Looking back over the last ten years, I can chart my own maturation by the way I interact with people on the Internet. Though I have much room to grow, I find that I have made progress in the way that I respond to the meaningless insults and false accusations that get thrown around so carelessly in the world of social media. Occasionally, however, I do, as my brother-in-law would say, resemble their remarks. The other day I was accused of indoctrinating my children. This enlightened individual couldn't believe that I would force my religion upon my child. It is, you see, very en vogue to allow your children to be free of the restraints of their parents' traditions and beliefs. We should let them grow up with no established belief system and let them decide what they believe is true when they're older. I am backwards for not agreeing with this progressive concept. At first I was offended by the accusation that I indoctrinate my children, but, after further reflection, I embraced it. Here's why:
1) It's my job. Indoctrinating children is literally the job of parents. It is the job of a father and mother to teach their children how the world works and how they are to interact with it. The word bears a negative connotation in our day, but the word indoctrinate once merely meant to teach or instruct. All parents must do this. Do you let your children eat whatever they want in hopes that they will grow up to realize that broccoli is better than candy? No, of course you don't! You teach your children what is good for their bodies. You do your best to develop good eating habits when they're young. We're all flawed, of course, so we occasionally fail at our jobs, but we do our best. How could this same principle NOT apply to caring for the souls of our children? How could it not be our responsibility to teach our children right and wrong? How could we not teach our children about God and His Word? This is a very natural principle, but the Christian's responsibility lies in an explicit command from God. The Apostle Paul tells us that we are to bring our children up "in the discipline and instruction of the Lord." Christians don't have a choice. They are called to teach their children about their God. Do we teach our children to think critically? Of course we do! Do we teach them to think scientifically? Of course we do! But even logic and science only make sense when studied in light of the Creator of the Universe!
2) It's impossible not to. Not only are we as parents called to teach our children about our faith, but we will inevitably do so anyway. Parents who fail to teach their children about God really do teach their children exactly what they think about God. They think He is unimportant. They don't submit to His demands upon their lives. They do not fear Him or value Him enough to teach their children about Him. Let's use the dietary illustration again. If you sit around the house all day eating cheeseburgers and ho-hos, are you teaching your children to value health and fitness? Not at all. The fact that you don't verbally recommend junk food and indolence doesn't mean that you aren't teaching your children to value them. Example is a powerful teacher, and there is no such thing as religious neutrality. The God of the Bible is a very exclusive God. "Whoever is not with me," said our Lord, "is against me." If you are not building the Kingdom of God, you are building the kingdom of this world. The choice is unavoidable.
3) If I don't, someone else will. The world is full of worldviews vying for the mind of my children, and the child-rearing choices that I make will determine what worldview my children develop. Doing nothing is not an option. If I do not take the initiative to teach my children about life, someone else will. Whether it's Hollywood, the government, or their peers, someone will step up and fill the void that I leave.
This is the burden of all concerned parents. What influences do we allow into the hearts and minds of our children? Where do we draw the line between sheltering our children and protecting them? How do we expose them to the world without throwing them to the wolves? We do not want to produce robots who cannot think critically, nor do not want to raise sheeple who follow orders without personalizing and experiencing the power of the Gospel for themselves. Some parents will err on the side of caution, sheltering their children from much of the beauty and brilliance of life, while others will err on the side of liberty, exposing their children to things that are harmful, both for adulthood and for eternity. My wife and I strive to find the balance between these two extremes, though we're far from perfect. Of one thing we are confident, however, that our children are claimed by God and that the way in which we raise them must reflect that fact. That is a heavy calling, and I am grateful that our God is gracious.
This is the burden of all concerned parents. What influences do we allow into the hearts and minds of our children? Where do we draw the line between sheltering our children and protecting them? How do we expose them to the world without throwing them to the wolves? We do not want to produce robots who cannot think critically, nor do not want to raise sheeple who follow orders without personalizing and experiencing the power of the Gospel for themselves. Some parents will err on the side of caution, sheltering their children from much of the beauty and brilliance of life, while others will err on the side of liberty, exposing their children to things that are harmful, both for adulthood and for eternity. My wife and I strive to find the balance between these two extremes, though we're far from perfect. Of one thing we are confident, however, that our children are claimed by God and that the way in which we raise them must reflect that fact. That is a heavy calling, and I am grateful that our God is gracious.
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