We Need Knowledge
Jennifer May
Graduate student, Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary
Master’s degree in Missiology
By and large, our culture is drifting toward functional illiteracy. Although Americans learn to read in school, they rarely exercise the privilege in a healthy, productive way, and Christians are scarcely different. If we read at all, we likely seek fantasy and escapism, and the Bible offers neither. It is not a fun book. It offers "doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness" (2 Tim. 3:16), and it is the vehicle through which man learns about God.
Because Christians do not know their Bibles, they cannot defend their faith. We expect a few trained individuals to do all the work of ministry, theology and apologetics. If 1 Peter 3:15 commands us to "always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks a reason for the hope that is in [us]," how dare we disobey?
Many Christian elders have shirked their responsibility to teach the next generation, expecting pastors, and youth and college ministers to bear that burden alone. As followers of Christ, we must have a vision for reaching the next generation. Our faith is only as strong or as permanent as the next generation. If we do not pass it on, who will? If we do not pursue Christ relentlessly, how will we ever teach others to do so?