Guest Post - 4 Reasons Young People Should Consider Getting a Theological Education

Sarah Medicis is guest blogging for me this week. She is a phenomenal young lady who has recently gotten excited about apologetics and it has been a part of a revolution in her Christian life. In this article she will tell you why theological education might energize and engage a generation of disinterested millennials! Listen to her! She . . . IS . . . ONE!

Her message? If you go after a theological education you will . . . 

GET HUNGRY

A wise man (speaking on why young people often leave the church) once said, “The problem, at least in part, is that we haven't been presenting the intellectual weight of the Christian faith to them.”

This wise man’s name is Braxton, and at different points in the past four years he has been my pastor, my professor, and essentially my mentor in Christian apologetics. I’m currently a student at Trinity College of the Bible and Theological Seminary, working towards an end goal of a doctoral degree in apologetics and theology. I am also the youth director and a member of the worship band at my church, the coordinator of a Thursday night apologetics class for college students, and a 6th-8th grade Sunday school teacher. Usually if I give that spiel to another person my age, their lack of interest in all things “church” shows through pretty quickly. This can be annoying and disappointing to me, and make me feel like I’m different or the odd one out. But that’s exactly what I am; different, the odd one out, an anomaly in people my age when it comes to the things of God. I haven’t always been this person, though. I had what many Christians would call an “aha!” moment in my walk with Christ about five months ago, and since, I’ve had a brand new heart and hunger for Him that has been rapidly growing. What made the difference, you ask? A number of things including more time in prayer, really learning how to worship, etc. One of the things that has helped me grow the most, though, has been the beginning of my theological education and study of God’s word.

GAIN CONFIDENCE

I cannot stress enough the importance of a strong foundation of biblical knowledge and apologetics. These things are necessary to be able to defend your faith, which all Christians are called to do. 1 Peter 3:15 says “but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect..” Knowing God’s word as well as arguments for His existence and for the resurrection of Christ make this defense possible for us, and will create a by-product of confidence to share our faith. A lack of this confidence is one of the biggest things that holds people back from spreading the good news. If you don’t feel confident that you’ll have answers to questions you may be asked, it’s much scarier to witness to others. 

FIND THE SPARK

Another reason for a theological education is that it will pique the interest of young people. This may seem like a simple point to make, but an initial spark of interest can snowball into something much greater. Typically the more you know, the more you want to know, and this is true of studying the bible. As you read God’s word more and more, you’ll be drawn into a closer relationship with Him and get to know Him better. In the world that we live in, we are constantly fed sin and lies and with so many screwed up ideas all around, it is easy for young people to be confused and deceived. The more that you read and study His word, the less easily you’ll be swayed.

 KNOW HIM BETTER

My own theological education has done great things for my relationship with Jesus and my ability to impact others with the message of hope that He’s offered to all who will receive it. If you are thinking about enrolling in Bible college or seminary, even if you don’t necessarily want to make a career from it, I can assure you that setting apart time to study God’s word and to really get to know Him will be invaluable.

Follow Sarah on Twitter at @SarahMedicis  

If you want to GET HUNGRY, GAIN CONFIDENCE, FIND THE SPARK and KNOW HIM BETTER like Sarah does - request some more info from Trinity College of the Bible and Theological Seminary by clicking HERE and filling out the info box.

Sarah is also a musician and has been the lead singer in several bands. Check out her video below.