The tough questions.
I wanted our Youth Group to have exercise in the practical application of theology. This is different from the usual ministry work that comes with YG like helping elderly or the infirm, etc. I wanted them to think about how their faith in Christ and obedience to His word should or does influence their thought process.
Because when I was of Youth Group age, my through process was rarely at all rooted in scripture. If it was, generally it was of the twisted variety to support some sin in my life.
So we’ve started asking an ethical or practical question that seeks to get them thinking on how they apply what they’ve confessed with what they believe. Those are often different things if left unexamined.
Wednesday’s question was: A baby will be born with extreme retardation (will be in a vegetative state), is it OK to abort the pregnancy? What if the baby won’t be mentally retarded, but will be undeveloped & likely won’t live more than a few days or weeks after birth? OK to abort?”
We started off having everyone give their personal opinions and then began justifying things through Scripture by looking for specific examples where we can see support or opposition to our ideas from God. I won’t share what the initial or adjusted opinions of the YG kids was, because one of their concerns is “saying the wrong” thing & being judged by more mature Christians – a problem in itself, to be sure.
So for you on a Friday: How would you have answered this question? Do you have any suggestions for future tough questions the YG can tackle?
