Answering Questions Teens Ask About God
- Apr 28
- 9 min read
Updated: 5 days ago
The teen years can be tough for parents. They are tough for teens as well. They are often trying to figure out where they belong and their own sense of personhood. They are starting to ask questions and not accept everything outright.
As a father of two teens and as a pastor who talks to a lot of parents in this area who have kids (Fort Mill has a lot of kids and families), I know teens ask questions about their faith and God. As a parent, this can be incredibly unsettling. But, I want to reassure you that this often a normal thing in teens. Their questions are simply a way they are trying to process and understand why they believe what they believe.
As a parent, if you'll walk with your kids through this, it will actually has the opportunity to be a deeper and more grounded faith. So, don't freak out and certainly don't shut their questions down. You need to see yourself as a spiritual leader or coach who will help them through this.
There are a number of great books and resources as well, but what they need from you is availability. Let me tell you, it may even require late night conversations - long after your bedtime. That's often when teens start to think and wonder. And, that's the time for you to help answer so many of their questions and ponderings.
Some teens will also feel embarrassed or may freak over the fact that they are having these feelings. They may not ask the questions out right. Pay attention to subtle clues that your teen might be struggling. Ask questions and signal to them that they have permission and space to question and struggle with belief.
This article can't fully answer questions every question. There are entire books about various topics. What we're going to do here is give you a starting point to help guide and resource you. At One Hope, that's our goal - to help partner and resource parents in our town so that they can be the primary spiritual voice in their kids' lives.
I found my teens had questions but I had them read broadly on a number of apologetic related topics. I found it not only answered their questions but helped them believe. Be sure to enter into conversations with teens on this. Read the book with them or ask questions about it. I found that it's not an overnight fix. Teens also shouldn't panic they they are losing faith. Patiently play the long game and you'll find that resources and conversations help them.
I'll go ahead and share some links to books here and again with more info about them at the bottom of the article:
Does God really exist?
This is where kids often start to wrestle. How do I know God is real if I can't see them. If you've told them about Santa Clause and the Tooth Fairy, are you now going to say the same about God? We laugh but it's a real concern.
This question has been addressed from a number of angles. I don't want to be too technical here but I'll walk through a few classic responses that have been provided.
The Cosmological Argument
We now know that based on scientific evidence that the universe had a beginning. Whether you call it the Big Bang or something else. The evidence points to an origin, a creation, of the universe. Some Christians seem to think we should reject the big bang. That's fine. I'm not here to argue either way for that. I just want us to know that the science agrees with the Bible here on the fact that the universe was created and it was made out of nothing - which finds its most logical explanation in being created by God.
If your teen isn't sure what you mean - just tell them that shows the universe started out of nothing. Nothing! That means no air, no space, nothing. So how can you start something when there is absolutely nothing, it's even less than an empty void. A void would be space. The most realistic explanation is that you must have a divine power that stands outside of time and space and brings it all into being my some miraculous power. Science struggles with this and they are also trying theories to explain otherwise. But, many scientists have begun to believe in God because of this discovery about the universe having a beginning.
The Teleological argument
Another piece of evidence is in the ordering of the universe. Scientists and apologists have pointed out that there is an astonishing level of complexity and orderings that go into make earth a habitable planet.
There's are whole books on this topic. But, here are a few examples of this ordering. We need a single yellow dwarf star that isn't the perfect distance from a planet. A red dwarf won't optimize photosynthesis, another nearby star will pull us out of the sun's gravitational pull and create an unregulated orbit. If we are too close or too far from the sun, the planet will be too hot or too cold. If the planet turns too slow, our nights become too cold and days too hot. This would not sustain life. The same goes for a The size of our planet, the gases composed here, the presence of a magma core, all of these and so many more are essential. If they are even slightly off, no life can exist.
Why is this important? Think about it this way: Let say you walked into a house and saw a plate of eggs, bacon, and hash browns and you also noticed a poured glass of orange juice, as well as, a fork and napkin - all sitting at the table. You would not presume that these elements came together through a million set of circumstances that landed them all together. No, you'd presume someone "created" and prepared it all. If you look at all the particular orderings of our universe and even of our planet and solar system, you see the same thing. This is a good illustration to help you think about it. You can read books like "A Case for a Creator" and then think about all the little ways the universe and earth are fine-tuned for life to exist.
The Moral Argument
Teenagers often raise the problem of evil as a reason against God. But, the very concept of evil assumes a standard of good. If there's no God, then morality is just a matter of opinion. You must have a divine being whose will dictates a universal set of laws that we call good. Otherwise, we can all make up our own rules about morality, but these are always produced by our own feelings or cultural preferences. They aren't rooted in anything that makes them universally true.
In this scenario, murder isn't wrong. Without God, humans have no more value than a rock. They are just byproducts of the universe. We don't lose sleep when we kill grass or crush a rock. So, the same would be true when we hurt or kill a human. You need God for objective right and wrong.
