Christian Parenting

By Sandy Cummins

I would like to introduce myself, my name is Sandy. I am writing to you from Queensland, Australia (you know, the Great Barrier Reef, Kangaroos and Eucalypts).

I am a Christian and have been a committed church-goer since I was thirteen (no I will not say how long ago that was :). I attend the Presbyterian Church of Queensland, which, from what I can gather, is a bit different to Presbyterians in other countries, if anyone is interested I'd love to compare the churches.

I am the mother of three and therefore have a little bit of parenting experience but as all of my children are still tiny I have much to learn and experience.

The reason I would like to start an area for Christian Parents is that I think that parenting is highly underrated in today's society, as is Christianity.

What Is A Christian?

Many people will answer this question differently. For the purposes of this Article I will give my definition. For all you Theologians out there please keep in mind that I am a layman, and although I believe my definition is correct I will probably not express it in the "correct" theological terms (in some instances this may be on purpose!)

To be a Christian you must believe that Jesus Christ died for your sins. This must be a personal belief that he died for YOUR sins, not the sins of the world in general.

For Him to be able to die for our sins we must recognise a few things :

1. That you are a sinner and needed forgiveness, and
2.  That Jesus is God (therefore ABLE to die for your sins).

Jesus is the second person in the Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit).

We know all this from the Bible, which is the Word Of God. The Bible is the means God used to communicate to us so that we can know Him and be able to come to a saving faith. Every word in the Bible is inspired by God and has been protected by God for us through all the generations.

You do not need to work for your salvation or prove anything to anyone, it has already been done for you by the sacrifice of Jesus two thousand years ago.

Other than these Salvation issues mentioned, there are many diverse beliefs held by and about Christians. If the belief (or doctrine) is not vital to your Salvation, then differences, although important, are not worth making enemies and fighting over. Not that I don’t enjoy a good friendly argument on various issues but never to the extent of being a negative witness to others (I hope).

What is different about a Christian Parent? As Christians, we have more responsibilities and difficulties in raising our children in today's permissive society.

We were created in the image of God and were told to go forth and multiply.

Ours is the task of rearing little images of God, and if you think that is easy, think again. No-one on this earth could aspire to being close to God, neveralone being his Image! We are now sinful and the image is marred and distorted to such an extent that any resemblance has disappeared. We have to fight to train our children in the way they should go, we must counteract their natural desires and inclinations from the moment of their birth.

This task is a trial and frustration but when you see them talking about God, praying and showing love and generosity (without prompting) then it is all worth while. The greatest blessing a Christian parent can have is to end up with Christian children.

I would like to help any parents struggling with this task by starting a sharing, supportive community. I hope my articles will to point to places I've found on the Net that might further assist you in your God-given role as a shaper of the next generation.

Please feel free to tell me any areas you would like covered and I shall endeavour to cover that topic for you.

Remember no-one is more vital to your children’s development than you are.