How should we then vote?

Does the Bible have anything to say about voting? Are there any biblical principles that can guide us in our choice of one candidate over another?

For example, if you have two socialist candidates representing the major parties, which one should you vote for? Is God pleased when we vote for the lesser of two evils? May a Christian rightfully vote for a woman who is running for political office?

Touchy questions, huh?

Believe it or not, the Scriptures have plenty to say on this relevant topic. In fact, II Timothy 3:16-17 tells us that Scripture speaks to every area of life - even politics, education, and entertainment. We must not be ignorant of what the Bible says.

So what does the Bible say about politics and voting? Many have found my book, God's Plan for Civil Government, to be helpful in explaining the biblical principles.

William Einwechter, author of Ethics & God's Law and English Bible Translations had this to say, "Scott Eash gives more biblically sound teaching on civil government and Christian involvement in politics in this booklet than most writers achieve in works more than twice its size. If you are looking for a brief, yet clear, practical introduction to what the Bible says about civil government and what your responsibilities are as a Christian citizen, this is it. Buy it, read it, and practice its principles."

If you buy this book now, you should have enough time to read it before election day!

Why Homeschool?

My brother Shad recently included an interview with Joe Musser in Shad's newsletter, S Layne Review. He posted it on his blog. It was so good, I just had to share it with you!

Joe Musser is an elder at Columbia First Church of God. He is the father of eight children, all of whom are or will be home schooled. Here is the interview which answers common questions about homeschooling:

Shad Eash: Mr. Musser, thank you for agreeing to be interviewed.

Joe Musser: It’s a pleasure.

SE: Why did you and your wife choose home schooling over the government public schools or even Christian Schools?

JM: Both of us believe that the Bible requires parents to not only teach their children about God and His Word, but also to train them to be disciplined and give them the tools they need to learn to read and write, to study, understand, and persuade others about ways God works in His Creation. We also believe that God intends this instruction to occur within the family. Take a look at Deuteronomy 6:7, “You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.” That’s pretty life-encompassing. You have to squint really hard at that text to find wiggle room for sending your children off to spend a majority of their waking hours outside the family. If you couple that text with Psalm 1:2, “but his delight is in the law of the LORD and in His law he meditates day and night,” you have the method we believe God designed to lay a foundation for our children to follow Him throughout their lives.

SE: Why do you think home schooling is the Biblical Standard for Education?

JM: Throughout the Old Testament, the Israelites were instructed to teach God’s laws as well as His work in their history to their children and grandchildren. Examples include the instructions given for parents to annually recount their flight from Egypt in Exodus 12:26, the instructions in Deuteronomy 4, 6 and 11 to teach God’s law throughout the daily home routine, and the recounting of God’s deeds for Israel in Psalm 78.

There is also evidence of the trouble which comes from the advice of peers, such as Rehoboam’s decision to oppress his people, agreeing with his young friends against the advice of his father’s advisors in 1 Kings 12. Proverbs 1-8 repeatedly warns young men against reckless, immoral influences and repeatedly commands them to heed their fathers’ and mothers’ teaching.

Home education is clearly supported by the principles throughout the Bible as a whole. The Bible describes God’s design for the family, the church and the government, but the Bible does NOT make mention of education outside the home. In fact, the people of God in the Old and New Testaments are encouraged not to be polluted by the godless world’s influence (Exodus 34:16; Joshua 23:12-13; 1 Kings 11:2; Ezra 9:2; 2 Corinthians 6:14; James 1:27). I cannot think of any better way to allow the world to influence our families or our churches than by giving up our children to the world’s educational system for their formative years.

SE: Can only two-parent families home school?

JM: Any family can home school. That is not to gloss over the challenges a single parent faces. Single parents have difficult challenges, but none that the Lord has not fore-known, and none that He cannot provide for. This becomes an issue of faith--if you believe home schooling to be God’s will, you can trust that he will enable you to do it. He will provide not only the finances, but help you manage your time and plan your course of study as well.

I believe the church should make it a priority to enable single parents to home school. The church cannot afford to give up any child to the government schools. Statistics show that upwards of 70% of children who attend such schools do not remain part of the church when they are older.

Single parents are not the only ones to wonder if home schooling is for them. Many couples ask, “Don’t we both have to go to work all day to make ends meet?” Again, it’s a faith issue. Does God command you both to go out and earn a living? Does God command you to teach and train your children? I think of the words Jesus spoke to the Pharisees and scribes concerning Corban in Mark 7:9-13: “Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. . . and many such like things do ye.”

