Every parent, grandparent, and pastor that I know wants to see their children grow up to know, love, and follow Jesus for a lifetime. We want our children to smell like the scent of heaven and to spend eternity there.
Unfortunately, many Christian young people are unprepared to navigate the tidal wave of unbiblical ideas that confront them. 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 do have confidence that comes from knowing what they believe and why they believe it.
We are losing our children to the world at alarming rates. Many evangelical churches operate according to an attractional model that attempts to reach seekers with the gospel while our children are evangelized into secular humanistic thought by the very people we are trying to reach. Who is doing a better job evangelizing children, the world or the church? If we are honest, many churches are struggling to pass on a deep, lasting, Bible-shaped faith to future generations.
Parents and grandparents want the best for children, yet passions and priorities are often out of order. Athletics and academics 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 fair 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 by cultural ideas and secular thought.
That’s why worldview matters. That phrase describes our message to parents, grandparents, pastors, and educators. Biblical worldview is worthy of our attention and resources. Here are six reasons why every family, church, and school needs to help children develop a biblical worldview.
Josh Mulvihill is the Executive Director of Church and Family Ministry at Renewanation. He served as a pastor for nearly 20 years, has a PhD in Family Ministry, serves on the board of Awana, and is the author or editor of ten books on parenting and grandparenting including Biblical Grandparenting, Preparing Children for Marriage, Biblical Worldview, and his latest 50 Things Every Child Needs to Know Before Leaving Home. He is married to Jen, they have five children, and live on a family farm in Minnesota. Josh blogs at GospelShapedFamily.com, enjoys camping with friends, reading a great book around the bonfire, and catching big fish in Minnesota lakes.
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