Theology and teens. Does it sound like an explosive combination? Or a grand exercise in futility, filled with yawns and eye rolling? If you’re like most youth leaders, just the thought of mixing teens and theology can leave you wondering where to start.
So how do you go about getting teens interested in theology? You lay a foundation for great spiritual discussion by asking questions that tap into their natural adolescent inclination to spout their own opinions and question everything.
I learned this firsthand during the filming of Dare 2 Share’s reality series, “GOSPEL Journey Maui.” Using Craig’s List, we intentionally gathered a group of young strangers, including a Buddhist, Christian, Jew, Mormon, New Ager, Muslim and Seventh Day Adventist. Then we filmed their controversial spiritual conversations while they were living together in a Hawaiian beach house. It was anything but boring.
So how did I get the cast to engage in serious theological conversations about the nature of God and religious truth? By asking them questions. Each day on the set, I launched the conversation by asking one of the big questions of life. Questions such as: Is there a Higher Power? What is the purpose of life? Why is there evil in the world? Why are there so many religions in the world, and can they all be right?
While the cast members responded to these questions by sharing from their own spiritual worldviews, they also responded by pouring out their hearts and talking about their own lives. From the open-minded Buddhist to the devout Muslim, these young people moved from observers to participants in the search for spiritual reality because they were seriously seeking answers to questions that mattered to them. As they shared, I listened with care and respect. Then at an appropriate time, with their curiosity piqued and their divergent opinions still swirling, I circled the conversation around to what the Bible had to say about the subject at hand—and they listened attentively, intrigued by the search for spiritual truth.
Tips from the Master
Jesus was masterful at communicating truth by initiating spiritual conversation. In
When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
“Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.”
Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?”
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you” (
Notice that Jesus starts out by asking His followers what others are thinking before He asks them for their opinion. He starts with questions that are less personal, before moving toward a more direct and pointed inquiry; listening to their opinions, then talking about God’s revelation of the truth.
At Dare 2 Share Ministries, we’ve tagged this powerful approach to teaching theological truth with the label ALT-ernative Teaching. ALT stands for:
A – Ask great questions.
L – Listen intently.
T – Teach God’s Word.
Using an ALT-ernative Teaching style unleashes teens’ natural curiosity and pushes them to think more deeply about what they believe and why.
Provocative Questions
So what makes for great questions to trigger discussion? Questions that can’t be answered with a simple “yes” or “no”; spiritual questions relevant to how to live life; questions likely to start a debate. One great way to get a pulse on the kinds of questions that will intrigue your teens and stimulate discussion is to ask them to provide you with their questions. Here’s a small sampling of the kinds of questions teens are wondering about, taken from a real youth group’s recent Q & A time:
• If someone lives their whole life doing bad things, and then on their death bed hears the gospel and accepts Jesus, do they still get to go to heaven?
• How do you forgive your enemies?
• It sometimes doesn’t seem like God is listening. Am I praying right?
• How can we tell when something is God’s will?
• Why does God forgive us when we do wrong things?
• How do we know Christianity is the right religion?
The very depth of these questions indicates teens are seriously seeking to know God more deeply and better understand His ways. The more you can tap into your students’ genuine curiosity and shine the light of God’s Word on the real life questions churning inside them, the stronger their faith will grow.
The second step in the ALT-ernative strategy is to “listen intently.” As you introduce this new ask-listen-teach approach to communicating theological truth, be prepared for some awkward silence. Remember awkward silence is your friend. After you ask your question, refuse to talk until your teenagers start sharing. Time may seem to slow down. You may feel embarrassed. You may feel tempted to just jump in and start talking. Fight the temptation with silence. As awkward as it is for you, it’s just as awkward for your teenagers. If you’re patient, God can use this uncomfortable silence to do something in their hearts and push them to search their souls for an honest answer.
As your teens share their thoughts, affirm their honesty (not necessarily their answers). When their views are out in left field, listen carefully and attentively, then respond with comments such as,“Thank you for your honesty…” “So what you’re saying is…” “Go a little deeper with that.” “Does anybody else agree with this answer and why?”
Once you’ve listened, it’s time to make the transition to the third step of the ALT-ernative Teaching approach–“teach God’s Word.” This is where the power is–in God’s Word. So make sure you take your teens there and don’t just serve up your own opinions. Do your homework in advance. Know where the key passages are that deal with the topic at hand. As you share what the Bible says on the subject, it will lead to even more discussion and, if you’re lucky, a debate among students.
Don’t be intimidated by the possibility that your spiritual discussions might take you to a place where you don’t know the answer. I guarantee there will be times the conversation will go in an unexpected direction. Sometimes a simple “I don’t know, but let’s try to find out together” may be all you have to say.
Remember that teenagers will learn a whole lot more about the nature of God and spiritual truth if they are able to engage with the subject honestly without getting shut down by their youth leader. So ask first, then listen, then teach and watch to see how God can use this approach to make the mix of theology and teens a dynamic experience, not eye-rolling drudgery.