SE: But doesn’t sending the children off to school prepare them for the real world?

JM: Absolutely not! Today’s schools are even less effective at this task than ever. Studies show that basic skills learned in a school system are not greater than those that can be learned in the home. Your home, the church and the families and activities you approve for your children are healthier places to learn to get along with other people than in a school classroom.

In addition, I believe that as more Christians reject the traditional school model, more Christians will also begin questioning the assumptions of the Industrial Revolution. The more we seek to make the home our center of education, the more we may find this vision is at odds with the expectations of an industrialized society. This logically results in a desire to make the home a center of industry as well, since the father who works from home is more available to disciple his family. The state school system and our industrialized society support each other, but at the expense of the family. The school system may prepare our children to fit into this world, but we want to prepare them to challenge it and if it is in the will of God, to reform it.

“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

SE: Aren’t there some good teachers in the public schools and Christian schools and wouldn’t it be beneficial for the child to learn from them?

JM: There are some excellent teachers in both schools--Christians who love the children they teach. I have a deep respect for Christians willing to work within the school system for the children’s sake and willing also to be persecuted for their faith. This does not mean that it would be best for me to send my children to such a school.

There are many teachers in each school. Even if you vetted (to subject to high examination) every teacher and student your child would meet (which would be impossible), it is still your responsibility, not your neighbor’s, to teach and train your children.

There are three common elements that you’ll find in the backgrounds of the most successful people. The first is supportive parents–no surprise there. The other elements are very limited interaction with peers and very limited exposure to television. This is exactly the opposite of the upbringing most modern American children are receiving. We simply do not believe that it’s God’s design for children to spend most of their waking hours with large groups of their peers.

[What makes a school “Christian” anyway? Is the institution trusting Christ for salvation, or have all its participants been saved by grace? No matter how much Bible you add to a flawed system, you’re going to reap the consequences of those flaws.]

SE: What if there is something you want your child to learn that you don’t know yourself? Would it be alright in that instance for a child to be sent to a class or have a tutor?

JM: Of course, no parent is going to be well-versed in every discipline. But at a young age, your children simply need to know the basics that every parent can teach them. From the beginning stage of training them to sit still, listen carefully and follow instructions to the elementary or grammar stage of learning how to read and write and do their math, I think any parent can teach their children.

Often an older child who has mastered the basics is self-motivated to read texts and research in order to study beyond what his parents could teach. Still, there may be times an older student may need a tutor or to join a class. When this happens, the parent should continue to ask good questions and review what is being taught. Even having hired a tutor, the education remains the parent’s responsibility, primarily the father’s as the God-ordained head of the family.

Often the source of self-doubt in homeschoolers is caused by a role reversal where the mother is carrying the burden that was meant for the father’s shoulders. Most home school mothers we know feel that they are the ones who are responsible for the success or failure of their children’s education. This is a serious departure from God’s design for a wife to be a helper to support her husband’s vision and leadership. Therefore, many of them feel they are failing as they attempt a task for which they were not designed. The father must decide his family’s educational philosophy, approve curriculum, schedules, and progress, be ready to teach, and handle the accountability to authorities. He and his wife can decide which of them is best suited for any given element of the educational process, but the buck stops with the man. Many families’ home schooling is not reaching its potential because the fathers are not willing to make the sacrifices necessary to take on their responsibility. Here, too, it is an issue of trust. If God gave us this responsibility, he will enable us to carry it out when the time comes.

SE: I understand there has been some researching done on the learning “volume” for boys and girls. Would you care to fill us in on that?

JM: Andrew Pudewa first presented this information to me at a teacher training seminar. The research was done by Leonard Sax, MD, who wrote of his findings in the book Why Gender Matters. In this book, Sax promotes separate classrooms for boys and girls. Before his study, only four school systems in the US were so segregated. Now, I understand there are approximately 400 such school systems.

Almost all boys do not hear as well as girls. At birth, as babies’ hearing is tested, the girls can hear sounds 3 times softer than boys. By the age that the studies can map brainwaves, the girls are hearing sounds 10 times softer. So a teacher who speaks in tones favorable to the girls in her class will find the boys have not heard her. And if she alters her tone to be effective with the boys, some of the girls may be stressed and emotional because of the perceived shouting. Other differences between the genders include vision (boys’ and girls’ eyes are actually created differently), response to stress, the room temperature at which they learn best, and the effect of pain. Even in a home school setting, such studies can help us to understand some of the differences in the way God wired each gender so that we teach more effectively.

