A danger of Christian schools and youth groups is that they often create a subculture in which teens can't freely doubt, explore other belief systems, or count the cost of discipleship openly.  This phenomenon is well intentioned, but hurtful to many young people.  The fact is, Christians who have wrestled with issues of faith at ayoung age often are stronger in their faith as adults than those who have unquestioningly believed the doctrines they grew up with from childhood.

One profound verse on this topic is from the Sermon on the Mount, when Jesus says, "Seek, and you will find..."  How can one seek religious truth if they don't explore a variety of belief systems?  It's easy to understand why many people feel encouraging teens and young adults to search and explore issues of faith will lead them away from Christ.  However, that contradicts the above statement of Jesus.  If we seek we will find. 

Now, certainly, there are many who grow up in church and reject Christianity, sometimes for other religious faiths.  But Scripture teaches that nothing will snatch a true child of God out of the palm of God's hand.  Perhaps then, these 'backsliders' are really people whose 'faith' in Jesus was never  sincerely their own, or perhaps, they will eventually return to their 'first love' as John puts it in Revelation, but I don't believe they fell away simply because they weren't sheltered enough from other belief systems as teenagers. 

So, when I talk to a young person from the church sub-culture, and they talk about doubting Christianity (which is a lot more often than many Christian adults want to admit) I try not to scare or manipulate or shame them into 'staying true'.   I try to remember that uncertainty is often necessary for a young person to end up in a strong, life long relationship with Christ.  I remind them that if they seek truth, they will find it.  

 We must remember that it's not our staying power that saves our souls, it's God's staying power.