Encouraging Family Reformation

The biblical institutions of church and family in America are in need of reformation. Some say that we are in the period of greatest apostasy in 500 years. Less than one-half of one percent of adults ages 18 to 23 years have a biblical worldview. Only one-third of Christian parents say their religious faith is one of the most important influences on their parenting and only 27% of Protestant parents are very familiar with what the Bible has to say about parenting. It is clear that many Christian parents are no longer discipling their children in the faith. The result---SBC’s Council on Family Life reported that roughly 88 percent of evangelical children are leaving the church shortly after they graduate from high school. The problem is not only with the church and its program-oriented, marketing-driven growth philosophy, but also with parents, who have abdicated their role and responsibility in teaching, discipling, and nurturing their children in multigenerational faithfulness. The result is that the secular post-Christian culture has claimed the children and youth of America. When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do? (Psalm 11:3). We are encouraged by the fact that God is sovereign, Jesus Christ is Lord and His kingdom is forever. As we believe God's covenantal promise, our opportunity is great in working toward reformation of the family, the church, and the nations.

This blog links to a wide variety of writings on biblical issues regarding the family, biblical roles and relationships in the family, the church, education, and biblical worldview including ethics, apologetics, history, politics, and culture. The blog was created to encourage biblical family reformation through development of a clear family vision of multigenerational faithfulness. Our duties as parents include sharing the gospel with our children, discipling them in the faith (Deut 6:7), raising them in the fear, nuture, and admonition of the Lord (Prov 9:10; Eph 6:4), cultivating in them a biblical worldview (2 Cor 10:5), and providing them with the necessary tools to recognize and engage an increasingly humanistic, post-Christian culture while glorifying God.

July 22, 2009

Restoring Family Finances

A Cheap-skate’s Guide to Economic Dominion
Rev. Brian M. Abshire

Growing up in rural Maine in the 50’s was hard and I guess by modern standards we would be considered poor. Not dirt poor, mind you, we could afford the occasional rock (about the only thing our land would grow). But poor enough as my parents raised five kids in a two bedroom house with no indoor plumbing (ever try tackling a two-holer during a -40 degree below zero Maine winter? It’s not so bad, the chemical decomposition actually generates considerable heat, and the homemade methane has the most “interesting” aroma!). At least we never went hungry. For breakfast we’d be served up a big mess of uncooked beans. For lunch we’d get all the water we could drink. And for supper, we’d just let the beans swell! Sunday dinner however was finest kind! Dad would go to the smoke house and get a great big smoked ham, hang it over the table, and we’d all get to sop the shadow!

Though poor, my family’s greatest boast was that we never went “on the county” or took financial assistance from the State.

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