Mama Bear Apologetics

A Review by Hannah Schultz

A Cultural Guide for Every Christian Woman (Not Just Mamas!)

To be honest, I generally avoid watching or reading the news. But I do spend (too much) time on social media, and I’m inundated with daily examples of how our world is changing. The culture I grew up in is not the same culture we have today… and I’m not that old! By the grace of God, I am thankful that my faith has remained firm as I’ve become an adult, and I pray that it will remain firm enough to weather the cultural storms that will continue to batter Christians until Christ returns. It seems like each day it becomes more and more challenging to answer the question, “What does it mean to live as a Christian in the world?” Maybe I know the truths and principles of God’s Word, but am I able to clearly articulate why they matter and how I am to live them out? 

Now that I have a young son, the stakes of this challenge are raised even further. God has blessed me with a soul to raise and nurture, and it is my husband’s and my responsibility to “train him up in the way he should go” (Proverbs 22:6). This may seem daunting, but I know God is with us on this journey. He has revealed His Word to us, which is “profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16), and He has also provided us with Christian resources to help us along the way. Enter Mama Bear Apologetics. 

If you’ve made it this far, I want to stop and make one thing clear: Mama Bear Apologetics is not just for mamas. Is it written by several ladies and therefore more appealing to the feminine nature? Sure. But after reading this book, I am convinced it should be required reading for any Christian woman, mother or not, and especially those who have any kind of relationship or regular interaction with children. In fact, the general editor, Hillary Morgan Ferrer, doesn’t have any children herself! By teaching you how to equip your children to live as Christians in the world, this book helps you learn how to clearly articulate what you believe and why it is important. Maybe you don’t have children of your own to train, but you can certainly use these same principles when you find yourself in a conversation with anyone who has questions or criticisms about what you believe. 

Why Apologetics? 

Why am I a Christian? Perhaps you have wrestled with this question at some point in your faith journey. Our children will be forced to reckon with this question much earlier than we expect. Look at any study about youth retention in the church, and you’ll be left feeling depressed by the statistics. Secular society is becoming increasingly hostile towards Christians, and we are seeing the results as church membership declines. So what can we do about this? According to Ferrer, “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. It is not enough to simply tell them which ideas are raised against the knowledge of God (2 Corinthians 10:5). We must train them to understand why those ideas are flawed.”

The Mama Bear Approach

According to the Mama Bear website, a Mama Bear’s two primary instincts are to nurture and protect. Remember, you don’t have to be a Mama to be a Mama Bear! In Chapter Two, author Hillary Short outlines the four key traits you do need to be a Mama Bear: honesty, humility, humor, and heroism. It takes courage and grace to face questions about our faith! And a little humor can go a long way in opening the doors to an authentic conversation with someone with whom you disagree. 

This book is divided into two main parts. The first part explains how a Mama Bear can use the ROAR Method to tackle an issue. ROAR stands for Recognize the Message, Offer Discernment, Argue for a Healthier Approach, and Reinforce through Discussion, Discipleship, and Prayer. 

Part Two is where this book truly shines. This section of the book is entitled “Lies You’ve Probably Heard but Didn’t Know What They Were Called” and the chapters cover self-helpism, naturalism, skepticism, postmodernism, moral relativism, emotionalism, pluralism, New Spirituality, Marxism, feminism, and progressive Christianity. Intimidated by all the “isms”? Fear not– each contributing author uses grace, humor, and Scripture to clearly explain the cultural lies in a way that is approachable and easy for the average busy woman to understand. Each topic is broken down using the ROAR Method. In the Recognize the Message section, you will learn what the cultural movement teaches and how it has crept into our society. In the Offer Discernment section, the authors provide exemplary analyses of both the good and the bad aspects of each worldview. These Mama Bears are not afraid to recognize the truth in each of these movements as well as areas where the Church has utterly failed. They acknowledge the good intentions of the people behind these movements, and they help you discover common ground with even the staunchest adherents of these worldviews.  Of course, after demolishing these worldviews with both logic and Scripture, it’s time to Argue for a Healthier Approach. In this instance, argue means recognize the (sometimes very few) merits of an unchristian worldview and then offer a better, Scripturally-sound approach.

Finally, each chapter ends with some practical tips and suggestions of how you can talk with your children about these topics. Satan wants us to be afraid to talk about these issues, because if our children are not learning about them from us, they will learn from someone else. A Mama Bear is ready to face these issues head on and use the truths of Scripture to help her children make sense of the world. Be encouraged– you don’t need to know all the answers right away. In fact, sometimes the best teaching moments come when we search for answers together with our children. And Mama Bear Apologetics provides abundant resources to help you (and your children) in your pursuit. 

Take Heart

One of the last things you will read in each chapter is a thoughtfully written prayer. Don’t underestimate the power of prayer in this battle! And remember, there is nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9). None of these issues are surprising to the Lord. After all, Satan has been trying his best to deceive humans ever since the Garden of Eden. You know what else has been happening since then? God has remained true to His promises. He was faithful then, is faithful to you now, and will continue to be faithful no matter what we face in this world. We eagerly anticipate His return when we can finally experience the fullness of His victory over sin, death, and the devil. Until then, rest in these words of Jesus: “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” Come soon, Lord Jesus!

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