“I once heard a theologian remark that in the Gospels people approached Jesus with a question 183 times whereas he replied with a direct answer only three times.
“Instead, he responded with a different question, a story, or some other indirection. Evidently Jesus wants us to work out our answers on our own, using the principles that he taught and lived.” -Philip Yancey, Prayer (p. 205)
Teens have questions. A lot of questions.
When they ask, it’s hard not to try and give them a quick, church answer.
Q: “Why do bad things happen to good people?”
A: “Free will, fallen world.”
Q: “Why shouldn’t I date a non-Christian?”
A: “Don’t be unequally yoked.”
Q: “What IS that?!”
A: “Don’t ask – you’ll have to eat it for the next game.”
The thing is these quick answers may not be the right ones. Or they might not be big enough to really, fully cover the depth of the question in question.
Teens fall away from God when they have questions their faith isn’t big enough to answer.
That can happen when their faith doesn’t stretch bigger than the person who gave it to them.
And that happens when their answers come from their youth pastor alone and not from God himself.
What if you took an opportunity to answer aquestion and turned it around as an opportunity for a teen to grow? Asking tough questions in response to tough questions can be a great opportunity for discipleship. Serve the question back to them, just like a tennis player, and let their own faith and mind develop as they work out a solution.
It might not be a quick fix. It’s a lot more risky. And they may not arrive at the exact same answer you would have. But asking questions instead of giving answers helps teens own their faith, challenges them to think on their own, and directs them to the Source.
(Image via Leo Reynolds on Flickr)
