A Powerful Reminder on a Beautiful Island

This summer I was blessed to speak at the Lutheran Church Michigan District Youth Gathering on Mackinac Island. I know spending a few days on Mackinac Island sounds rough—but somehow, I endured.

The hosts do a phenomenal job with the conference, which drew approximately 1,000 kids. The multiday conference includes several musicians and many extremely gifted and godly speakers. All the speakers were sharp, funny, engaging, and powerful presenters. I was blessed to hear what they had to say!

But each day something happened that reminded me of the power and purpose of AiG—this ministry that God has raised up for such a time as this. During the daily breakout sessions, it was my room that was packed beyond capacity—every time. People were literally sitting on the floor, stairs, and standing throughout the hour-long presentations. Why? My topics were, “Do Animals Evolve; Noah’s Ark & Flood; One Blood – One Race; and Dinosaurs.” These were the questions they were struggling with.

You see presently it’s these sorts of notions the enemy is craftily using to get people to question, doubt, and reject God’s Word. In the book The Lie, we detail how the adversary is currently attacking the Bible’s history to undermine its authority and to undermine the gospel that is established in that authority. To put it succinctly, if we cannot trust the Bible’s history, why trust it about salvation (John 3:12, 5:47)?

According to research published in the book Already Gone, these sorts of questions are one of the primary reasons two-thirds of church-going kids are walking away from church after high school. You see, our kids grow up with these questions, and they’re looking to us—their parents, grandparents, pastors, and Christian leaders—for answers. What are they getting in response? Regrettably, it’s mostly, “I don’t know about dinosaurs or ape-men, but those things don’t matter: just trust in Jesus.”

But we’re neglecting their real, reasonable question, which is, “Why should I trust the Bible’s message of salvation if that very same book has been disproved by modern science? If I can’t believe Genesis 1:1, why should I trust John 3:16?”

And they’re right! Either the Bible is the authority in all things, or it is the authority in nothing! We do not have the option of treating God’s Word like a buffet.

The response I saw was indeed a powerful reminder of where God’s Word is being attacked today. It also reminded me of the crucial need for Christian parents, grandparents, and leaders to stand on the authority of God’s Word and equip ourselves and coming generations so that we can answer the skeptical questions of this age, defend the faith, and powerfully proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ (Colossians 2:8; I Peter 3:15; Jude 1:3)!

May this reminder from a beautiful island be an inspiration to us all!

For an Audience of One,
Bryan