effort. He insists children should have no expectation of privacy when it comes to their online activity. In fact, and I fully agree with this, the least loving thing you can do as a parent is to leave your kids to their own devices on the Internet. The rules and boundaries he's set in his home are based on a simple fact: The devices our children use belong to us, not to them. Accordingly, we are entitled to see everything they see. In an age of predators, pornography, and cyber-bullying, to think otherwise is not only foolish, it's unloving. Brett Kunkle and I make these same points in our book “A Practical Guide to Culture.” For starters, kids and teens shouldn't be using devices unsupervised. Computers, tablets, and phones should only be available for use in high-traffic areas of the home. No locked doors. Second, there should be no way for our kids to keep secrets from us. Know their passwords and remind them often of the ability to check their online activity at any time. M.I.T. psychologist and tech expert Sherry Turkle also suggests the idea of “tech-free zones.” Specifically, she suggests that the car, the dinner table, bedrooms, and vacations be designated times and places with no phones and tablets. This gives kids a chance to reset, to engage in other activities, and to practice social skills not mediated by text messages. In our home, we've found that a weekly Sabbath break from our devices better prepares us for the week ahead. Most importantly, none of this works without strong, positive relationships with our children. Unless we say “yes” to them as people and not just “no” to their unbridled tech times, they won't understand why we are making a decision that seems so abnormal in our culture. “Only in the context of a true relationship,” says Null, can we show our children who they are apart from their devices and, I'll add, only then can they get a sense of the weight of the responsibility we feel as their parents. Just as they must answer to us for what they do online, we must answer to God, who entrusted them to us. Come to BreakPoint.org and we'll link you to Null's article and tell you how you can get a copy of “A Practical Guide to Culture.”

Last week, sixteen-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg grabbed top billing with her “How dare you?” climate change speech at the United Nations. In fact, even before Thunberg had been declared as the voice of a generation, the ultra-liberal Church of Sweden tweeted that Jesus had appointed her as one of His successors. While I, as I've discussed a few times recently, don't share her climate alarmism, the international beatification of Thunberg mirrors something we saw in the wake of the Parkland shooting a few years ago: Elevating teenage spokespersons for political causes. In at least the cases of Thunberg and the Parkland victims, their activism jettisoned reasoned discourse for melodramatics, complete with screaming and swearing, and absent anything that could be considered “respecting your elders.” And as a Babylon Bee headline parodied, challenging these elevated spokespersons is just not allowed: “I Will Stop at Nothing To Take Away Your Constitutional Rights—Whoa Bro, Why Are You Attacking Me, I'm Just A Kid!” The increasing trend to block debate with angry teenage shields is the next step in a culture captivated by what I call the cult of adolescence. Adolescence, as Brett Kunkle and I have written about in our book "A Practical Guide to Culture," is a recent innovation in Western society. In most cultures throughout the history of the world, kids went from being kids to being adults. Today, they become adolescents. It's so normal, we actually expect kids to lose their minds during their teenage years. But along the way, two things happened. First, people began to enter adolescence earlier and earlier, and are leaving it later and later. Adolescence has expanded dramatically. In fact, many experts today identify adolescence as the stage of life between ages 11 and 30! Second, adolescence has moved from being a stage of life to being the goal of life. Long gone are the days when grown men and women wished to appear older and wiser. We are now a culture that wants to stay young and free forever, one that sees the “good life” as the ability to be adolescent as long as possible. What does this have to do with Greta Thunberg and the students from Parkland? Well, for many people in a culture like ours, chronology equals correctness. Beliefs and opinions of kids matter more than adults, not because they are informed or accurate, but simply because they're younger. In a culture captivated by a cult of adolescence, we should do what teenagers like Thunberg and the Parkland activists say (and dismiss their tendency toward hysterics and hyperbole) despite the lack of good arguments and evidence, as if youth confers a kind of sainthood and argument-immunity. In fact, all across our culture, on both the right and the left, we've allowed our most important conversations and debates to become adolescent-like, in which emotion always trumps facts. Some conservatives have reacted by telling Greta and other teenage activists to sit down and shut up. One popular podcaster told his audience he has no interest in the political opinions of 16-year-olds, because they couldn't possibly know anything of value. This is equally misguided. The core problem with the cult of adolescence is that we penalize young image-bearers with low expectations. We do this when we elevate teen spokespersons without requiring them to know what they are talking about. We also do this when we say teenagers can't know what they are talking about. Both approaches mistakenly assume that this mythological period of life called “adolescence” actually exists— a time when young people can't be expected to act like grown-ups. In our book, “A Practical Guide to Culture,” Brett Kunkle and I debunk the myth of adolescence. Young adults should champion big ideas and important causes, and in the process, they should expect to encounter and be ready to answer opposing arguments—something they're also fully capable of doing. One of the best things we can do for young adults is respect them enough to expect more of them—and, of ourselves.   This commentary originally aired on October 3, 2019.

