A Radical Departure

Many of you that know me well, know that I prefer to read the Bible more than any other book. I pray that never changes. Due to this fact, I rarely recommend reading material other than scripture. Today however, may be an exception.

Technology is amazing. It is through modern technology that I am able to listen regularly to one of my favorite preachers. I download his sermons to my phone and listen to them while in the car, or even while sitting in my office. We have included some of his DVD's in our church library, and I have even recommended them from the pulpit. This week, I have been reading through one of his books...

"Family Driven Faith" by Voddie Baucham Jr.

The subtitle of this book says "Doing what it takes to raise sons and daughters who walk with God". I must warn you, anything that you read (or listen to) will challenge your view of the culture, and hopefully, your view of the church and family.

The following is an excerpt from his book...

[The question is not whether or not our children sin later in life. The question is, do we have a biblical obligation to train them before they leave home? Is there an biblical validity to the idea that Christian parents should allow their children to experiment with ungodliness?

Many families have been lulled into what I like to call a full-screen view of parenting. We look at the biblical mandate and compare it to societal norms, and there appears to be something missing. We believe that somehow we are depriving our children of experiences that will make them more liked, more respected, more normal. Hence we trade in the biblical standard for a cultural norm that hovers just below mediocrity. All of a sudden our desires for our children change. Now all we want for our kids is what "every other parent" wants for their children.

The result is a generation about whom Christian Smith has written, "Religion seems to become rather compartmentalized and backgrounded in the lives and experiences of most U.S. teenagers."*
This compartmentalization is completely understandable in light of the minimal weight given to spiritual matters. Smith explains:

This is not surprising. It simply reflects the fact that there is very little built-in religious content or connection in the structure of most U.S. adolescents' daily schedules and routines. Most U.S. teenagers' lives are dominated by school and homework.*

He continues:

Many are involved in sports and other clubs besides. Most teens also spend lots of time with their friends just hanging out or doing things like going to the mall or bowling. In addition, most teens devote a great deal of life to watching television and movies, e-mailing or instant messaging friends, listening to music, and consuming other electronic media. Boyfriends and girlfriends sometimes consume a lot of teenage time and attention as well.*

It seems there are a few things that we deem more important for our children than growing in grace.]

*Smith, Soul Searching, 130-131

Mr. Baucham then proceeds to share three of the things that he feels we deem more important than growing in grace; making the grade, making the team, and making time. And this is just part of chapter one, "The Lay of the Land". Wait till you get to the last chapter, chapter 10 "A Radical Departure from the Norm".