"Larry Taunton of the Fixed Point Foundation set out to find out why so many young Christians lose their faith in college.
Instead of would-be Richard Dawkins', the typical respondent was more like Phil, a student Taunton interviewed.
Whereas his old youth pastor "knew the Bible" and made Phil "feel smart" about his faith even when he didn't have all the answers, the new youth pastor taught less and played more.
Phil's loss of faith coincided with his church's attempt to ingratiate itself to him instead of challenging him. According to Taunton, Phil's story "was on the whole typical of the stories we would hear from students across the country."
These kids had attended church but "the mission and message of their churches was vague," and manifested itself in offering "superficial answers to life's difficult questions." The ministers they respected were those "who took the Bible seriously," not those who sought to entertain them or be their "buddy."
Taunton's findings are counter-intuitive. Much of what passes for youth ministry these days is driven by a morbid fear of boring our young charges. As a result, a lot of time is spent trying to devise ways to entertain them. The rest of the time is spent worrying about whether the Christian message will turn kids off.
Here's something that one of the students told Larry Taunton; he said, "Christianity is something that if you really believed it, it would change your life and you would want to change the lives of others. I haven't seen too much of that."
An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes,
which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law.
Thou therefore which teachest another,
teachest thou not thyself?
thou that preachest a man should not steal,
dost thou steal?
Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery,
dost thou commit adultery?
thou that abhorrest idols,
dost thou commit sacrilege?
Thou that makest thy boast of the law,
through breaking the law dishonourest thou God?
For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written.
Romans 2:20-24