The Stakes Are Higher Than Ever

Last night, I started hanging out with a D-Group of 8th Graders from the youth ministry that I have volunteered in for two and a half years. I was (and still am) pumped to start getting to know these guys better. I've felt like I haven't been connected well enough with the students for most of the time that I have volunteered in this student ministry. 

But something happened last night that really drove home a point that one of my profs had mentioned. The way he put it was that "students today are biblically illiterate." Our group is going through a book that the point leader selected, and last night the topic was about integrity. The tagline for the lesson was something "If I have integrity, my behaviors will match my beliefs, which will match what the Bible says." The question "How do make sure my beliefs match what the Bible says?" then came up.

The guys all just looked around the room, staring at the ground, each other, anywhere but at the person who asked the question. Finally, one guy said "Well, I wouldn't know because I don't read the Bible that much." Without knowing it, he had answered the question. 

What are we doing to make sure that our students are learning the Bible?

Perhaps more importantly, what are we doing to make sure they are learning how to study the Bible on their own?