Train Up A Child

Proverbs 22:6 states, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” This verse ran through my mind as I read the following quotes from a couple individuals who had either walked away from their faith or hold a watered-down faith.

Listen to the words of “Jack.” He has been a minister in the Southern Baptist Church for 20 years and has become an atheist (sadly he is still a minister of a congregation who is unaware of his conversion).

The more I read the Bible, the more questions I had. The more things didn’t make sense to me—what it said—and the more things didn’t add up.

The person interviewing Jack stated the following:

Jack said that 10 years ago, he started to feel his faith slipping away. He grew bothered by inconsistencies regarding the last days of Jesus’ life, what he described as the improbability of stories like “Noah’s Ark” and by attitudes expressed in the Bible regarding women and their place in the world.

I may not be a medical doctor, but I have a prescription for Jack.

1. Get a copy of series Demolishing Supposed Bible Contradictions.
2. Stop watching The History Channel (which consistently has programs that degrade the history and truthfulness of the Bible) and get a copy of the DVD Noah’s Ark: Thinking Outside the Box.
3. Stop listening to the evangelical feminists who have infiltrated the church, visit www.answersforwomen.org, and get a copy of the DVD Hope Amid Despair: The Legacy of Eve.

The next quote comes from Donald Miller, author of the book, Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality, which was a New York Times bestseller. He appears to view the Bible more as a narrative and focus on feelings and relationships. I found it actually difficult to discern what he believes because his writings are so vague. Here’s what he shares in Blue Like Jazz:

I associated much of Christian doctrine with children’s stories because I grew up in church. My Sunday school teachers had turned Bible narrative into children’s fables. They talked about Noah and the ark because the story had animals in it. They failed to mention that this was when God massacred all of humanity. . . . The children’s story stuff was the thing I felt Christians were holding behind their back. The Garden of Eden, the fall of man, was a pretty silly story, and Noah and the ark, all of that, that seemed pretty fairy-tale too. (p. 30)

This is why it is so important that we teach children from a very young age not Bible “stories” but Bible history. This will build in them a firm foundation on biblical truth and authority, and as they grow into adults they will be much less likely to be abandon or water down their faith. I hope you will check out some of our amazing resources for children of all ages. They make great Christmas gifts!