“How shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?” Romans 10:14.
Pastor and teacher John MacArthur states that as Christian parents, we are the first and most important preachers that God has given to our children. He goes on to say that we have a better opportunity than anyone to help frame what they know about Christ and that every moment of their lives is a teaching opportunity (Deut. 6:6-7). Here are some books to help us bring up our children in the nuture and admonition of the Lord (Eph. 6:4).
What The Bible Says About Parenting: Biblical Principle For Raising Godly Children by John MacArthur
* More than ever, Christians need to know what the Bible actually teaches about parenting, and put it into practice. In What the Bible Says About Parenting, pastor/teacher John MacArthur presents time-proven principles of Biblical parenting, clearly and carefully, to help parents make sense of their duties before God and to bring up their children in the ways of the Lord. This is an absolute must-have book. I am going through it for the second time now, highlighting and soaking in every word, especially those on effectively sharing the law and gospel with your children. My husband and I love MacArthur’s work and this book is no exception.
Teach Them Diligently: How To Use The Scriptures In Child Training by Louis Paul Priolo
* Priolo gives detailed explanations along with categorized scriptures of how to convict, rebuke, teach, and train your children with God’s Word. A must-have for any parent who desires to bring up children to be spiritually equipped to handle life.
Parenting With Scripture: A Topical Guide for Teachable Moments by Kara Durbin
* Author Kara Durbin’s passion is for parents to capture those teachable moments and use Scripture to shape their children’s behavior. She offers Parenting With Scripture, a unique topical guide to prepare parents with scriptural teaching and helpful activities on 100 specific behaviors.
My ABC Bible Verses: Hiding God’s Word in Little Hearts by Susan Hunt
* With this colorful book, Susan Hunt provides a fun way to help young readers learn about God’s truth. Each letter of the alphabet has a corresponding Bible verse and is accompanied by a story to illustrate the scriptural passage.
For Instructions in Righteousness: A Topical Reference Guide for Biblical Child-Training by Pam Forster
* This book will help you use the Bible every time you discipline your children! It includes hundreds of verses on over 50 areas of sin. But it is more than just a topical Bible. Each chapter includes listings such as “What the Bible says will, or should, happen to a person who sins in this way;” “Ideas for discipline that parallel these Biblical consequences;” and “How God blesses the person who resists temptations to this sort of sin.” This book is based on the premise that if we train our children to submit to the authority of God’s standards, those standards will not change when the children grow up and leave the authority of our homes and we don’t want to discipline in anger; we want to show grief over the child’s sin, and we want to lead him to true repentance. This book is has wealth of material for parents’ personal Bible study, family worship, character training, unit studies, and Bible study projects for older children.
Thanks to Karen for sharing this last book with me, along with all of her other tried and true mothering tips. What a mentor! I should also mention that when we were discussing the book, my friend Julie shared that it was by the same company (Doorposts) that made the “If-Then chart” that she keeps on her fridge (see an example line below). It sounds like another great Biblical parenting tool. Thanks, ladies! If you have a book or tool for Christian parenting that you have found helpful, please, please share it. That’s what this site it all about — learning from each other so that we may nurture and admonish our children in the ways of the Lord!
