Do you know what your child believes about God? What about heaven and hell, Jesus, or the Bible?
Every parent wants to be well-versed in their child’s beliefs, but why does it often feel uncomfortable to talk with our kids about faith, God, and the Bible? You aren’t alone if you’ve wondered what to ask or how to engage your child in conversation about their beliefs.
These are some of my favorite questions to ask kids about their beliefs. This first list comes from Transforming Children Into Spiritual Champions by George Barna.
- What is the character and nature of God?
- How and why was the world created?
- What is the nature and purpose of humanity?
- What spiritual authorities exist?
I’ve added my own spin to Barna’s questions and created this second list over the years I’ve worked in kids ministry. These questions help me converse with kids (and even adults) about what they believe about God, the world, life after death, Jesus, and the Bible.
- Is God real?
- What do you think or believe about God?
- Why do people exist?
- What happens after we die?
- How do you know what is right?
- What do you believe or think about Jesus?
- Why do we have the Bible?
- Where did the Bible come from?
I encourage you to pick 1-2 questions from this list to ask your kid(s) the next time you drive to school or soccer practice, eat dinner together, drive home from church, or go for a walk as a family. I bet you will be surprised by how much your child ponders these important topics.