Interesting stuff from the latest Koinonia House newsletter:

A large number of young people are leaving the Church after high school, according to a survey of 1,023 Protestants age 18 to 30. While 35 percent of those who leave generally resume regular church attendance by age 30, and another 30 percent attend sporadically, significant numbers of Christian youth are leaving and never coming back.

"Too many youth groups are holding tanks with pizza. There's no life transformation taking place," said Ed Stetzer, director of Nashville-based LifeWay Research, which did the survey in April and May 2007. "People are looking for a faith that can change them and to be a part of changing the world."

Over half of church dropouts cited problems with the pastor or people at church, with over 40 percent saying they saw church members as hypocritical or insincere. Fifty-two percent of those surveyed said they had philosophical, religious, or political reasons for leaving.

What do we do to keep young adults engaged in Christianity?

Former atheist-turned-Christ-apologist Anthony Horvath argues that one of the biggest issues is that Christian youth are not being taught to defend their faith. Kids have major questions;
-Why is there evil and suffering in the world if God is good? -What is the evidence for God's existence?-What makes the Bible different from any other religious holy book?-Are the events of the Bible historical?

Horvath argues that kids do not simply need to be taught what the Bible says, they need to know how to defend their faith, as 1 Peter 3:15 says:

"But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:"

Older Christians and Christian parents need to research and do their homework so that they can be ready to answer the questions of their young people. Churches should make sure that their youth groups do more than hang out, sing, and eat pizza. While youth ministries should be a lot of fun, they need to be places where kids are trained in the knowledge of God, not simply entertained.

Just as important, both Christian youth and Christian adults need to shun hypocrisy. The teen years can be the hardest years of a person's life. They are often years of insecurity, filled with longings to be loved and accepted. If the Church fails to embrace these young people and demonstrate the true love and nurturing character of Christ, kids can be deeply hurt. It's tragic when people feel safer and freer to be themselves in a tavern than they do in a body of believers.

Only by being filled with the Spirit and in touch with the true heart of God can we be the models of Christ that we need to be to the next lost and dying generation. Only by building up our young people to be warriors of the faith can they be prepared to battle the world's philosophies as they grow into adults.

I really like the balance he lays out when he says that youth groups should be a lot of fun but should also be places where kids are trained in the knowledge and ways of our Lord.

Another great quote was the need to shun hypocrisy, which is so evident in the church that it makes me puke! Why can't we just be honest and admit that we are all sinners who are freely redeemed by our Lord Jesus Christ. Is it that hard? Why do we need to play the game?

Any arguments?