Why Church Kids Walk Away (It's Not What You Think)
Episode notes
Is your child deconstructing Christianity, or just asking questions? Not every question is deconstruction.
Not every question is deconstruction. Sometimes a question is the way a child starts to own their faith.
Pastor Daniel Cox and Marie Cox talk about why kids raised in Christian homes question or leave the faith, and what parents can do about it. Deconversion, deconstruction, and reconstruction are not the same thing. Some kids were compliant but never converted. Some are not rejecting Christ at all. They are rejecting the hypocrisy they saw at home or in church.
In this episode
- Three kinds of deconstruction: deconversion, deconstructing culture, reconstructing
- Don't call every question deconstruction
- Questioning, doubting, and unbelief are not the same
- Compliant child or converted child?
- "I want to believe for you." Why parents cannot believe for their kids
- Raising them in church is not the same as discipling them
- Head, heart, and hands
- They may be rejecting hypocrisy, not Christ
- Christianity is more than a list of don'ts
- Faith, politics, and our kids
- Cultural Christianity in the Bible Belt
- If you won't answer their questions, the internet will
- It's okay to say "I don't know." It's not okay to leave it there
- When there's been hurt in the church
- Are we giving our kids a faith or just a Christian environment?
- When your adult child walks away: pray, stay present, play the long game
Pastor Daniel Cox & Marie Cox · Cultural Connections
https://www.culturalconnectionspodcast.com
Calvary Baptist Church, Englewood, Florida · https://calbaptist.net
Scripture
Matthew 23:37 · John 7:17 · John 1:14 · 2 Timothy 3:5 · 1 Peter 4:17
Chapters
- 0:00 Not all deconstruction is the same
- 0:55 Welcome to Cultural Connections
- 1:15 Deconversion, deconstruction, reconstruction
- 2:48 Thomas Oden and Classic Christianity
- 4:28 Don't call every question deconstruction
- 5:16 Compliant or converted?
- 5:44 Faith, doubt, and unbelief
- 6:26 You can't believe for your child
- 7:42 Raised in church is not discipled
- 8:38 Head, heart, and hands
- 9:42 Rejecting hypocrisy, not Christ
- 12:17 Live what you preach
- 13:22 Running into a worse tyranny
- 14:18 More than a list of don'ts
- 15:50 Faith and political tribalism
- 18:00 Cultural Christianity
- 21:47 Don't be afraid of their questions
- 23:30 It's okay to say "I don't know"
- 24:08 When there's been hurt in the church
- 25:56 Distrust of every institution
- 27:12 A faith or a Christian environment?
- 28:26 When your adult child walks away
- 30:26 Young men are coming back to church
- 31:44 Will they remember why?
If this helped, send it to a parent who is praying for a child with hard questions.