It's a little late to still be doing Christmas shopping (like I am), especially for anything that needs to be shipped. Even so, books that pass on Christian worldview are worth the hassle, and I've got four to recommend for you this Christmas. In fact, you might want to self-gift some of these… The first is the best book I know of that teaches the “how” of communication in a tough culture: “Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions” by my friend Greg Koukl. Every Christian needs this book because every Christian, in this day and age, will find themselves in conversations about controversial topic, called upon to defend their beliefs, and even Christianity itself. “Tactics” teaches, well, tactics. In other words, this book gives you the rhetorical strategies you need to speak up in such a way as to generate light, not heat. If you're thinking, “Wait, hasn't that book been out for a while?” Yes, it has. Ten years, in fact. And now, it's been expanded and re-released in a 10th- anniversary edition. This edition not only has updated stories of Greg's tactics in action (which are very helpful), it has more tactics. Honestly, I didn't think this book could really be improved, but Greg has. He and I discussed the book on the BreakPoint podcast at BreakPoint.org. As I told Greg, the book should come with a warning: Anyone who reads it no longer has an excuse for not sharing their beliefs and convictions, even on the tough topics. The second book is for children, especially for little girls: Rachael Denhollander's “How Much Is a Little Girl Worth?” Denhollander, as you might remember, is the force of nature that bravely and persistently worked to expose the hundreds of cases of abuse by U.S.A. Gymnastics doctor Larry Nasser. Rachael Denhollander understands that in a culture that victimizes little girls in so many ways, they need to know who they are, as made in the image of God. Her beautifully written and illustrated book teaches that their worth is beyond price, and that they can meet any challenges they will face with God's help. It's an especially important gift for the little 4- to 8-year old girl in your life, but I bought it for my daughters, who are older. My third recommendation is a bit self-serving...  “A Practical Guide to Culture: Helping the Next Generation Navigate Today's World,” which I co-authored with Brett Kunkle, is an ideal resource for parents, grandparents, teachers, and youth pastors who are in the cultural deep end with their kids. The book unpacks the major issues in our culture, from the obvious ones like LGBT issues, social media, drugs, and smartphones, to the unseen undercurrents in our culture that parents often miss, such as identity struggles and the overwhelming amount of information students face today. The best part is that “A Practical Guide to Culture” is exactly that: practical. In fact, it's proven especially helpful for grandparents, believe it or not. There's always been a generation gap, but many sense that the gap is more vast today – especially when it comes to technology, sexuality, and politics. We hear consistently from parents and grandparents that “A Practical Guide” has helped them make sense of the culture their kids face, so that they can connect with the students in their life and help them to navigate the tricky cultural waters. And speaking of students and culture, I'm pleased to announce that on January 1, a student edition of “A Practical Guide to Culture, called A Student's Guide to Culture,” will be released.  This book is written directly for junior high and high school students, and covers the same crucial issues in our culture from a Christian worldview. It's not yet released but is available for pre-order. Why not give a great book this Christmas? You can find these books at our online bookstore. Whenever you purchase books at our online store, it benefits the ministry of the Colson Center.

Last week, before news of an impeachment inquiry stole the headlines, sixteen-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg grabbed top billing with her “How dare you?” climate change speech at the United Nations. In fact, even before Thunberg had been declared as the voice of a generation, the ultra-liberal Church of Sweden tweeted that Jesus had appointed her as one of His successors.          While I, as I've discussed a few times recently, don't share her climate alarmism, the international beatification of Thunberg mirrors something we saw in the wake of the Parkland shooting a few years ago: Elevating teenage spokespersons for political causes. In at least the cases of Thunberg and the Parkland victims, their activism jettisoned reasoned discourse for melodramatics, complete with screaming and swearing and absent anything that could be considered “respecting your elders.”          And as a Babylon Bee headline parodied, challenging these elevated spokespersons is just not allowed: “I Will Stop at Nothing To Take Away Your Constitutional Rights—Whoa Bro, Why Are You Attacking Me, I'm Just A Kid!”          The increasing trend to block debate with angry teenage shields is the next step in a culture captivated by what I call the cult of adolescence. Adolescence, as Brett Kunkle and I have written about in our book "A Practical Guide to Culture," is a recent innovation in western society. In most cultures throughout the history of the world, kids went from being kids to being adults. Today, they become adolescents. It's so normal, we actually expect kids to lose their minds during their teenage years. But along the way, two things happened.  First, people began to enter adolescence earlier and earlier, and are leaving it later and later. Adolescence has expanded dramatically. In fact, many experts today identify adolescence as the stage of life between ages 11 and 30! Second, adolescence has moved from being a stage of life to being the goal of life. Long gone are the days when grown men and women wished to appear older and wiser. We are now a culture that wants to stay young and free forever, one that sees the “good life” as the ability to be adolescent as long as possible.          What does this have to do with Greta Thunberg and the students from Parkland? Well, for many people in a culture like ours, chronology equals correctness. Beliefs and opinions of kids matter more than adults, not because they are informed or accurate, but simply because they're younger.          In a culture captivated by a cult of adolescence, we should do what teenagers like Thunberg and the Parkland activists say (and dismiss their tendency toward hysterics and hyperbole) despite the lack of good arguments and evidence, as if youth confers a kind of sainthood and argument immunity. In fact, all across our culture, on both the right and the left, we've allowed our most important conversations and debates to become adolescent-like, in which emotion always trumps facts.          Some conservatives have reacted by telling Greta and other teenage activists to sit down and shut up. One popular podcaster told his audience he has no interest in the political opinions of 16-year-olds, because they couldn't possibly know anything of value.          This is equally misguided. The core problem with the cult of adolescence is that we penalize young image-bearers with low expectations. We do this when we elevate teen spokespersons without requiring them to know what they are talking about. We also do this when we say teenagers can't know what they are talking about. Both approaches mistakenly assume that this mythological period of life called “adolescence” actually exists— a time when young people can't be expected to act like grown-ups.          In our book, “A Practical Guide to Culture,” Brett Kunkle and I debunk the myth of adolescence. Young adults should champion big ideas and important causes, and in the process, they should expect to encounter and be ready to answer opposing arguments—something they're also fully capable of doing. One of the best things we can do for young adults is respect them enough to expect more of them—and, of ourselves.