SE: What would you say to someone considering home schooling?

JM: As a parent, there is no better opportunity for you to instill godly values and truth into your children than to choose to home school. Each child God blesses you with is made in His image and specifically gifted for the work He eventually plans for that child to do. God has given you the responsibility of helping to prepare them for this work. No school system is going to accomplish this task. By home schooling, you are cooperating with God’s design for discipling, teaching, and training that is perfectly suited to your child.

This will be an opportunity to increase in faith. The Bible teaches it is God’s plan for you to teach your children. And when you pray for God’s will to be done, you know He will answer “yes.” So pray believing that every difficulty you face has been foreseen by your Father in Heaven, and that He will provide the direction, resources, and ability you’ll need. “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.”

The hardest criticism you may face may come from your own family or a friend you dearly love, but you do not answer to them for the education of your child. The logistical challenges may also seem daunting, but you are not alone in your efforts. The home school movement is growing, and you may find some experienced friends to help you. There are many excellent resources available. I have found that God often sends us direction in the form of counsel or reading recommendations from another believer at precisely the time it is needed.

SE: Thank you Mr. Musser for your time.

JM: And thank you for inviting me to speak out about such a vital subject.

Martin Luther on Education

“I am very much afraid that schools will prove to be great gates of hell unless they diligently labor in explaining the Holy Scriptures, engraving them in the hearts of youth. I advise no one to place his child where the Scriptures do not reign paramount. Every institution in which men are not increasingly occupied with the Word of God must become corrupt.” --Martin Luther (as quoted in Education and the Founding Fathers by David Barton)

Tell me, why do the majority of Christian parents send their children to secular schools which will likely undermine the faith of those children? Parents are demonstrating that they lack a biblical worldview. For a humorous and biblical explanation of what parents should be doing, I highly recommend How Can We Raise Godly Children? by Ken Ham. This is a thought-provoking and encouraging DVD from one of my favorite speakers.

A Successful Businessman with a Multi-Generational Vision

Last week, at a trade show, my father and I heard an outstanding presentation by Bob Walker, President of Walker Mowers., one of the top manufacturers of commercial lawn mowers. Mr. Walker told the audience about his company’s commitment to family friendly business; Walker Mowers is an independent, family owned business. Money is not the bottom line as it is with most investor-run corporations. What’s more is that they have a multi-generational vision. Mr. Walker, along with his brother, are getting their children involved in the business so they will be prepared to take it over and carry it on to the next generation. This is very unusual in this day and age. Most people do not think more than a few weeks into the future, yet Mr. Walker is thinking about the next generation! Impressive.

All the Walker mowers are made in the USA; they do not outsource labor to foreign countries. Second, they do not have their factory operating around the clock; there is only one nine-hour shift. Mr. Walker said they believe strong families make good employees which makes a good company. He said families can’t be very strong if the employees are working night shifts. I like that philosophy.

Mr. Walker is a professing Christian, and he’s not ashamed to make that known. I think he would be an excellent speaker for Vision Forum’s Entrepreneurial Bootcamp! Comments anyone?

Adolescence: An Inescapable Reality...or is it?

People in today's world often take for granted the stage of development called "adolescence", the supposed middle-ground between childhood and adulthood.

Adolescence is the time when youth are expected to rebel against their parents; it's the time when youth are expected to be lazy, un-motivated, disrespectful, etc. Sadly, most Christians accept the concept of adolescence as a seemingly normal, unavoidable stage in a child's development. This is another sad testimony to the church's conformity to the patterns of this world. (see Romans 12:2)

Here is a portion of an excellent article that exposes the "Invention of Adolescence":

Adolescence is now accepted by most Americans as a strange and difficult period marked by wild swings of mood, outbursts of temper, rudeness, rebelliousness, and personality changes — all involuntary.

They would be surprised to learn that this period was unknown, unrecognized, and unseen in every previous civilization, culture, and society throughout the immensely long history of humanity. It is, even today, unknown in large areas of the inhabited world... There was even a time when there were no adolescents.

