This is the kernel of truth in the piece. Most American Christians receive vanishingly little religious instruction, and what they do receive typically ends at confirmation. Just at the age that they're beginning to formulate serious questions, they're left on their own with, at most, a child's storybook version of Christianity. They are easy marks for the cynics and cultists.
Different people respond to different approaches. When I was young I would have been turned off by my pastor attempting to force feed meditative or spiritual readings. However, I was very interested in church history and enjoyed, in an age appropriate way, the intellectual jousting of the great theological battles. I thought it was neat to know that stuff.
The residual effect was to build an understanding early on that the Christian tradition has dealt with the difficult questions in serious ways. I still don't consider myself theologically well-educated, but I do know the real stuff is out there for the asking. Barefoot swamis and New Age hucksters lose their appeal if they're subjected to a serious comparison.