Since Solas launched “Short Answers” videos just over four years ago, they have been viewed almost 2 million times in all kinds of places. They were initially intended to provide short, punchy, thought-provoking videos which would promote and defend the Christian faith – particularly providing answers to the kinds of questions we often get asked by seekers and sceptics. Churches, youth-groups, street-evangelists, Alpha & Christianty Explored groups as well as individuals on social media have been just some of the places these resources have been used.
In 2021, our friends at Scripture Union Scotland asked us if we would be interested in seeing our Short Answers videos used in a more structured way with young people. We have a long association with SU Scotland, both as Solas, and individual team members participating in SU camps, conferences and missions – so we were delighted.
SU’s Susie Ford was the lead writer on the project, and she is no stranger to Solas. We have worked with her in university missions, and she was a guest on our PEPtalk Podcast last year. She said, “Our aim is for every young person in Scotland to have the opportunity to explore the Bible and respond to the significance of Jesus, by considering some of the most popular apologetic questions. Also, we want to support Christian young people to go deeper in thinking about these questions, both so that they can be ready to give an answer for the hope they have in Jesus, and also so that they know they the Christian faith is indestructible no matter how big the questions and objections that get thrown at it.”
The 12 sessions are being published here and are free to use – not just for SU groups, but by anyone! Intriguingly the sessions come in two versions. “Explorers” aimed at young people who are not yet Christians, and “Dig Deeper” for those who are. Each session contains Solas Short Answers video content, games, discussion materials, Bible readings, reflection/application and further resources. Together these make lively, interactive biblical resources which are accessible and easy to use.
Solas’s Andy Bannister said, “We are hugely excited that SU Scotland have built these brilliant youth bible-studies around our Short Answers videos. These videos have been a labour of love for us at Solas – we’ve poured time, effort and prayer into them – and it has been so encouraging to see them being used in all kinds of ways and places that we never imagined when we started to write and film them. Solas has never charged anything for these resources – but offered them as a gift to the church, so to see them being used in this new youth resource is wonderful. It means that the gospel resources we’ve made are going to be seen by a whole new audience. We love working with SU Scotland, and are so encouraged by their work”.
To see the Short Answers videos click here:
To see the Q&A studies from Scripture Union Scotland click here.
