A book I was recently reading which said about Gen Z Christian teenagers: “When the pressure is turned up and the tyranny of tolerance presses in, Christian teenagers tend to wilt if they do not have the confidence that one comes from knowing why they believe what they believe. Our culture is changing fast and teenagers are confused.” This has been true of every generation, but especially this generation where students, especially through technology, are super-exposed to the world’s ideas and pressures.

So this year our Wednesday night teaching series will be titled, “Why We Believe What We Believe.” It will be a series on theology, explaining in some depth what the Bible teaches—going through theological categories such as the doctrine of God, the Bible, Christology (Christ’s work), soteriology (how and why we’re saved), ecclesiology (the church), and some eschatology (last things). This is the “What We Believe” part.

Yet the series won’t stop with the what. In each teaching on theology, we’ll also answer the why. This is helpful for any Christian to consider, but especially teenagers. It’s true that the answer to the why question is always, “Because God in the Bible teaches these things.” But I think we can also go further. Since these theological ideas are all true we’ll really dig into why these doctrines make the most sense about of the world and why they are the most helpful, hopeful, and beautiful things we as humans can believe to be true. This, then, is the “Why We Believe” aspect of the series.

Please be praying for the students, our Wednesday night meetings, and myself as we journey through the Word together to learn Why We Believe What We Believe.

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