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Fairness and Jesus Christ

…just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.  Matthew 20:28 Fairness is an unchallenged Goliath in the army of humanism. The modern days soldiers of humanism see the “fair” treatment of humans as an inalienable right of individuals, to the exclusion of the old notion that there is a God to whom man is accountable. The Humanist Manifesto mockingly scorns such notions. (See the Humanist Manifesto.) John Dewey and other important educational thinkers and psychologists had no use for the idea of obedience to a God who is no longer needed by an enlightened culture. These humanist thinkers have dominated educational philosophy for […]

It’s Not Fair – part two

So the last will be first, and the first will be last.  Matthew 20:16 The modern concept of fairness is rooted in achieving justice. Biblically, however, both fairness and justice must be defined as doing things God’s way. From a Christian perspective, the only way to be fair is to apply God’s word accurately to a given situation. Is this the same thing as making sure each child gets the same number of minutes to play with a toy, or making sure that each child has the same number of toys to play with?  Not really. In the last post we looked at the parable of the workers in the vineyard to gain a biblical perspective on the concept of […]

It’s Not Fair – part one

So the last will be first, and the first will be last. Matthew 20:16 In a recent post I identified fairness as a Goliath of humanism. The Goliath metaphor represents an idea or a practice so culturally accepted that it becomes a champion of conventional wisdom, even while standing in opposition to the truth of Scripture. So this metaphor represents concepts that are seemingly unchallengeable. There are several such modern day champions which challenge biblical truth. Humanism is the modern source of these champions, though the issues they represent are as old as sin. In the days ahead we will look at several of these humanist champions, these modern-day Goliaths. Let’s begin with fairness.

A Three Pronged Response

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Ephesians 4:2 Lisa posted this comment last week. Her concern is an important one. I am confident that many can identify with this comment. How does one balance caring deeply about God’s reputation through trying to raise godly children who glorify Him and still loving those who profess Christ yet bring shame to Him with the worldly, disrespectful, defiant heart issues they allow in their children? We feel called to homeschool our two daughters and shelter them from worldly and evil influences. Yet even among Christian homeschoolers, I am alone in my worldview. I do not say this with pride: I am truly discouraged and lonely in […]

Mini-Post: Your Comments

Recently Berta, Lisa and Heather, as well as others, have made comments that to help sharpen the focus of the blog. Your comments, questions and insights provide direction to the issues we cover. This blog is an interactive forum to discuss the biblical dynamics of raising children for the glory of God. Please continue to offer your thoughts. The next two posts are directly related to comments from Lisa and Heather. I look forward to hearing from you.

Humanism – Today’s Goliath

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. —2 Corinthians 10:3-5 Young David was undeterred by the huge champion Goliath. Unlike his fellow Israelites, he did not compare Goliath’s size and strength with his own. He compared the strength of Goliath with his God. This comparison gave David the courage to fight for the reputation of God. The world of biblical parenting is […]

From Death to Life

Memorial Day calls Americans to take time to consider the sacrifice that so many have made to allow this country to be free. As the white markers at  Arlington National Cemetery vividly depict, this sacrifice often involves the  loss of life. It is no small thing to give one’s life that others may benefit. Certainly, those in the military should be appreciated for their willingness to make this sacrifice. This holiday is a reminder that there is more to life than living. God calls his people to consider him first in this life. This means putting aside your own desires and embracing God’s ways. In one sense this is also a sacrifice, as Jesus says in Matthew 16. Raising children […]

Gratitude

I am grateful to you, the readers of this blog, for your participation in this new online community. Biblical parenting is both challenging and rewarding. This blog is one way to find encouragement as you face the challenges of addressing more than outward behavior in raising your children. Your reading of the blog and your comments are certainly an encouragement to me. Please continue to pray that God would richly bless our efforts to shepherd our children to love Jesus Christ deeply from the heart.

Raising Davids

Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God? I Samuel 17:26 Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. 37 The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." I Samuel 17:36-37 It is possible that after these last few posts some of you may be thinking that I have a problem with the news media. Actually, my purpose is to encourage families to recognize God for who he is and raise their children accordingly. […]

Mini-Post: Michelle’s Comment

Michelle Brock gave a wonderful illustration regarding yesterdays post. I wanted to highlight this for you. Thanks for responding Michelle. One of the treasures I own is a platter my mom brought back from Thailand just after the Tsunami several years back. She found it on the beach in perfect condition, yards away from where many people lost their lives in a resort. The missionaries in this area found many people willing to hear about God, because of this tragedy. Your post reminded me of one of the stories that the missionaries told of the Christians in a particular village who had been persecuted. They requested permission to celebrate Christmas in the village, and were told no. They were required […]