![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/collapse.jpg\")
<\/a>In news reports from Atlanta, Georgia, there have been pictures of a service station\/convenience store that is collapsing. What is the problem? There is a large water conduit running under the property, and evidently, a huge leak has formed, perhaps even a collapse of some sort. This has caused the collapse of the foundation of the building. It is evident that the whole structure is on the brink of destruction.<\/p>\nSo, what\u2019s the point? We all understand the obvious need for solid foundations. No building will ever stand without a foundation. That is the first step in construction. And in the spiritual realm, we sing songs with the words \u201cOn Christ the solid rock I stand.\u201d Another song is \u201cHow Firm a Foundation.\u201d We are familiar with Christ\u2019s teaching concerning the need to build on a rock.<\/p>\n
“Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them, I will show you whom he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly, is like a man who built a house on the ground without any foundation; and the torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great<\/em>” (Luke 6:47-49).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
The point I am making is that according to research, at least 70% of students that come from \u201cChristian\u201d (denominational) homes lose their faith while they are in college. How does this happen? There are at least two contributing factors.<\/p>\n
\n
- They are not given any foundation for their faith. I know of few, if any, denominational organizations that teach on evidences \u2014 evidence for the existence of God, evidence for creation rather than mindless evolution, evidence for the resurrection of Christ or evidence for the inspiration of the Bible.<\/li>\n
- Another major problem has to do with the liberal bias of college professors. Estimates show that in 1990 42% of professors were liberal. That percentage increased to 60% by 2014, with liberal professors now outnumbering those of a more conservative perspective by a ratio of 5 to 1. One survey I saw identified the percentage of liberal professors at 91%.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
We can couple this with the admitted aim of many professors, as noted in the following quotes by those who stand before our young people in the classrooms, as I have written before.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe try to arrange things so that students who enter as bigoted, homophobic, religious fundamentalists will leave college with views more like our own\u2026We are going to go right on trying to discredit you (fundamentalist parents) in the eyes of your children, trying to strip your fundamentalist religious community of dignity, trying to make your view seem silly rather than discussable. We are not so inclusivist as to tolerate intolerance such as yours.\u201d [Prof. Richard Rorty, in his essay \u201cUniversality and Truth\u201d].<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery child in America entering school at the age of five is insane because he comes to school with certain allegiances towards our founding fathers, towards his parents, toward a belief in a supernatural being\u2026 It is up to you teachers to make all of these sick children well by creating the International Children of the Future\u201d (Chester M. Pierce, Harvard Professor addressing public school teachers. [Berit Kjos, Brave New Schools, p. 161, as Kjos writes in opposition to Pierce].<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
It is no wonder that the defection rate is so great among denominational young people. But what about our own? I am afraid I have known of too many who have left the faith. There may be various reasons, as Satan is still alive and working to draw disciples away, and he has many weapons at his disposal. But one obvious weapon Satan has is his attack on weak faith.<\/p>\n
Then the question is, \u201cHow do we prevent this loss?\u201d There are at least three strategies to win the battle in this war with Satan.<\/p>\n
Teach Children at Home<\/h2>\n
The first step is quite obvious. Start at home. This strategy has been used for thousands of years, as we see in God\u2019s instruction to Israel.<\/p>\n
“Now this is the commandment, the statutes and the judgments which the LORD your God has commanded me to teach you, that you might do them in the land where you are going over to possess it, so that you and your son and your grandson might fear the LORD your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged. O Israel, you should listen and be careful to do it, that it may be well with you and that you may multiply greatly, just as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey. Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up\u2026.<\/em>\u201d (Deuteronomy 6:1-7).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Do we remember what Paul wrote in reminding Timothy of his childhood? \u00a0\u201cFor I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well<\/em>\u201d (II Timothy 1:5). \u201c\u2026and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus<\/em>\u201d (II Timothy 3:15). Although Timothy\u2019s father was not a Christian, it is apparent that his grandmother and mother were diligent in providing this young man with a solid foundation. I seriously doubt they thought, \u201cOh, we\u2019ll send him to Sabbath School every Saturday, and that will be enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
And we recall Paul\u2019s admonition to fathers in Ephesians 6:4: \u201cFathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n
Don\u2019t leave it up to the church to do all the teaching of our young people. How many parents would be content if our public schools only met for three or four hours a week to educate our children? I don\u2019t think that would work very well.<\/p>\n
Teach Children at Church<\/h2>\n
A second ingredient in building a successful and solid foundation would be for local churches to be proactive in teaching evidences. It is obviously good for elders and preachers to plan for lessons in textual studies, for we need to have an understanding of God\u2019s word in the context of various books of the Bible. But especially, in view of the attacks on faith today, there is a need for studies in evidences. There is an abundance of good material available for studies on the evidence of inspiration, studies in the resurrection, studies in the historical accuracy of the Bible, etc.<\/p>\n
