Presuppositional Apologetics For Young Teens (pt. 1 of series)
A Simple Outline
A Simple Guide for Students Who Want to Defend Their Faith
Most people try to defend Christianity by starting on the wrong side of the field. They let non-Christians decide the “rules” of the conversation and then wonder why the discussion falls apart. Presuppositional apologetics flips that whole idea. Instead of starting with “human opinions,” we start with God, because He’s the One who gives us logic, morality, truth, and the ability to understand anything at all.
That may sound deep, but stick with me—this is stuff every student can understand.
What’s a Presupposition?
A presupposition is something you believe before you look at any evidence.
Everyone has them—atheists, Christians, skeptics, everyone.
Here’s the Christian starting point:
👉 God exists, and nothing makes sense without Him.
We don’t know anything—logic, science, right and wrong—unless God is real.
What Does “Apologetics” Mean?
People hear “apologetics” and think it means apologizing.
Nope.
It comes from 1 Peter 3:15, where God tells us to give a defense for the hope inside us.
That means:
explaining what we believe
showing why it’s true
defending the Christian worldview
Every Christian is called to do this—even teenagers.
Why We Start With the Bible (Not Neutral Ground)
Presuppositional apologetics is rooted in simple truths:
The Bible is our final authority.
People are sinners who naturally reject God.
So we don’t start conversations pretending God might not exist.
That’s not neutral—that’s giving up the Christian foundation.
Proverbs 26 gives us our battle plan:
1️⃣ “Don’t answer a fool according to his folly.”
→ Don’t use the unbeliever’s assumptions. Don’t pretend God isn’t real.
2️⃣ “Answer a fool according to his folly.”
→ Show how their worldview falls apart without God.
It’s a one-two punch:
State the Christian worldview clearly.
Show how other worldviews cannot support logic, morality, or truth.
The Big Idea Behind TAG (The Transcendental Argument)
TAG basically says this:
👉 Only the Christian worldview can explain how knowledge works.
Think about it—why do these things exist?
The laws of logic
Science and the order of nature
Right and wrong
Reliable memory and senses
Atheism can’t explain these things. Other religions can’t ground them. Every time someone uses logic to argue against God, they’re actually borrowing from the Christian worldview.
Like Van Til said:
“Atheism presupposes Christian theism.”
Meaning:
they need God to argue against God.
Romans 1: Everyone Already Knows God Exists
According to Romans 1:
God shows Himself in creation
everyone knows He exists
unbelievers suppress the truth
So the problem isn’t lack of evidence.
The problem is the human heart.
That’s why neutrality doesn’t exist
Nobody comes into a conversation with a blank slate.
Everyone has beliefs they start with.
If Christians try to argue from a “neutral” position, they’ve already stepped into unbelieving territory.
There is no such thing as neutral ground.
Why This Matters for Students
Presuppositional apologetics helps you:
stand confidently on Scripture
understand why Christianity makes sense
see the weakness in false worldviews
point people to Christ with clarity and boldness
It’s not about winning arguments.
It’s about standing firmly on the truth God has revealed.