Mama Bear Apologetics
Mama Bear Apologetics: Empowering Your Kids to Challenge Cultural Lies
By: Hillary Morgan Ferrer
I am so excited about Mama Bear Apologetics!
(If you want a copy, I’m giving away two copies on my Facebook Page!… If you don’t win, you should probably just buy it- purchase link below)
I think every person should read this. It appears to be targeted towards moms, but the content is not specialized just for women and the writing style is not strictly feminine. I believe the company is made up of mostly women and they know that moms typically spend the most time with their kids, and thus answering more questions, so they’ve kinda honed in on moms, but it truly would be good for everyone.
We want our children to be critical thinkers and to be able to discern for themselves right from wrong, truth from lie. We want them to know that their faith is reasonable and not blind. We want to teach them that asking questions is good. We want them to know why they believe what they believe. As parents or mentors, we can help our children develop a solid foundation for them to understand, view, and interpret the world.
Don’t let the word ‘apologetics’ scare you.
“Apologetics is how we handle questions.”
“No, we are not apologizing for our faith, nor are we being defensive about it. Rather, we are giving reasons and evidence for what we believe.”
Personally I enjoy reading books about apologetics but it’s not the lightest of reading and can often be confusing.
This book is not that.
They have written this for people who aren’t going to go out and read allll the books. They have written this to equip all adults to understand what cultural lies our children may be hearing or being influenced by. They have written this to help us communicate better with our children about really important things. (Or even recognize these things for ourselves.)
So it is very easy to follow and understand.
As I’ve said, I’ve read several apologetics books (linked at the end) and this one has stood out to me because I believe it’s an excellent and accessible resource for all minds and especially geared toward talking to our children about things.
I can read lots of complicated books but how do I simplify it so it makes sense to my children? What questions are appropriate for my kids? This book is perfect for that!
“On the following pages, you will gain wisdom to help you listen well to your children— to discern their thoughts and questions, and then guide them in thinking critically and biblically about the postmodern culture they face.”
Some of these ideals are overt and easy to spot, but most of the time they’re hard to detect if we’re not paying attention. And to counter the ‘isms’ I list below often comes with unpopularity or rejection. Today’s culture presents their belief system in such a positive light that it’s hard to identify the lies that are hidden within or packaged differently, and it’s harder to go against the current.
I think this book is an invaluable resource that I know I will keep coming back to as things come up with my kids.
One of the best things about this book is that they are committed to discernment which means that they don’t believe in dichotomous thinking.
“We don’t inhale 100% oxygen. We inhale a combination of oxygen, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and atmosphere. Our bodies were designed to take in the oxygen and exhale everything else… [we want] our little bears to be able to interact with this culture with grace, love, and critical thinking— inhaling the spiritual oxygen and exhaling everything else— in a way that is as natural as breathing.”
With each chapter they acknowledge both the good and the bad of a certain idea. We inhale, or hold on to, the good and we exhale, or discard the bad.
This is not a promotion of an a la carte belief system but to help us see how a lot of bad thinking or ideas are attractive or persuasive to us because they have some truth to them. We need to see how truth is twisted or added to in ways that are unbiblical.
They warn against teaching our kids in a way that divides the world into ‘safe’ things and ‘dangerous’ things. I think this is very wise.
“The danger of dividing up the world into simplistic ‘safe’ and ‘dangerous’ or even ‘Christian’ and ‘non-Christian’ categories is that our kids will eventually (and perhaps accidentally) swallow a lie from something they thought was safe or Christian, or reject a truth from something they thought was dangerous or non-Christian.”
The chapter on linguistic theft was super good. I won’t go into detail here, but it’s basically recognizing the affects of redefining words. Some of the words they discuss that have been hijacked are love, truth, tolerance, justice, injustice, equality, bigot, and authentic. I’d bet you could think of a time when one of these words were used in a new way. Have you thought about the dangers of that?
How It’s Organized
This book was written by several contributors. Each chapter covers a new ‘ism’ or belief.
They provide a brief history of the idea.
They break it down using the acronym ROAR:
- Recognize the message (what message or values are being promoted or demonized?)
- Offer discernment (correctly identify the good and the bad)
- Argue for a healthier approach (provide evidence and reasons)
- Reinforce with discussion, discipleship, and prayer (putting it into practice, practical application)
They identify lies and myths and counter them with reason and evidence.
