Had a conversation with Fred (not his real name) the other day, and he revealed that though he was raised in a Christian home and went to a Baptist church, he was not a Christian. He told me that when he was 8 he heard the account of Christ driving the money changers from the temple, and he thought that was a sinful thing for Christ to do because Christ was supposed to love everyone.
So, Fred asked some people about it, and he ended up talking to the pastor of the church.
The pastor simply told him, “It was OK because they were bad people”. Fred did not consider this an adequate answer, and that point was the beginning of him rejecting Christianity.
If the pastor knew about Fred’s response to this situation, I’m sure he would be the first to admit he could (and should) have done better. He would be heart broken to know that his inadequate answer was a major part of Fred’s rejection of Christ.
We all know that questions can come ‘out of the blue’ at any time, ESPECIALLY from children! 😊 If you are teaching a class, try to anticipate the questions that may come up, and then prepare some answers ahead of time. And don’t be afraid to take the time to go a little deeper with individuals, even if you need to do it after the class is over. Always encourage questions, because they are healthy and show a level of thought engagement in the discussion.
We can’t always anticipate every question, and I’ve been surprised countless times. When I run into something unexpected, whether teaching a class or sharing the gospel, I always respond with honesty. “You know, I’ve never thought about that. Would you be willing to research it with me?” We have so many great online sources for quick answers, such as CARM.org, Creation.com, gotquestions.org and many, many others. Just google the question to find quick answers, and then you can study deeper when you have more time. I am never satisfied until the questioner is satisfied, lest I create another Fred.
Mission: Apologetics 