More Convincing Evidence in Defense and Confirmation, Convincing Christian Evidence for Kids

Actual excerpts compiled by Daryl E. Witmer, AIIA Executive Director James R. Spencer once wrote that apologetics are only needed when dealing with hard cases. Then he said, "If they are over 18, they are all hard cases." Having pastored three churches and raised three sons through most of their teenage years, I can guarantee you that the hard questions don't always wait until even age 18. Some of the most challenging discussions about life that I've ever had have been with kids. And thinking kids deserve thoughtful answers. So-with that in mind, in this issue, we're reviewing three excellent apologetic resources for children who are asking hard question about life and truth. How Do We Know the Bible is True? by Lynn Waller Excerpted from the unit, Proof from Archaeology The Old Testament mentions a  group of people called the Hittites many times. Some of them  lived to the north of the Israelites. Others lived with the Israelites in the land of Canaan. Genesis 25:10 explains that Abraham bought some land from Ephron the Hittite. Later Esau married a Hittite woman. Two of David's fighting men, Uriah and Ahimelech, were Hittites. But until about one hundred years ago, no one had found any trace or mention of the Hittites anywhere -except in the Bible. People who didn't believe the Bible said, "There's no evidence that there ever was such a people as the Hittites. If they really existed, someone else would have written about them. Or archaeologists would have found remains of their work. This shows that the Bible is wrong." But Bible believers said, "That doesn't mean the Bible is wrong. Maybe we just haven't found the evidence of the Hittites yet. If the Scripture says it, it must be true. Just wait." Sure enough-in 1906 a German named Hugo Winckler was digging in the land we now call Turkey. He found the city that was the Hittite capital. He al-so found many clay tablets written in the Hittite language. Of course, it took many years before anyone could figure out how to read it. But eventually they did. One interesting thing about Hittite writing was that sometimes the Hittites wrote from right to left on one line and then from left to right on the next. Further proof that the Hittites had existed was found on clay tablets in Egypt. These clay tablets told of a great battle between Ramses II of Egypt and the Hittites in 1287 B.C. Ramses was even captured by them for a while. He was later rescued when the Egyptians finally won. Archaeologists have even discovered pictures of Hittites drawn by Egyptian artists. These archaeological discoveries showed that the Bible was correct and that the doubters were completely wrong. From How Do We Know The Bible Is True?, by Lynn Waller, ©1991. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. 101 Questions Children Ask about God by David R. Veerman,  James Galvin, James Wilhoit, Daryl Lucas,  and Richard Osborne Q: Would God send nice people to hell if they are not Christians? A: Compared to each other, some people are nice and some are mean. But compared to God, all people are not very good. All people need to be forgiven for their sins, not just "mean people." To be fair, God has to punish sin. God doesn't want to send anyone to hell. That's why He sent Jesus-to pay the penalty for our sins by dying on the cross. But, unfortunately, not all people are willing to admit that they sin and ask for forgiveness. They don't accept the payment of Jesus' death for them. So God lets them experience the results of their choice. KEY VERSES: "No one is good without God. Every person in the world has sinned. No one has ever really followed God's paths or even truly wanted to. Everyone has turned away from God. All have gone wrong. No one anywhere has kept on doing what is right." (Romans 3:10-12) From 101 Questions Children Ask about God, by Veerman, Galvin, Wilhoit, Lucas, and Osborne, ©1992 Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. AND A THIRD RESOURCE: Kids Think & Believe, a  bimonthly publication written by Lanny and Marilyn Johnson, published by the Alpha Omega Institute, PO Box 4343 Grand Junction CO 81502. Deals with science-related issues in terms that children can under-stand. Includes puzzles/graphics. Free upon request.