Select Schools Wisely<\/h2>\n
A third strategy in helping our young people to be strong in their faith is to be very thoughtful about where we send our children to college. There are some places of higher learning that should have a big \u201cX\u201d on them. Yes, they may provide a good education in the things of the world, but they also may seek to destroy faith in the world to come.<\/p>\n
And with respect to our public schools\u2014kindergarten through high school\u2014there are dangers there, as well. Parents need to be involved in the PTA and other activities. I know that even in the 1970s one of my daughters was ridiculed by a teacher because my daughter was a Christian and \u201cMiss Goody-goody Two-shoes,\u201d (whatever that was supposed to mean). And this was in the \u201cBible belt\u201d south.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
God has given parents a great treasure, and we need to take every precaution to protect his great gift. \u201cBehold, children are a gift of the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward<\/em>\u201d (Psalms 127:3).<\/p>\n
Dear reader, it is imperative<\/em> that we establish a firm foundation for our children. We do that by establishing their faith. The Hebrews\u2019 writer declared, \u201cNow faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen<\/em>” (Hebrews 11:1). The word \u201cassurance\u201d is from the Greek \u201chupostasis<\/em>.\u201d Among the various words used in its definition are \u201ca setting under (support)\u2026substance.\u201d What is a foundation? It is that which \u201cstands under.\u201d<\/p>\n
The King James translation renders the verse: \u201cNow faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen<\/em>.\u201d Faith \u201cstands under.\u201d It is our foundation. It must be strong. It must be instilled in our children. Paul encourages us to \u201ctake up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one<\/em>\u201d (Ephesians 6:16). If our faith is strong, it can overcome anything Satan can throw at us.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Jefferson David Tant In news reports from Atlanta, Georgia, there have been pictures of a service station\/convenience store that is collapsing. What is the problem? There is a large water conduit running under the property, and evidently, a huge leak has formed, perhaps even a collapse of some sort. This has caused the collapse…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[381,709,29,107,380],"class_list":["post-4324","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-education","tag-evidence","tag-parenting","tag-raising-children","tag-school"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":90187,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/this-is-marvelous-in-our-eyes\/","url_meta":{"origin":4324,"position":0},"title":"This Is Marvelous in Our Eyes","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 6, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Terry Wane Benton \"This was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes\" (Mark 12:11 ESV). Watch closely what Jesus is saying and why. He is talking to the Jews who were rejecting Him and reminding them that they were fulfilling the scripture statement of Psalms 118:22\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":48744,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/foundations\/","url_meta":{"origin":4324,"position":1},"title":"Foundations","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 24, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalms 61 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0When we are teaching others, it is important not to just address the issues raised, but to think about why a person has come to the wrong conclusions. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0When a person claims to be a Christian but is living with another person,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":92896,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-is-your-foundation\/","url_meta":{"origin":4324,"position":2},"title":"What Is Your Foundation?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 28, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Doy Moyer via InLight Media What's your life built on? The way you answer this question makes all the difference when things get rough - when you get hit with hardship, stress, sickness, or even death. Doy Moyer invites us to consider our foundations and recognize that a life\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Video"","block_context":{"text":"Video","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/video\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":15383,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/foundations-of-apologetics\/","url_meta":{"origin":4324,"position":3},"title":"Foundations of Apologetics","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 14, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"by Doy Moyer I have tried, for better or worse, to dedicate myself over the years to the foundations of what it means to defend the reason for our hope (I Peter 3:15). While the study of apologetics (the defense of the faith) has many layers and even more topics,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/medieval-castle-84336_1280-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":87714,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/who-do-you-say-jesus-is\/","url_meta":{"origin":4324,"position":4},"title":"Who Do You Say Jesus Is?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 11, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Terry Wane Benton There were various opinions about who Jesus was to those considering Him in the first century (Matthew 16:13-19). All opinions and beliefs were not equal. Today, various religious beliefs are not equal to the truth. When some held the opinion that Jesus was a prophet but\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":41595,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-lord-knows-those-who-are-his\/","url_meta":{"origin":4324,"position":5},"title":"The Lord Knows Those Who Are His","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 19, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: II Timothy 2:14-21 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0There are always going to be people who will not accept what God says. 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