Comments on: What’s best for the children: A story about Bob

By: Brian

Brian — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 19:00:00 +0000

Outside of Ephesians 4-6, this is the most profound thing I have read today. You hit the nail on the head, Michael. Tragic thing is, this story is so real in tens of thousands of homes across the USA.

By: Aaron

Aaron — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 19:00:00 +0000

I can only say that this needs to be said a lot, and you said it very well.

By: Mikal

Mikal — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 19:00:00 +0000

This is how I feel, except that my wife has completely lost interest in church.
The sad thing is, I don’t know of a single church in this area that is like those I went to growing up. They’re all, to some degree, the church in this article!

By: Mary

Mary — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 19:00:00 +0000

It took us 4 years to escape pop Christianity and the toxic effect it had on our family. We are confessional Lutherans now. It was hard to get the kids off the spiritual ‘junk food’, but after 1.5 years in a good catechism program, we can see the fruits of learning one’s faith. Our teens are much less peer dependent, can recognize false teaching, are much less influenced by the cool leader, ‘cult of personality’ type Christianity, yet still maintain their Christian identity.

It was one of the hardest, yet best decisions we ever made.

Great post Michael.

Mary

By: imonk

imonk — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 19:00:00 +0000

God bless you guys! Thanks for the encouragement. Mary, I am so with you on that choice. It saved my kid’s faith. I really believe it.

By: Joi

Joi — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 19:00:00 +0000

I grew up in churches where the highlight of the church was the youth group, and one where it was the kids’ choir. These were the most dysfunctional organizations that I have ever seen. Fortunately, my parents were intent that I should learn adult Christianity, and protected me from some of that. I learned to sit in “big church,” and participate there. But when I hit college, I abandoned my background (Texas Southern Baptist) because I didn’t want to deal with that anymore. I ended up in a very conservative Anglican church. One of the things that I enjoy the most is being in church with all different types and ages. The kids have Sunday School until about halfway through the service, then join the rest of the church family (and no-one is pressured to go to Sunday school; many kids don’t).
When I made the decision to embrace the single lifestyle, I was profoundly grateful for my church: we have no singles group. I am still just a member of the parish, not “a single,” or “a college student,” or a part of any little group. I’m just Joi, a member of the parish, and a fellow traveller in this life.

God save us all from pop Christianity.

By: Matt Smyczynski

Matt Smyczynski — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 19:00:00 +0000

This is a great article. I am one of the two kids that decided where the parents were going to church. The church was great until it became seeker-sensitive. I spent an academic year away from home, and when I came back, my sister had gotten the family pseudo-interested in a Pentecostal church. We went there for a while, until they got utterly ridiculous, and since then we’ve been split. My sister goes Church of Christ on Sunday and Wednesday, I go Catholic on Sunday and non-denominational (and non seeker-friendly) on Saturday, and my parents randomly go to whatever church they feel like (and it is often the case that they feel like staying home).

It’s frustrating sometimes. My dad and I both wanted to keep the family together, so the four of us would visit churches, and then evaluate them based on how close they stuck to the Bible. This system turned out to be flawed, in that it didn’t take into account how “boring” the music was, because that always seemed to be the deciding factor.

I can’t help but worry about the future of Christianity in America.

By: Feeble Knees

Feeble Knees — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 19:00:00 +0000

IMO Bob would do well to run, not walk to the new church. Ponies and clowns are going to do nothing for his children when they face their deepest crises. And prosperity teachers do much to pervert the gospel of grace and shipwreck faith when trouble comes.

Just my humble opinion. Good article, thanks for writing it.

By: Emily

Emily — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 19:00:00 +0000

While this is a great, intelligent post, and I agree with 99% of it, I know you’ve written elsewhere that the husband should have the final say about the church–and I just wonder what ought to happen when it’s the husband who wants to stay home and watch televangelists and the wife who wants to go to a church with solid preaching.

By: imonk

imonk — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 19:00:00 +0000

I’ve said that Ephesians 5:21- mutual submission to one another and to Christ- is the starting point. The project is worship and nurture towards Christ.

The wife should do all she can to get him out of that chair. If he isn’t going to do that—-and I would suspect that loyalty to a tv evangelist is not the issue, but something about the church is the issue- then the wife needs to do the right thing for the marriage and the kids. Get to a good church.

He is abdicating leadership and serving himself. He’s not leading the family. And when the man won’t lead the family to a mutual decision, then the wife needs to do what is best for the family and the marriage. Mom and kids being in church is good for the spiritual nurture and foundation of that home. Dad watching Creflo Dollar isn’t.