Worldview for the Next Generation: Part One
Adapted from a blog post by Josh Mulvihill who provides a good resource for parents and the church with his book, Biblical Worldview: What it is, Why it Matters, and How to Shape the Worldview of the Next Generation.
"A thorough knowledge of the Bible is worth more than a college education."
- Theodore Roosevelt
Many Christian young people are unprepared to navigate the tidal wave of unbiblical ideas that confront them. If George Barna is correct, over 70% of Christian young people will reject their faith before they reach the age of 30. We all know teenagers who have drifted and walked away from Christ. We never think that person could one day be our own child. When the pressure is turned up, our children will struggle if they don’t have confidence that comes from knowing what they believe and why they believe it.
Who is doing a better job of imparting their worldview to children, the world or the church? If we are honest, many churches and families are struggling to pass on a deep, lasting, actionable faith to future generations. Athletics, academics, and the arts are often prioritized over the nurture of a child’s faith. Children may end up at a prestigious university or receive an athletic scholarship, but their faith lags far behind and leaves them vulnerable to the deception of the world.
George Barna states, “A person’s worldview is primarily shaped and is firmly in place by the time someone reaches the age of thirteen; it is refined through experience during the teen and early adult years, and then it is passed on to others during their adult life. Such studies underscore the necessity of parents and other influencers being intentional in how they help develop the worldview of children.” High numbers of parents and grandparents are not developing their child’s worldview, and the spiritual vacuum is filled with cultural ideas and secular thought.
That’s why worldview matters. Biblical worldview is worthy of our attention and resources.
Below are six reasons why every family and church needs to help children develop a biblical worldview:
Who is doing a better job of imparting their worldview to children, the world or the church? If we are honest, many churches and families are struggling to pass on a deep, lasting, actionable faith to future generations. Athletics, academics, and the arts are often prioritized over the nurture of a child’s faith. Children may end up at a prestigious university or receive an athletic scholarship, but their faith lags far behind and leaves them vulnerable to the deception of the world.
George Barna states, “A person’s worldview is primarily shaped and is firmly in place by the time someone reaches the age of thirteen; it is refined through experience during the teen and early adult years, and then it is passed on to others during their adult life. Such studies underscore the necessity of parents and other influencers being intentional in how they help develop the worldview of children.” High numbers of parents and grandparents are not developing their child’s worldview, and the spiritual vacuum is filled with cultural ideas and secular thought.
That’s why worldview matters. Biblical worldview is worthy of our attention and resources.
Below are six reasons why every family and church needs to help children develop a biblical worldview:
A Biblical Worldview:
1. Provides Wisdom for Life
When you have a parenting problem, where do you look for answers? When you want to learn how to grandparent, where do you turn for guidance? When you want teaching methods, where do you look for ideas? When you have a decision to make, where do you turn for wisdom?
Through the power of God, we have “everything we need for life and godliness” (2 Pet 1:3). 2 Timothy 3:15-17 says, “The sacred writings are able to make you wise for salvation in Christ Jesus... and equipped for every good work.” The key word in these verses is the word “everything.” God has given us everything we need to do what he has commanded us in the Bible.
Today many believe in biblical authority, but fail to help our young people understand how the Bible is sufficient for life and work. We confess its authority of scripture, but we fail to communicate its relevance. When the rubber meets the road, often due to a lack of faith, we discount its ability to do what is necessary to draw unbelievers to Christ, enable us to grow in godliness, provide direction for our lives, and transform and revitalize society. In our day, the battle is against those who would have us use worldly means to do God’s work.”
2. Develops the Foundation for a Lifelong Faith in Jesus
Perhaps you’ve heard about the high number of young people who are dropping out of the church, walking away from their faith in Christ, and about the low numbers of young believers who have a biblical view of life. As a pastor to families for nearly twenty years, I’ve seen the following patterns develop:
One of Paul’s goals for Timothy is firm belief which is the result of three things: what Timothy learned (biblical truth), who he learned from (parent, grandparent, and spiritual mentor), and how he learned (being taught the Bible from childhood). Notice, the Bible is concerned with what children learn, who teaches children, and how children are to learn. If we want children to live a godly life, for their entire life, then these are God’s methods toward that end.
