Do you believe Christianity is true?  If you ask this question to the average Christian, the response will inevitably be "Yes!"  What I have seen Christians struggle with is answering the question, why do you believe Christianity is true?  When I have asked this question to people, often they seemed perplexed.  After some thought, the responses are usually centered around the home environment they were brought up in, or an appeal to their own subjective experience.  Seldom was the question answered with relevant knowledge about the truth of the gospel.  Christians seem to love the word belief when it comes to answering questions about Christian truth claims, but are very hesitant to use the word knowledge.  In an interview with Christian Philosopher/Apologist J.P. Moreland, he was asked the question, "why do you believe Christianity is true?"  Moreland responded quickly by stating that he didn't believe Christianity was true, he knows that Christianity is true.  Moreland then pointed out the difference between belief and knowledge by defining the terms.  He said, belief is something you take to be true, and knowledge is a true belief based on adequate reasons.

As I reflected on Moreland's response I was brought back to the disturbing trend happening among Christian youth.  Studies show that anywhere from 50 to 70 percent of church going Christian youth are walking away from the church after 4 years of College ( USA Today  and Barna Research).  These numbers should sound the alarm to Christians!  What has our college and university system taught our young people about church and Christianity that has them wanting to leave?  Maybe they have taught that you can not have knowledge about the truth of Christianity.  Maybe they have taught that Christianity is just something you take to be true and amounts to little more than wishful thinking.  I think part of the answer to why so many youth leave, is that we Christians are sending our youth to college with true beliefs but without knowledge.  When these beliefs are challenged, and they will be, many Christian youth are left defenseless, picking up the pieces of a childhood faith that answered the what questions but rarely addressed the why questions.  Moreland often states, “it is knowledge that governs responsible action.”  We visit doctors when we are sick, dentists when our teeth hurt, and the mechanic when our car is in need of repair because they have knowledge about the relevant topic.  Christians have too often devalued knowledge, and this fact has not yielded positive results.

Charles Spurgeon said in his book "All of Grace" that biblical faith is made up of 3 things - knowledge, belief, and trust.  He emphasizes that knowledge must come first!  Do you know (have a true belief based on adequate reasons) that Christianity is true or is it simply something you take to be true?  I KNOW Christians will have a greater impact when we start engaging our culture with our knowledge rather than just our beliefs.  So start looking for your adequate reasons to believe in the truth of Christianity, you will be glad you did!