That was, of course, a time beyond the memory of even our oldest inhabitants: a time before the Civil War, during the First American Republic. Our great social changes began after that conflict; after huge waves of immigration came via the new, safer steamboats; during the period when many Americans anxious for a higher, more complete education, went to Europe — and especially to Germany — to study...

[G. Stanley] Hall conducted numerous “studies” of children during the 1880s and 1890s... It was a time...when — in the name of science — human beings were being redefined by various individuals who claimed to possess supernormal powers of observation and insight...

Dr. Hall argued that childhood consisted of “three stages, each with a parallel in racial history” and each requiring certain set teaching approaches. Infancy and early childhood were equal to pre-stages of culture, and parent/teachers should allow the child to play with blocks and to exercise freely. At six or seven, he believed the child experienced various crises leading to the “pre-adolescent” years of eight to twelve, when behavior is comparable to “the world of early pigmies and other so-called savages.’”[1]

At this point (six or seven) the child was, in Dr. Hall’s view, ready for school — and its discipline. But a new period of crisis, he believed, arrived between thirteen and eighteen — which he termed adolescence.

Hall compared this to ancient and medieval civilizations...

Read the rest of the article at the Vision Forum Ministries website.

The Beginning of Reformation

Yesterday, October 31st, in 1517 A.D., Martin Luther nailed 95 Theses to the church door in Wittenberg, Germany. That courageous move sparked the beginnings of the Protestant Reformation. Reformers, including Luther, held up Scripture as the only standard for all matters of faith and practice, and for the first time in many centuries, common folks read and studied the Scriptures in their own language. As a result, great masses of people were (spiritually) freed from the oppression of a corrupt church.

Definition of “Reform” (Webster’s 1828 English Dictionary)

To change from worse to better; to amend; to correct...

I personally believe that the Protestant Reformation was the greatest move of the Holy Spirit since Pentecost. We need such a move of the Spirit today. The church today is largely dominated by complacency and apostasy. We have abandoned God’s Word as the Standard. Many Christians gladly throw sound doctrine out the window. This must change! When most Christians embrace Marxist philosophy and still claim to have a biblical worldview, there is a major problem in the church! We need a new reformation!

I thank God that a new reformation is occurring in our day. A growing number of Christians are returning to the Word of God as the only standard for faith and practice. Many are beginning to take seriously God’s command to “be fruitful and multiply...and have dominion”. Many are rejecting Greek style public education in favor of Hebrew style (i.e. biblical) home education. Instead of cursing the darkness in our culture, Christians are beginning to light candles. We’re taking our culture back; we’re reclaiming it for Christ!

No area of society is exempt from this reformation - education, music, film, science, and politics. All must be brought captive to the obedience of Christ! Please join the Reformation. Please support businesses and ministries that are taking part in the wonderful new work of the Spirit!

Vision Forum Ministries
American Vision
Answers in Genesis
and many more!

Is Retirement Biblical?

Now this may sound like an unusual question, but is “retirement” biblical? Is there a time in a man’s life that God has appointed for endless leisure activities and no work?

Like I have said before, a simple question deserves a simple answer – there is simply no positive example of old-age “retirement” anywhere in the Bible. Notice, I said there are no positive examples. Now I’m not aware of any biblical examples of retirement, but if there are some, they must be negative, that is, not-to-be-followed examples. Here's why:

You see, God commands that men work by the sweat of their brow. He places no age limit on this command. Ever wonder why laziness is a sin? It is a sin because God commands work!

Genesis 2:15, “And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.”

Genesis 3:19, “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.”

Notice, the Lord says that a man must work until the day he dies! ...” till thou return unto the ground...” This is referring to death. God wants us to work until we die; this means, if you’re still alive, God still has work for you to do!

Furthermore, Paul gave a clear command about work in 2 Thessalonians:

2 Thessalonians 3:10, “For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.”

There you have it, work is not optional. Now don’t get me wrong, there may come a time in a man’s life when he is no longer physically able to work. However, this is drastically different from choosing to retire at age 65 simply because of a suposed "earned right."

Maybe these Scriptures are not very clear to all my readers, but they sure are clear to me. I plan to work as long as God gives me the ability to do so. I encourage all others to do the same.

Another thing to consider is that retirement may use up your children’s inheritance.

Proverbs 13:22, “A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children's children...”

Rise up “good men”. Work to build wealth for your children and grandchildren. You cannot earn the right to retire until you expire.