I really like how they include a prayer at the end of each chapter. There’s nothing wrong with praying their prayers verbatim, yourself.
Growing up I was taught the acronym ACTS for praying (adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication). They use PAWS:
- Praise (worshiping/adoring God for who he is or what he has done)
- Admit (confessing/repenting of a sin in thought, word or deed)
- Worship with Thanksgiving (thanking God for who he is or the blessings he has given us)
- Supplication (asking for help)
At the end of each chapter are also discussion questions.
There’s an ice-breaker question, main theme (reviewing what we learned kind of questions), self-evaluation, brainstorming (which are just thought-provoking questions), and ‘releasing the bear’ which is an activity to do with your kids.
I think the questions are thoughtful and would spur on good discussion. This book would be an excellent option to do as a Bible study— as women or as a mixed group of people! Each chapter is so relevant and I think it would be great to discuss with others how to work together and encourage one another in these hard conversations.
Disclaimer
I want to put in this disclaimer before sharing the chapters overview.
When my husband saw the cover of this book he commented on the angry looking mama bear on the front.
Mama Bear Apologetics says their tagline is: “We love people but demolish their ideas.”
The picture may appear harsh, and the word ‘demolish’ seems a bit aggressive. But they really do love people and are not endorsing people start up protests and Facebook comment rants to argue with people.
I love that they say this:
“With most of the ‘isms’ in this book, we are not dealing with willful rebels, but with captives— people held hostage to bad ideas.”
We are all image-bearers of God. And some of us may be held captive to bad ideas. We are called to speak truth. And how we do that is important. But contrary to popular belief, it’s not wrong to defend your beliefs and to challenge bad ideas.
We love our children fiercely and want to protect them.
“The greatest protection we can give our kids is to equip them to face the cultural lies head-on while remaining gracious, loving, and winsome.”
Mama Bear Apologetics’ heart is to offer freedom and escape from their captivity to lies and harmful beliefs.
I think they do a good job of balancing being bold and confident yet gracious and humble. They are ‘attacking’ the ideas, not the people.
The ‘Isms’
Part 2 of this book is dedicated to “Lies you’ve probably heard but didn’t know what they were called”
They include:
Self-Helpism
Covers things like: Self-empowerment. What is our source of authority or power? Do we have all that we need inside of us? Can we fix our own problems? Are we responsible for making our life what we want it to be?
“Trying to fix ourselves is as futile as expecting a broken vacuum to fix itself. It won’t happen. Not even if we gather the family around to shout, ‘You’re an amazing vacuum! You can do it!’”
For further reading on this topic check out:
You Who? by Rachel Jankovic
When Strivings Cease by Ruth Chou Simons
Naturalism
Covers things like: Are science and Christianity at odds? What’s the difference between science and faith? How do we explain the origin of the world or God? What about evolution? Can everything be explained by the material world? Can we ignore the supernatural?
“The universal problem with denying the existence of God is the difficulty of explaining creation apart from a creator.”
For further reading on this topic check out:
Why God Makes Sense in a World that Doesn’t by Gavin Ortlund
A Biblical Case Against Theistic Evolution by Wayne Grudem
The Reason for God by Tim Keller
Skepticism
Covers things like: Can we trust the Bible? Isn’t Christianity just wishful thinking- like Santa? You can’t know anything for sure. Religion is child abuse.
“A child who understands how to discover truth is primed for a faith that lasts much longer than that of a child who is merely presented with the truth.”
For further reading on this topic check out:
Surviving Religion 101 by Michael J. Kruger
Taking God at His Word by Kevin DeYoung
Postmodernism
Covers things like objective and subjective truth— the phrase ‘your/my truth’ or ‘true for you but not for me.’ Is perception reality? Are all truth claims power plays?
“With all the battles fought over truth, society saw truth as the bully, not the people supposedly wielding it… In fact, truth had become synonymous with power and oppression.”
For further reading on this topic (and the next one) check out:
The Gathering Storm by Al Mohler
Moral Relativism
Covers things like: Love is love. Don’t force your truth on me. What does true mean? Should personal autonomy be our highest priority? Are truth and compassion at odds? Is moral relativism even logically possible?
