THE BIBLE AND YOU
How to Raise Godly Children
in a Morally Sketchy Society
With Christianity on the decline in the West, especially among young people, what are parents and caregivers to do if they want their own children to have a life of faith and virtue?
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n the whole, Christianity in the developed world is shrinking. One of the major reasons is that young people are neither staying in church nor joining a church at high enough rates to replace older churchgoers who are dying. Meanwhile, many mainline Protestant churches are undertaking major changes to core biblical teachings like the prohibition against same-sex relationships, the divine identity of Jesus Christ and the authority of the Bible. For people with conservative and traditional Christian values, it feels like they are constantly in a defensive position, both from without and from within. What’s a conscientious Christian to do? As a parent who’s trying to raise my two sons to be God-fearing followers of Christ, I’m extremely aware of the disconcerting trends in society. My wife and I are doing our best to counteract those downward trends. How can you and your family be part of an offensive movement that seeks to reverse the trend of a declining Christianity in our world? In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told His followers: “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden . . . Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14, 16). As members of God’s assembly of believers—the Body of Christ—we have a high calling of showing a better way of life to everybody around us. And Jesus says that in His Kingdom, when He returns, His followers will be
by Mitchell Moss
methods of interpreting what it says, will be better prepared to spot falsehood when they hear it. We need more than a simple declaration like “If the Bible says it, I believe it, and that settles it.” While there’s an appealing simplicity in a statement like that, it’s a potential opening for the misuse of Scripture. After all, Satan the devil used 1. Teach your children how to scriptures when tempting Jesus in properly engage with the Bible the wilderness (Matthew 4). By using As many who grew up in a Chrisonly individual passages in isolation, tian church can remember from he twisted the intent of each scripture, their own childhood, it was often the which Jesus correctly saw through and combatted by using other passages that created a fuller picture of what the Bible says. Our kids deserve a robust biblical education built on a full picture of the entire Bible—so they won’t crumple at the first sign of a challenge to their beliefs or be led astray by smoothpreacher’s kid (P.K. for short) who sounding words. was the worst-behaved (when the For a great resource to help in parents were not around). Negative influences on our children come from learning to properly read, engage with both inside and outside the church. In and comprehend Scripture, download the same way, besides societal corrup- or request our free study guide How tions, preachers can spread nonbibli- to Understand the Bible. cal teachings from the pulpit and lead 2. Teach your kids to love God a congregation astray. People who know how to properly in all circumstances When your kids are little, you have engage with the Bible, using sound given the responsibility to govern justly (Matthew 16:19; Revelation 20:4). This life is our training ground, and it starts at home with your own family. So here are three key areas to focus on with your children or grandchildren, to help guide them to be the lights in this world Jesus calls His followers to be.
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November-December 2023
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