Family Scripture Memorization

Now this is a great way to memorize Scripture. I have had these songs stuck in my head for days. Very catchy. My 16 month old daughter loves them!

Book Review - Gospel Powered Parenting

It would be an understatement to say that many books have been written on parenting. Thousands have surely been written in the last few decades. So why another one? William P. Farley says that it’s obvious by looking at the next generation that “Christian parenting is in disarray.” In his book Gospel-Powered Parenting, Farley addresses the concern that many in the church have: too many children raised in Christian homes are turning away from Christ.

The reason for this, says Farley, is that the church has forgotten that the priority of Christian discipline and instruction of children is that of the parents, not the church. He says, “The point of this book is that God normally exercises his sovereignty through parents who faithfully practice biblical parenting.” (pg. 22) “Effective parents equip their children to overcome the world – not by changing and controlling their environment (things external to their children), but by going after their children’s hearts.” (pg. 24) Gospel-Powered Parents realize the power of the Gospel to change lives and trust in the new birth to bring changed behavior.

The focus of Gospel-Powered Parenting is exactly that; the Gospel. “Going after children’s hearts” means that we recognize that children are born as enemies of God and they need the grace of God applied to them in the cross to overcome their sin. A couple of assumptions by many Christian parents can be deadly to a child’s soul: that they are born innocent or that because they participate in church functions they have received new life in Christ. These will doom a parent’s efforts to raise a child biblically. “New birth is known by its fruits, not by a decision. The most important fruit is hunger for God himself. Effective parents assume this, and patiently wait for sustained fruit before they render a verdict.” (pg. 30)

The first half of Gospel-Powered Parenting is a focus on the Gospel itself. The chapters explain the need for parents themselves to be bathed in the Gospel and then their responsibility to parent with a focus on the child’s eternity in mind. The Gospel is explained in terms of the fear of God, His holiness (and wrath), and God’s grace and love displayed to us on the cross. It is important for Farley to emphasize clarity on the Gospel as the remainder of the book explains how it is applied to parenting.

The final few chapters of the book are more practical in their help to apply the Gospel in parenting. Farley notes that there is actually very little written in the Bible about how to raise children. This, he says, is because “the gospel is the classroom that teaches us everything we need to know to become effective Christian parents. If we really understand the gospel, and know how to apply it to our marriages and parenting, we have all the tools we need to pass the baton to our children.” (pg. 46)
“Parents who trust in the power of the gospel teach it to their children. They relate their dinner discussion to it. They teach it through their discipline. They attend churches that preach the gospel clearly and decisively. They center their family devotions on it…They relate all of life to Christ’s incarnation, life, death, resurrection, and ascension. They read and teach the entire Bible to their children, but they always relate its parts to its center, to the gospel.” (pg. 184)

These more immediately applicable chapters of Gospel-Powered Parenting suggest five basic tools that are essential to assuring that your children hear and experience the Gospel in your home. The tools are: marriage, fathers, discipline, teaching, and affection. Our marriages preach to our children. They tell children whether or not we truly embrace the humility and forgiveness that the Gospel preaches. Farley says that marriage is the most important tool we have in communicating the Gospel to our children. Fathers become the primary model of Christ in the family. Both boys and girls learn their relational identity from their fathers and a church and family is energized by the servant leadership of men. Discipline focused in the Gospel uses “the rod” to awaken the heart of the seriousness of sinful rebellion and bathes children in loving forgiveness, guiding them to repentance in prayer. Gospel-powered parents recognize that it is not the church’s or the state’s responsibility to educate and train their children. No matter what type of education is chosen, it is based on the knowledge that parents are responsible to educate and evangelize the souls God has entrusted to them. Finally, Farley says parents should shower their children with affection, showing them that they truly care for their little souls.

William Farley’s Gospel-Powered Parenting is an extremely important book for all who desire to parent biblically. It is a reminder of the immense responsibility of Christian parenting and God’s design is to bring children to a knowledge of the Savior through Christian homes. This book points us then to the purpose of parenting: “Ultimately the goal of parenting is not your child’s happiness. It is not your happiness either. It is not their academic or career success. It is not your reputation. The goal is the glory of God.” (pg. 198) And it reminds parents to trust in the power of the Gospel to overcome our parenting failures: “So the gospel not only teaches us how to parent. The gospel salves the wounds of our imperfections, and it encourages us to persevere through our failures.” (pg. 220)