“Once upon a time, counseling was centered upon helping someone’s emotions to match reality. Now people are more concerned with crafting reality to either match emotions or alleviate bad emotions. Even science must bend the knee.”
Emotionalism
Covers things like: Can we control our emotions? Are negative emotions harmful? Should we try to change anything that causes negative feelings? Follow your heart. Be offended. Is emotional distress injustice?
“Emotionalism basically refers to replacing our God-given reasoning faculties with emotion. Is something right or wrong? I’m not sure. Hold on a sec, let me see how I feel about it…”
For further reading on this topic check out:
The Coddling of the American Mind by Jonathan Haidt and Greg Lukianoff
Pluralism
Covers things like: Are all religions equally valid? Does sincerity or popularity make a belief true? What does tolerance mean? Aren’t all religions still worshiping the same God?
“In a society where multiple religious beliefs coexist, secularism, colored with tolerance, leads the false dichotomy that either 1) all religions are equally valid, or 2) no religion should be discussed.”
For further reading on this topic check out:
The Intolerance of Tolerance by D.A. Carson
New Spirituality
Covers things like: Pantheism- we are one with nature (i.e. Avatar, Star Wars- the ‘Force’). Meditation will fix your problems. We are one with God.
“We are all sinners in desperate need of a Savior. We can strive all we want, try all we want, meditate all we want, center ourselves all we want, but doing these things will never make us good. Apart from Christ, there is nothing that can save us, redeem us, cleanse us, or make us worthy.”
Marxism
Covers things like: What’s the difference between Marxism, socialism, and communism? Is Marxism just an economic system or is it a belief system? In what ways do social justice warriors draw from Marxist ideals? Who is oppressed? What is justice and equality?
“Acknowledge. Grieve. Work for reform. Godly conviction is good. Let true injustices spur your heart to action. But stay alert for the lies in the social justice movement that we need to spit out.”
For further reading on this topic check out:
Cynical Theories by Helen Pluckrose and James Lindsay
Confronting Injustice without Compromising Truth by Thaddeus Williams
Discrimination and Disparities by Thomas Sowell
Feminism
Covers things like: The three waves of feminism. Is there a war on women? Do we even need men? How do men control women? How has the church failed women? What is gender? Does feminism free women?
“A victim who is desperate to be heard will overlook the flaws of a movement that is willing to listen and be angry on her behalf.”
For further reading on this topic check out:
Radical Womanhood by Carolyn McCulley
Eve in Exile by Rebekah Merkle
Talking Back to Purity Culture by Rachel Joy Welcher
Irreversible Damage by Abigail Shrier
A(typical) Woman by Abigail Dodds
Progressive Christianity
Covers things like: The five key beliefs of progressive Christians. What critiques have progressive Christians made of the church that are helpful?
“Instead of staying within the bounds of orthodox Christianity and bringing reform from within, progressives set their aim on the actual doctrines of Christianity rather than the abuses committed by Christians.”
“Christianity is not progressive; it’s eternal.”
For further reading on this topic check out:
Gospel People by Michael Reeves
Conclusion
I cannot stress enough how much I recommend this book. See I even BOLDED it!
Considering how helpful I found this book even though I’ve already read a handful of apologetic books this year, how much more beneficial will this book be for any of you who don’t have time to read all the books?
If you hear hard questions and feel overwhelmed and helpless to articulate an answer…
If you hear hard questions and start to question your own faith foundation…
If you hear hard questions and get frustrated by the ideology your children face…
If you hear hard questions and feel motivated to find the answers…
If you have never heard a hard question but are curious what may come up later…
If you have no problem with self-helpism, naturalism, skepticism, postmodernism, moral relativism, emotionalism, pluralism, spirituality, marxism, feminism, or progressive Christianity and you wonder what the big deal is…
… this book is for you.
It is not too early and it is not too late to start communicating about hard things with your children.
Read this book. Read it with friends. Be inspired to learn more. Be bold. Think critically. Speak truth.
And as their saying goes: #RoarLikeaMother. (or a father… or a mentor… or a friend… you get it.)
The Mama Bear Apologetics Website has a lot of resources.
They mention this website for a parental guide on movies.
There is also further resources listed at the end of the book for more books on each chapter.
You can (and should) buy yourself and all your friends a copy of this book. You may use my affiliate link below!
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