"Our parents did not spend time teaching us to love God"
The writer does not really correctly identify the problem.
For example…
Actually the Great Commission gives believers in general the responsibility to teach “every creature” “all things I have commanded.” Every creature includes the kids and the Commission is the work of the church.
So we’ve got a case of the tired, old false disjunction again that says either the church teaches or the parents teach. There is no reason why both cannot teach.
But let’s be clear: teaching the kids is a responsibility of the church.
But hey, it’s “from the heart” so it must be true.
(I wonder who told this young person that his parents are to blame for his problems? I don’t think people arrive at this from reading the Bible which tends to put the responsibility on the sinner. Someone is teaching it to them.)
For example…
Our parents did not spend time teaching us to love God. Our parents put us in Sunday Schools since K4. Our parents took us to church every time the doors opened, and sent us to every youth activity. They made sure we went to good Christian colleges. They had us sing in the choir, help in the nursery, be ushers, go soulwinning. We did teen devotionals, and prayed over every meal. We did everything right. And they made sure that we did.
But they forgot about our hearts. They forgot that the Bible never commanded the church to teach children about God and His ways. That responsibility was laid at the feet of our fathers.
Actually the Great Commission gives believers in general the responsibility to teach “every creature” “all things I have commanded.” Every creature includes the kids and the Commission is the work of the church.
So we’ve got a case of the tired, old false disjunction again that says either the church teaches or the parents teach. There is no reason why both cannot teach.
But let’s be clear: teaching the kids is a responsibility of the church.
But hey, it’s “from the heart” so it must be true.
(I wonder who told this young person that his parents are to blame for his problems? I don’t think people arrive at this from reading the Bible which tends to put the responsibility on the sinner. Someone is teaching it to them.)
Views expressed are always my own and not my employer's, my church's, my family's, my neighbors', or my pets'. The house plants have authorized me to speak for them, however, and they always agree with me.
I didn’t take this as so much a blaming parents instead of the church, but blaming parents for emphasizing exteriors instead of heart issues. Even Jesus said that all the commandments hang on the command to love God. She was just saying that the emphasis was on all the other commands (even “church commands”) not loving God. I would have to agree, and re-commit myself to being a parent that teaches loving God at the core of how I raise my kids or teach my Sunday School.
What jumped out at me was that this girl was treated as if she was saved from the time she was 5, even though her profession of faith was false. That was exactly my situation- I made a profession at age 6 (and my entire motivation was that my brother went forward, and he and I were rather competitive, so anything he could do I could do better- isn’t that just peachy?)
I believe we often expect our kids at home and at church to exhibit the fruits of the Spirit, even though they are not indwelt by the Spirit. I’m not talking about morality- even an unregenerate person can follow their God-given conscience and be the epitome of upright living- but how often are our kids encouraged to be a witness for Christ and do other kinds of spiritual ministering when they themselves are in need of salvation? So they attend Christian schools and sing in the choir and go on visitation… and sometimes even award them prizes for their ‘Christian character’. And we wonder why so many kids leave the church- well, they were never really there in the first place, but they certainly have the ‘act’ down pat.
We have Scriptural qualifications for ministry, and none of those are directed at children. Just sayin’.
I believe we often expect our kids at home and at church to exhibit the fruits of the Spirit, even though they are not indwelt by the Spirit. I’m not talking about morality- even an unregenerate person can follow their God-given conscience and be the epitome of upright living- but how often are our kids encouraged to be a witness for Christ and do other kinds of spiritual ministering when they themselves are in need of salvation? So they attend Christian schools and sing in the choir and go on visitation… and sometimes even award them prizes for their ‘Christian character’. And we wonder why so many kids leave the church- well, they were never really there in the first place, but they certainly have the ‘act’ down pat.
We have Scriptural qualifications for ministry, and none of those are directed at children. Just sayin’.
Discussion