3. Shapes Character and Conduct by Truth
A common phrase used to communicate how to pass on faith to future generations is this, “Faith is caught, not taught.” It sounds spiritual. But it is an unfortunate perceived dichotomy. In the Bible, learning occurs relationally, experientially, and verbally. Faith is caught and taught!
Faith is caught, which is why we must be able to say to young people, “Imitate me as I imitate Christ” (1 Cor 11:1). Faith is also taught. The Bible prioritizes teaching as the primary method of helping future generations know Christ and grow in maturity. Let’s explore a few passages (paraphrased) that command parents and grandparents to teach the truth of God’s Word to young people.
Parents and grandparents are to use the Bible to shape who a child becomes and how the child lives. This is the pattern and command of Scripture.
When you have a parenting problem, where do you look for answers? When you want to learn how to grandparent, where do you turn for guidance? When you want teaching methods, where do you look for ideas? When you have a decision to make, where do you turn for wisdom?
Through the power of God, we have “everything we need for life and godliness” (2 Pet 1:3). 2 Timothy 3:15-17 says, “The sacred writings are able to make you wise for salvation in Christ Jesus... and equipped for every good work.” The key word in these verses is the word “everything.” God has given us everything we need to do what he has commanded us in the Bible.
Today many believe in biblical authority, but fail to help our young people understand how the Bible is sufficient for life and work. We confess its authority of scripture, but we fail to communicate its relevance. When the rubber meets the road, often due to a lack of faith, we discount its ability to do what is necessary to draw unbelievers to Christ, enable us to grow in godliness, provide direction for our lives, and transform and revitalize society. In our day, the battle is against those who would have us use worldly means to do God’s work.”
2. Develops the Foundation for a Lifelong Faith in Jesus
Perhaps you’ve heard about the high number of young people who are dropping out of the church, walking away from their faith in Christ, and about the low numbers of young believers who have a biblical view of life. As a pastor to families for nearly twenty years, I’ve seen the following patterns develop:
- Biblical illiteracy: Alarmingly high numbers of children raised in Christian homes do not know what the Bible teaches.
- Biblical confusion: High numbers of young Christians do not know why they should believe the teachings of the Bible instead of other views.
- Biblical immaturity: When young people encounter a different belief system, many do not know how to defend their faith or explain the basic truths of the Bible.
What leads to lifelong faith for children? According to the apostle Paul, a Scripture-saturated, Bible-based upbringing of engaged faith shapes the beliefs of children. Paul instructs Timothy, “Continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it, and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings” (2 Tim 3:14-15).
One of Paul’s goals for Timothy is firm belief which is the result of three things: what Timothy learned (biblical truth), who he learned from (parent, grandparent, and spiritual mentor), and how he learned (being taught the Bible from childhood). Notice, the Bible is concerned with what children learn, who teaches children, and how children are to learn. If we want children to live a godly life, for their entire life, then these are God’s methods toward that end.
3. Shapes Character and Conduct by Truth
A common phrase used to communicate how to pass on faith to future generations is this, “Faith is caught, not taught.” It sounds spiritual. But it is an unfortunate perceived dichotomy. In the Bible, learning occurs relationally, experientially, and verbally. Faith is caught and taught!
Faith is caught, which is why we must be able to say to young people, “Imitate me as I imitate Christ” (1 Cor 11:1). Faith is also taught. The Bible prioritizes teaching as the primary method of helping future generations know Christ and grow in maturity. Let’s explore a few passages (paraphrased) that command parents and grandparents to teach the truth of God’s Word to young people.
- Teach these things to your children and your children’s children (Deuteronomy 4:9).
- You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk about them when you sit, walk, lie down, and when you rise (Deuteronomy 6:7).
- Hear, my son, your father’s instruction and forsake not your mother’s teaching (Proverbs 1:8).
- Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4).
- Older women... are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind and submissive to their own husbands. Older men... urge the younger men to be self-controlled (Titus 2:2-6).
Posted in Worldview Watch
Tagged with Ephesians, Deuteronomy, Proverbs, Titus, Paul, Timothy, Children
Tagged with Ephesians, Deuteronomy, Proverbs, Titus, Paul, Timothy, Children