This is a guest post by blogger Cheri Fields (see short bio below) on arming our kids against evolution.
Everywhere we look as parents we can hear the voices of people resisting and denying God. Whether it’s on morality or the way the universe came into being, they do all they can to not just ignore Him themselves, but to destroy the faith of those who acknowledge Him.
It can be a scary thing knowing in a few short years our children will be facing this onslaught- and doubtless even stronger than we see today.
But Jesus hasn’t left us helpless! We have the most powerful weapons of truth at our fingertips we could ever need. The question is will we as parents be arming our kids to fight the battle against the philosophy of evolution?
Arming our kids with creation materials
There are many areas of the Christian worldview to focus on and at first it came seem overwhelming. It’s worth your time to find out what Christian “Apologetics” means, particularly as we are called in I Peter to “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: (KJV)”. You will want to pay attention to whether the presenter is using human reasoning to decide if God makes sense to them. Instead, watch for people who start with the reality that God is, He has revealed himself in the Bible, and when we take this as true the world makes sense.
From our children’s youngest lessons, Creation is a vital component of this worldview training. Ken Ham of Answers in Genesis is famous for pointing out that all basic Christian doctrines trace their foundations back to the first chapters of Genesis. He is right. Without a literal Creation, Fall of Adam and Eve, and the Promise of a Redeemer Kinsman in Genesis 1-3 we are left with just nice sounding mental constructs.
So, what does teaching creation look like?
For me, it means taking the time to explore and learn about the natural world with my children. I don’t limit them to only Creationist materials, but I do want to be with them as they begin to read about “millions of years” and evolution. Being with them as they read about evolution is a great to be arming our kids for the battle. It isn’t hard to spot the many places this is dropped into everything the secular world offers. It’s also not hard to show my kids how they just assume these things because they want to.
A generation ago many parents thought the best way to prepare their children for a dangerous world was to only present them with the truth. Now we have experienced the fallout of not being ready for the bravado of those who deny God. For every attack people have against the Bible, there are clear and obvious answers. Knowing how truly firm the foundation we stand on is only serves to give us confidence!
If you want to get ahead of the curve and arm your children before they are exposed to secular teaching, I mention some of the basic things I’ve encountered in an article for Creation Ministries International. There are surprisingly few topics you really need to have a grasp of to arm yourselves and your children to see through the propaganda you’ll find on TV and educational materials.
Where to start Arming our kids?
Besides these basic issues, the best place is to begin where your kids are already. What questions are they asking you? What are they going to be learning about in the next school year? There is the most amazing resource for finding answers developed by the support team at Creation Today called Search Creation.org. All the major creation websites are indexed as well as a number of smaller places they have checked out. Whenever I want to find out what the creation community has to say on a subject this is my number one stop.
My personal ministry is focused on helping families find materials that can assist them as they train up the next generation. For years I’ve linked to The Visual Verse of the Day because I recognize part of the power of creation is to show us God’s beauty and grandeur. I’ve even turned my focus to a podcast where you can listen as I present science the way I do with my own kids. Your style is sure to be different, but you have the same Holy Spirit and he will lead you! Every newsletter I email mentions other ministries providing resources that can be a blessing and encouragement to us and our children.
We are facing a battle, but the tools available to us are unprecedented and powerful. Jesus is faithful and he always guides those who long to follow him!
Guest blogger Cheri Fields is a homeschool mom of seven and runs the website Creation Science 4 kids. Cheri helps families keep their faith in their Creator by explaining concepts simply so everyone can understand. Parents, kids and others can follow her creation website and subscribe to her email. Cheri also appears on Twitter at @c_science4kids.