But your teenager knows some things are wrong. Slavery was wrong. Child abuse is wrong. The point is: any standard outside of human opinion requires a standard law giver who makes it right and wrong.
How do we know Jesus was real and not just a good teacher?
I love this question because Christianity really hinges on Jesus. Jesus is the central person whom all of Scripture points toward. Here are some things you can tell your teen.
The historical existence of Jesus is not seriously disputed
The idea that Jesus never existed is not a serious historical position. It's rejected by virtually every credible historian, including secular and non-Christian scholars. We have multiple independent sources for Jesus within decades of his life: the Gospels, Paul's letters (written within 20 years of the crucifixion), and non-Christian sources including the Roman historian Tacitus and the Jewish historian Josephus. The historical existence of Jesus is about as well-attested as any figure from the ancient world.
Jesus made claims no mere teacher would make
A lot of people can believe in Jesus and think he's a great guy but not the son of God. Here's the problem. Jesus claimed to be God. The religious leaders charged that he claimed to be divine. So you can't accept Jesus as a good teacher. When someone makes a claim like that, they are either crazy, deceptive, or telling the truth. C.S. Lewis used to frame this as Lord, liar, or lunatic.
If Jesus says he is God but is not he would be either insane - meaning he was delusional and need psychiatric help, or he is being intentionally deceptive. The latter would make him a con artist. You have to take Jesus as God or as the others. He can't just be a good teacher - his claims make no room for it.
How do we know the Bible isn't made up
As my teens wrestled with questions, they also brought this one up. But, it's really a question that a lot of people ask. The great thing is that we have a lot of credible evidence for believing the Bible. It has been the most scrutinized book in history and yet it has held up.
The New Testament has a lot of early manuscripts. But, there's also a lot of that from the Old Testament as well. The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls - including the book of Isaiah predated Christ by hundreds of years. This means many of the prophecies that Christ fulfilled have copies dated before his life so that they could not be altered to fit his life.
For the New Testament, we have over 5,800 Greek manuscripts. Many of these date to only about 20 years after Jesus lived. By comparison, we have fewer than 700 manuscripts of Homer's Iliad, and most ancient documents survive in fewer than ten copies. Historians consider the Iliad reliable. The New Testament manuscript tradition is much stronger.
Summary
I know there are a lot of other questions out there. Some of them might even be culturally induced about evolution, the problem with evil, the fact Salvation is only by Jesus, and many more. I won't tackle all of these here. For those questions, I'd especially recommend 10 Questions Every Teen Should Ask (and Answer) About Christianity by Rebecca McLaughlin. It's a helpful resource by a Cambridge scholar who has wrestled with these questions herself.
Resources for going deeper
This article is a starting point, not a finish line. The questions your teenager is asking have been engaged by brilliant people who have written excellent books. Here are the most important ones to know about — some for your teenager to read, some for you to read so you can help guide the conversation.
More Than a Carpenter by Josh McDowell. A short, accessible, and direct book written specifically for skeptics. McDowell was himself a skeptic who set out to disprove Christianity and couldn't. It covers the identity of Jesus, the reliability of Scripture, and the resurrection. Perfect for a teenager who is willing to engage — readable in an afternoon.
Case for a Creator (Student Edition) by Lee Strobel. Strobel, a former atheist journalist, interviews leading scientists and philosophers about the evidence for God from cosmology, biology, physics, and consciousness. The student edition is written directly for teenagers and is highly engaging. One of the best single resources for a teen wrestling with science-and-faith questions.
Case for Christ (Student Edition) by Lee Strobel. The companion volume focused specifically on the historical evidence for Jesus — his existence, his claims, and his resurrection. Another excellent teen-accessible resource.
Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. The classic. I'd only recommend this for late high school teens. It's good logic but this is really an adult level read. Lewis was one of the sharpest minds of the twentieth century and a former atheist. His case for Christianity — from morality, reason, and the claims of Jesus — is still among the most compelling ever written. Older or more literary teenagers will find it deeply satisfying.
Cold-Case Christianity by J. Warner Wallace. Wallace is a cold-case homicide detective who applied his investigative skills to the claims of Christianity. His approach — treating the Gospels as eyewitness testimony to be tested — is engaging, methodical, and compelling for teens who respond to evidence-based reasoning.
On Guard by William Lane Craig. More philosophical, but accessible — a thorough primer on the major arguments for God's existence and the resurrection. Good for a teenager who wants the full intellectual case.
Reading one of these alongside your teenager — not just handing it over — multiplies the impact. The conversation that happens around the book is often where the real formation takes place.
Looking for more resources? We have a few below, but come visit us at One Hope and find a community and leaders who want to help you learn and grown in your faith. Together we raise up the next generation to become followers of Jesus.
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