Does the Holy Spirit Free Us from the Law?

Since the Holy Spirit is our guide, some Christians think that they do not need to study and follow the Law of God as written in the Scriptures. "I don't need the written law; I'm led by the Spirit." They assume that the written Law is not necessary for Christians because "the Holy Spirit will tell me if I'm doing something wrong." It would probably be hard to find a Christian that would actually voice these opinions. However, in practice, many Christians live as if the Holy Spirit has freed them from the written text of God's Law.

That is not a biblical concept! The Scriptures do not teach that "led by the Spirit" equals "free from the written Law." In fact, the Scriptures teach quite the opposite. Romans 8:3,4 says,

"3. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God
sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin
in the flesh:
4. That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us,
who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."

These verses declare that one who walks after the Spirit is one who obeys the Law! We cannot claim to be led by the Holy Spirit if we reject the Law of God

Atheism: An Irrational Nonsense

“...non-believers cannot make reason reasonable in a universe that is taken to be non-rational in its origin and government; they cannot make sensation sensible in a universe that is thought to be senseless; neither can they tell us why common sense is so common given their commitment to randomness.” (“Dos Moi Pou Sto: Give Me Somewhere to Stand” by Anthony Rogers, an article that appeared in the July 2006 edition of Biblical Worldview Magazine.)

The fact is that non-believers in general and atheists in particular operate on borrowed territory–they borrow rational, Christian presuppositions to form their irrational philosophies and ideas. They try to use logic to prove there is no God, but logic cannot be accounted for in an atheist universe (as Greg Bahnsen so ably pointed out). How can there be something as absolute as logic if the universe is merely the result of random chance processes? This is a question that atheists cannot answer. Any attempt at a logical answer results in the atheist being backed into a corner.

One day, every atheist will come to realize that Christianity is the only logical, rational option. Hopefully they will come to that realization on this side of eternity.

Who Defines Marriage?

Who or what defines marriage? Is it tradition? Public opinion? God? It should be obvious to Christians that God alone defines marriage. First in the book of Genesis and later in the Gospels, God defines marriage as a lifelong covenant union between a man and a woman. This has been understood as the definition of marriage for thousands of years. Recently, radical homosexuals have begun a campaign to redefine marriage to fit their agendas.

How should Christians respond? As we fight to protect biblical marriage, to what final authority should we appeal? As noted above, it is God who defines marriage. Thus, for the Christian, our appeal for authority should be to God’s Word – the Bible.

Sadly, many Christian leaders, in their defense of marriage, do not appeal to the Scriptures for authority – except in some rare passing comments. Rather, they appeal to tradition and public opinion to defend marriage. Just listen to see if I’m right. When Christian leaders get on the radio or TV to defend marriage, listen to the statements they make. Listen for a statement like, “We need to save traditional marriage...” Traditional marriage? Do we defend marriage because it’s traditional or because it’s biblical?

How about this statement: “The majority believes that marriage is between a man and a woman. Just look at these polls - 70% of the people voted for traditional marriage...” Is marriage defined as it is because the majority says so? What would happen if the majority supported gay “marriage?” Christians would surely stop using the public opinion argument. Is it acceptable to appeal to majority opinion only when it agrees with us?

Human tradition and majority opinion are relativistic standards – they can change direction as easily as the wind. Now, don’t get me wrong – I’m not accusing these Christian leaders of having relativistic standards. I’m sure they really do believe that the Word of God is the ultimate infallible standard. It’s likely that they just haven’t thought it through. They probably don’t realize what they are doing when they appeal to tradition and majority opinion. We need to help them see the truth. We must remind them that the Scriptures must be our standard, and then we should appeal to the Scriptures in our defense of marriage! Let’s proclaim it to the world!

Why is God’s Law Necessary?

The Law of God is necessary today for numerous reasons. Yes, that’s right, God’s Law is necessary today. Why? One of the most basic reasons is found in Romans 7:7.

“What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin,
but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt
not covet.”

This verse shows that God’s Law is necessary to identify and expose sin. Without God’s Law, there can be no standard of right and wrong. We need the standard of righteousness in order to identify unrighteousness.

Just think – inches cannot be measured without a standard such as a ruler. Likewise, sin cannot be measured without God’s Law. Law is necessary to expose sin.

