Drinking Out of a Fire Hydrant: Children’s Ministry Conference Report

“Wow! This is so much to take in! It’s great information, I see the relevance and need for change, but where do I begin? I feel like I’m drinking out of a fire hydrant!” Many attendees toward the end of the Answers in Genesis Children’s Ministry Conference echoed this sentiment.

The conference speakers brilliantly exposed the infiltration of secular humanistic thinking into much of the church. Compromising the authority of God’s Word in Genesis opened the door to reinterpreting other parts of Scripture, if not ultimately all of Scripture, with man’s word. The rampant compromise within much of the church and the two-thirds of churched youth walking away from the faith are casualties stemming from the war on God’s Word.

With this truth laid bare, the gauntlet hit the ground. But how do we take this explosion of information from the proverbial fire hydrant and funnel it into practical steps? That’s a good question—I’m glad you asked! If I may, three things quickly come to mind:

1. Get Back to the Word

I know, too cliché right? But I don’t mean this in some nebulous, esoteric sense. Let’s honestly look at ourselves to identify where compromise may have crept into our home and church.

Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. (Acts 17:11, ESV; see also Deut. 29:29)

The Bible clearly and practically instructs us to take every thought captive for Christ, building all our thinking on the foundation of God’s Word (2 Corinthians 10:5). It’s then we commence to live out the Christian life and are prepared to give answers against the “Genesis 3—Did God really say?” attack of our day, leading to the bold and effective proclamation of the gospel in a secular age (1 Peter 3:15).

2. Get Equipped

Once “foundational cracks” are identified, find and implement resources that stand on God’s Word as the authority and that train believers to see the world with a biblical worldview. No need to reinvent the wheel here—AiG (as well as a few other ministries) have resources up to the task. Books and videos are available for individuals of all age levels, as well as video series and curricula for small groups and classes. AiG’s ultimate weapon against today’s “Genesis 3” attack is our Answers Bible Curriculum (ABC). If you’ve read my other blog posts, you know that before AiG I taught Bible history in a public school for 13 years. I taught through the Bible chronologically, which is powerful and clarifying because most people—most Christians—have never studied it that way. When you understand the timeline and know where biblical people and events fit, the Bible makes sense and it comes alive. You also see the gospel thread all through biblical history, culminating in the revelation of Jesus Christ. While teaching through the chronology, I answered the skeptical questions of this age, essentially teaching apologetics. I also connected archeology to biblical events confirming the Bible’s historicity time and time again. I discovered that teaching the Bible in this manner truly addressed the biblical illiteracy problem in our culture and church, and it opened the eyes of many of my students. Even though I may not have realized it for some time, I was fighting against the modern-day “Genesis 3” attack! ABC does this very thing at a more profound and spiritual level.

3. Get on the Phone (or iPad, computer, or whatever you communicate with)

Last but definitely not least, spread the word! Use conversations, tweets, Facebook posts, books, articles, videos, passes to the Creation Museum, and so on. Let’s do whatever we can to help other Christians, Christian organizations, and churches see and address the “Genesis 3” attack of our age.

One Sip at a Time

A lot needs to be done and a lot needs to be undone. How do you drink out of a fire hydrant? One sip at a time.

For an audience of One,

Bryan