Last week, following the high profile falling away from faith of Joshua Harris, former Hillsong singer and songwriter Marty Sampson posted this on Instagram: “Time for some real talk...I'm genuinely losing my faith...and it doesn't bother me.”          The next day he deleted this post and clarified that he hasn't fully renounced Christianity, at least not yet. Still, he admitted, his faith was quite shaky. He then reiterated his doubts and said that “the majority of a typical Christian's life is not spent considering these things” because they fall into the “too hard basket.”          Sampson's claims, I'm sad to say, are not uncommon among young evangelicals. And let me just say this as directly and bluntly as I can: they reveal a failure on the part of the church to take the difficult but essential task of faith formation seriously enough. As I read through his description of what was happening, I thought to myself, which faith is he falling away from. His words reveal a lot.          First, he described a faith largely driven by emotions. Losing his faith, he said, did not bother him. In fact, he's happy about it. So, if his doubts bothered him and his faith instead made him happy, would he then reconsider? The fact is, too many churches sell Christianity with feelings. We're told how interested God is in our own happiness, our own meaning, and our own sense of purpose. But our feelings cannot determine whether or not something is actually true. Second, the faith Sampson describes is an uncritical faith. Science, he says, “keeps piercing the truth of every religion.” I'm not completely sure what that even means, but it seems to buy into the classic science vs. faith narrative. It's just not true that science is ultimately opposed to faith. It's not true historically, nor is it true today. Faith doesn't need to reject critical investigation. Third, Sampson describes an uneducated faith. He claimed that “no one talks about” the seeming contradictions in the Bible, the fact that Christian leaders fall, or how a loving God can condemn “four billion people to a place, all ‘coz they don't believe.” This of course is just not true. Every apologetics book ever written tackles these questions, and the issues he raised here aren't even the difficult ones. Still, while Sampson is mistaken that “nobody” is talking about these issues, he's not completely wrong in his critique. In fact, far too many churches avoid tough questions. Far too many fail to equip Christians on the current cultural controversies. In fact, too much of Christianity – especially evangelical Christianity – neglects intellectual discipleship altogether. Not even basic theology is articulated from some pulpits. I don't know how else to say it: They fail God's people. Fourth, Sampson also wrote that “Lots of things help people change their lives, not just one version of truth.” This statement reveals a misguided faith, one that smacks of what sociologist Christian Smith called “Moralistic Therapeutic Deism,” that the point of religion and faith is self-improvement. That's not what Christian faith is about. Christian faith is discovering the truth about who God is and what He is doing in the world, and then through repentance and His grace, aligning ourselves to that truth.          Now look, I have no problem with Sampson admitting doubt.  Most of us, at some point in our journey of faith, will encounter doubt about God's love, about Scripture, about whether Jesus is really God, any number of things. In fact, I discussed doubt with apologist Brett Kunkle recently on the BreakPoint Podcast. But Marty Sampson was a worship leader. He wrote modern Christian melodic catechism. He was tasked, as worship leaders are, with communicating theology to the body of Christ. Apparently, he was in a church where no one was talking about the questions he struggled with. The church failed him. In his book “The Fabric of Faithfulness,” Steve Garber wrote that the reason so many young Christians lose their faith is that their worldview isn't “big enough” for the world. This is a depressingly accurate description of what we can expect from a generation whose intellectual faith formation has been neglected.  

What do the mass shooters of the past decades have in common? The vast majority are disaffected young men who are either filled with hate or have lost all hope. What kind of culture produces such young men? What does the church have to offer these young men, and how must the church respond?   Resources El Paso, Dayton, and Gilroy John Stonestreet, BreakPoint, August 6, 2019   A Practical Guide to Culture John Stonestreet and Brett Kunkle, 2017

What is doubt? Is it sinful ? What are the sources of doubt?  In light of the recent apostasy of a well-known Christian writer and pastor, John Stonestreet invited Brett Kunkle on the program to discuss an issue that many if not most of us Christians have struggled with--or will struggle with.   Resources The Backlash Against Purity Culture–Or Against Purity? John Stonestreet and G. Shane Morris, BreakPoint Podcast, July 31, 2019   A Practical Guide to Culture John Stonestreet and Brett Kunkle, 2017