Patriarchal Chess

Since I am one who likes to think (a lot), the game of chess naturally appeals to me. Recently, I was playing a good game of chess when I realized a startling fact: even the ancient game of chess promotes the philosophy of feminism!

In the game of chess, the king's army is not alone in fighting the battles. The king sends his queen to join the royal army on the battlefield, while he stays behind in safety! The queen must fight to protect the king! This is a perversion of God's plan as laid out in Scripture. God designed men to be the protectors and defenders of women and children.

I propose that the game of chess be modified in accordance with the principles of Scripture. Let us henceforth play only "Patriarchal Chess". The rules are the same except that the king and queen switch places. In "Patriarchal Chess", the queen is the most precious of all pieces, and the valiant king must fight to protect and defend her!

This is a simple, yet powerful, way to stay true to biblical principles, even in our playtime.

The Question of Alcohol

The other day, I received this comment from one of my readers...

I've been in an ongoing debate with a friend on the subject of alcohol. Out of curiosity, where do you stand? -Stephen

Here is my response...

Much can be said against alcohol, speaking from a logical, common sense standpoint. I have not heard of anyone that chose to be an alcoholic when he took his first drink. It is simply impossible to know beforehand if we will be able to resist an alcoholic addiction, so it is wiser to avoid alcohol altogether.

I am reminded of a conversation I once had with an acquaintance that occasionally drinks light alcoholic beverages. I will call him Bill, though that is not his real name:

Bill- “I won’t become addicted; I can quit whenever I want.”

Scott- “Then why don’t you quit?”

Bill- “I don’t want to.”

See the trap into which alcohol may lead? We can be convinced that we are in control when alcohol actually has us firmly sealed in its grip.

What does Scripture say? In summary, I believe the Scriptural consensus is that alcohol is not bad in and of itself. Drunkenness is forbidden, but drinking wine on occasion is not. One might recall that Jesus turned water into wine at a Jewish wedding.

As I said earlier, drunkenness is expressly forbidden in Scripture. Not only is alcoholic addiction forbidden, but the state of being drunk is forbidden also; to be drunk once is as wrong as having an alcoholic addiction. Ephesians 5:18 says plainly, “And be not drunk with wine...”

For further reference, look up Genesis 9:20 & 21, Genesis 19:30-36, I Kings 16:9 & 10, Proverbs 23:29-35, Proverbs 31:6 & 7, I Corinthians 5:11, I Timothy 3:3 & 8, and Titus 1:7. Each of these passages either warns against wine or tells of a person that got into trouble because of wine.

Though alcohol itself is not forbidden, I believe it is best to avoid it altogether to prevent even the possibility of addiction or drunkenness.

What is the Standard?

By what standard do we determine truth? By what standard do we determine write and wrong? Each person has a standard that guides every belief and action, whether they acknowledge it or not.

What is that standard? Is it me? Is it my autonomous reason, majority opinion, or something else?

I am here to make the declaration that the Bible must be the only standard to which we appeal!

Many Christians say that the Bible is their standard, but in practice they appeal to other sources (in some situations). Many Christians leave Scripture out of certain aspects of life (entertainment choices, clothing choices, politics, etc.). These Christians appeal to their own minds to make what they consider earthly or unspiritual choices.

This is a good example of a double-minded Christian: one foot in the world and one foot in the Scriptures. Such a person is unstable in all his ways!

The Bible must be our only standard for every aspect of life! Whether we are forming our theology or practicing apologetics, the Scriptures must be our standard, source, guide, presupposition, etc.

Teens and Rebellion

Yesterday I received the latest issue of a Christian magazine to which I subscribe. Inside the magazine is an unfortunate letter to the editor. In the letter, the writer explains that she is renewing her subscription because the magazine says the things she wishes she could say but often can’t because of the whole “teen/parent thing”.

The “teen/parent thing”? Does this woman believe (the lie) that teens are destined to rebel and distance themselves from their parents? I would say so! She has accepted a lie that is straight from the pit of hell!

The fact is that parents expect their teens to rebel, so they do. Why would any teen want to attain a higher goal than is set before them? Expect your teens to rebel and I can assure you that they will live up to your expectations!

However, it doesn’t need to be this way. Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Ephesians 6:4 says, “And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”

Train your children the biblical way, don’t tolerate rebellion, and expect your teens to continue in the way of the Lord; you’ll have much less trouble!

If you have further questions about child rearing, I recommend this audio series by S.M. Davis.