I’m a big fan of Rebecca McLaughlin’s writing. Her winsome and wise style appeals equally to believers and unbelievers, the young and the old. Case in point, the teen version of her critically acclaimed book Confronting Christianity. The latter is written for a mature audience, employing certain illustrations which would not be suitable for teens. (Such as the gang rape of Nadia Murad at the hands of ISIS). The former leans heavily into illustrations from Disney, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Lord of the Rings, and Harry Potter. That alone won my daughters over from her opening pages.
Speaking to Teens on Their Level
Our family read 10 Questions Every Teen Should Ask (and Answer) about Christianity around the dinner table. As evidenced by the title, the book addresses 10 questions about our faith and equips teens to answer them for themselves. Like many kids, ours attend public schools where they have no Christian friends. Their faith is tested inside and outside the classroom. We desire to do our part to enable them to “give an answer for the hope within them” (1 Pet 3:15).
As a mother of three herself, McLaughlin enters into the world of our teens and speaks to them on their level. Yet she does so without talking down to them. She takes their concerns seriously and expects them to engage with her arguments for themselves.
Speaking to Teens on Their Identity
Our kids desperately need this kind of content! Due to our present cultural moment, they face challenges to their faith far earlier than we did when many of us were teens. For example, her chapter “Who Cares if You’re a Girl or a Boy?” couldn’t be timelier. Whereas she addresses similar topics in Confronting Christianity, McLaughlin recognizes that for most adults, the battle is over ideas. For adolescents, their understanding of their own identity is at stake!
Speaking to Teens on Their Sexuality
In her chapter “Why Can’t We Just Agree that Love is Love?”, McLaughlin writes candidly about sexuality. Not in an inappropriate way, but in terms that you might want to reserve for moments alone with your teens. (Meaning, don’t read this chapter over family devotions with their younger siblings around). The author opens up about her struggle with same-sex attraction (SAA). She helps parents and teens alike understand that we are all sexually broken. And she advocates for churches and homes to become sanctuaries where individuals grappling with SSA can seek support without fear or judgment, fostering environments of compassion and healing.
Speaking to Teens on the Same Questions We Faced
Our teens certainly face questions that are unique to their generation. Others they wrestle with are the same as we once faced. How can we trust the Bible? Where is God when I hurt? Does science disprove Christianity? Yes, these may be the same issues we engaged with when we came to faith in Christ. What has changed is the world’s posture toward Christianity. When I was considering the claims of Christ as a high school student, Christians were viewed as agents of good in society. This no longer holds true. The scorn towards religion is palpable, at least in our daughter’s experience. All the more reason for us to arm our teens with the spiritual weapons they will need to defend their faith.
Speaking to Teens as a Female Scholar
Here’s an added bonus: While learning from a woman with a PhD from Cambridge University might not impress all teens, it certainly did mine. My teen daughter frequently hears the voices of men she respects, from our church elders who preach from the pulpit to the brothers who teach at youth group. Discovering that women can be scholars and experts in apologetics inspired my daughters that they, too, could serve God with their intellect.
Closing Thoughts
McLaughlin concludes each chapter with a bullet point summary. If you manage to convince your teen to read this book on their own, more power to you! If, on the other hand, you’re reading aloud to yours the way I did, these chapter summaries help the distracted teen (and parent) recall the essence of what the chapter covered. Whether you read to your kids or they read for themselves, you can access 10 Questions Every Teen Should Ask (and Answer) about Christianity via audiobook, e-book, or paperback. Find whatever means works for your family to get this book into your adolescents’ hands. You won’t regret it.
