“Just because the Bible says something doesn’t make it true.”

At least, that’s where Diane’s* three grown children are in their lives.

Growing up with dedicated, conservative missionary parents, you would think the three siblings would have a deep faith in Jesus. All three were homeschooled, and their parents taught them the Bible diligently. However, one by one, each in turn, has at least temporarily turned away from the Christian faith of their parents.

Their oldest son, in particular, has wrestled with questions over the years. Even his youth pastor didn’t take time to address his honest questions, Diane says, possibly because he didn’t feel equipped to do so.

The second son has since joined the Army, leaving his faith behind, and their youngest, a daughter, turned her back on her Christian faith in college.

Diane and her husband, Don, can’t help but wonder if their children would be following Christ today had someone approached their questions differently, maybe asking why they rejected the Bible—or just asking questions in general to find out where they were struggling in their beliefs. Their oldest was never satisfied with “the Bible says,” but instead wanted intellectual reasoning. The other two children have followed suit, considering themselves “intellectuals” who need “proof” to believe in something.

That’s when Diane landed at SES. She wondered if she missed something in preparing to share her faith and wanted to learn how to do so more effectively. She’s learned that answering a question with “the Bible says” often means little, as fewer and fewer people respect the Bible’s authority.

While their three children still currently reject Christianity, they do respect their mom for working toward a master’s degree to better communicate and defend her beliefs. Diane and Don haven’t lost hope that their children will come back to God and pray for opportunities to share all they have learned at SES with them.

Diane and Don often feel like they have somehow failed their children. They desperately wish they had known then what they know now, that truth is knowable, that there are compelling proofs for God’s existence, and that there are overwhelming evidences for the veracity of Scripture and the historic truths of the Christian faith.

Diane and Don are deeply convicted that what they have learned at SES would have been so critically helpful in inoculating their children against the skeptical, doubtful spirit currently rampant in our country.

The bottom line? Christian apologetics is essential for Christian parents to enable them to counter the spiritual toxicity of the secular culture that is contaminating our youth.

SES is providing people compelling answers to their honest questions and equipping them to share those answers with others, even with their own families.

You can help.

By providing a financial gift, you help SES train more men and women to do apologetics and to evangelize both here and around the world.

Prayerfully consider making a gift right now by clicking below.

On behalf of the students we serve and the many souls whose lives will be eternally changed, thank you!

*Due to the sensitive subject matter of this testimony, the parents have asked SES to use pseudonyms.