As a Gospel Advancing leader, you’re mobilizing students to have Gospel conversations and equipping them to grow as disciples of Jesus. But are you giving them all the tools they need in these two key areas? One important strategy youth leaders often miss is helping teens develop compassion and understanding for people outside the Christian faith.
Teaching students what people with different worldviews believe about God and life has three powerful benefits. It will:
1. Equip them to have a greater impact.
In today’s diverse and rapidly changing world, there’s a wide spectrum of worldviews, and understanding them can strengthen your students’ ability to engage meaningfully with their friends who don’t share their faith.
Teenagers who are knowledgeable about different worldviews can engage in conversations with those who hold alternative beliefs, without feeling threatened or defensive. Instead of viewing others’ beliefs as an obstacle to their own faith, they can approach these conversations with the intent to skillfully share the Gospel by asking good questions, admiring what they can about what the other person believes, and admitting their own need for Jesus.
Whether your students are interacting with a friend who identifies as a Muslim, a classmate who practices Wicca, or someone with an atheistic perspective, they’ll be equipped to understand where the other person is coming from and share the love and truth of Jesus in a way that is relevant and compassionate.
In addition to the worldviews linked above, Dare 2 Share has articles on how to share your faith with people from many different belief systems, including Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, New Agers, Hindus, religious people, Jews, Deists, Buddhists, Satanists, and agnostics. You can use these articles to educate yourself, your leaders, and your students on various belief systems.
2. Strengthen their faith.
Understanding various worldviews helps Christian teenagers fortify their own beliefs. By exploring and comparing other perspectives, they can identify the foundational truths of Christianity and solidify their understanding of why they believe what they do.
Studying other worldviews will help them recognize what makes Christianity so unique. This deeper look will also allow them to ask and get answers to tough questions, which will in turn give them confidence and clarity—both for themselves and for others—and hopefully lead to increased passion for Jesus and becoming a disciple who makes disciples who make disciples.
Thinking about what other people believe will naturally prompt them to think more deeply about their own beliefs—and perhaps even doubt them. This wrestling can be a little scary for parents and youth leaders, but if you consistently walk teens through their questions and equip parents to do the same, it often leads to a much stronger faith in the long run. It’s better for students to struggle with these things in the safety of this phase of life than later when they may not be surrounded by as many caring, mature Christians.
3. Prepare them for the future.
In many parts of the world, teenagers are surrounded by cultural influences that challenge traditional Christian teachings. From media to social circles, Christian teens are often confronted with ideas that contradict their faith and the truth of the Bible. By understanding how different worldviews shape cultural narratives, teens can engage more effectively with the culture around them, without compromising their Christian identity.
This foundation will be especially important as they mature into young adults and head off to universities, jobs, and military positions—where they are often surrounded with influences that make them question the truth of Christianity. What you’re teaching them now will not only serve them today but will also build resiliency for their future.
Teaching Christian teenagers about different worldviews isn’t just about equipping them with knowledge. It’s about preparing them to be effective leaders who can represent Christ well wherever God directs them in their future.
In a world that promotes relativism, uncertainty, and a self-centered viewpoint, Christian teenagers who are grounded in their faith and informed about other beliefs can become powerful ambassadors for the Gospel—so make a plan to help your students learn about different worldviews soon!
