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Worldproofing Your Kids

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Title: Worldproofing Your Kids


1
Worldproofing Your Kids
  • Sue Bohlin
  • Probe Ministries
  • www.probe.org

2
5 Questions for Christian Parents to Keep in Mind
  • 1. Who makes the rules?
  • 2. How do we know what is true?
  • 3. Where did we come from?
  • 4. What are we supposed to be doing here?
  • 5. Where are we going?

3
Who Makes the Rules?
  • As a nation we used to believe that God made the
    rules
  • Through special revelation He told us what they
    are
  • Shift in the culture
  • Man makes the rules

4
Who Makes the Rules?
  • When man makes the rules
  • Strong and powerful vs. weak and defenseless
  • Everything breaks down into chaos
  • Much pain and suffering in this life is the
    result of making our own rules and violating Gods

5
Who Makes the Rules?
  • When God makes the rules
  • Life works the way it was designed
  • There are good reasons for the rules
  • Josh McDowells Right From Wrong Gods rules
    protect and provide
  • Sex before marriage purity protects our hearts
    and bodies, purity provides a better sexual
    relationship within marriage
  • Dont cheat and lie God is truth, honesty and
    truth-telling protects us from the pain of lies
    and provides for a peace-filled life

6
How Do We Know What is True?
  • Christian view of truth absolute truth
  • Western world used to believe all truth was Gods
    truth
  • Renaissance and Enlightenment Man is the
    measure of all things
  • Modernism People believed there is a body of
    truth out there that can be discovered through
    our reason

7
How Do We Know What is True?
  • Postmodern view of truth no such thing as true
    truth
  • Truth is what I make it, whatever works for me. I
    create truth based on my feelings and experience.
  • Christian absolutism (Jesus Christ is the only
    way to heaven)

8
How Do We Know What is True?
  • How do we help our kids know what is true?
  • 1. Foundational truth of our lives is Gods word
  • Not just a body of truth alive and active (Heb.
    412)

9
How Do We Know What is True?
  • Teach them the Bibles strongest truth claims
  • In the beginning God created the heavens and the
    earth
  • People are infinitely valuable
  • We have a sin problem and we need a Savior
  • Jesus claims to be God
  • Our kids need to know the truth before they can
    spot a lie

10
How Do We Know What is True?
  • 2. Teach them not to be afraid of criticism from
    those who do not believe in truth.
  • Those who claim a postmodern worldview dont live
    by it
  • Postmodernism doesnt match the real world
  • Those who claim there is no absolute truth still
    stop at red lights
  • They pay for groceries with the same money we do

11
How Do We Know What is True?
  • 3. Strengthen our kids confidence in the truth
    by teaching them logic.
  • Begin with the simplest rule A does not equal
    non-A.
  • Two opposite ideas cannot both be true
  • Teach them to recognize red herrings, ad hominem
    arguments, begging the question

12
How Do We Know What is True?
  • Philip Johnsons book Defeating Darwinism by
    Opening Minds
  • Make it a game Spot the Lie.
  • Songs, movies, TV shows, commercials and
    advertisements
  • Encourage them to recognize when people make up
    private meanings for words
  • That depends on what the meaning of the word is
    is.

13
How Do We Know What is True?
  • Truth matters to God because He is truth. It
    should matter to us as well.

14
Where Did We Come From?
  • Also Who are we?
  • The way we answer these questions also determines
    how we deal with
  • Animal rights
  • Abortion
  • Infanticide
  • Euthanasia

15
Where Did We Come From?
  • Not about sex and the stork but creation and
    evolution
  • 2 basic answers
  • God made us
  • We are an accident of the universe the unplanned
    product of matter plus chance plus time

16
Where Did We Come From?
  • If God made us
  • We are infinitely valuable and intrinsically
    significant
  • God personally called each of us into existence
  • Every other human on the planet is equally
    valuable and loved

17
Where Did We Come From?
  • If evolution is true
  • There is no point to our existence
  • We have no value because there is no value-giver
  • Cornell professor Will Provine If evolution is
    true there is no such thing as life after death,
    there is no ultimate foundation for ethics, no
    ultimate meaning for life there is no free will.

18
Where Did We Come From?
  • We come hard-wired from the factory longing for
    transcendence
  • We desperately want to be part of a larger story
    where we are beloved and pursued
  • We long to know there is meaning to the world and
    to our lives
  • We come equipped with an innate sense of fairness
    and justice
  • These concepts have no meaning in a world without
    a God who is absolutely just and moral

19
Where Did We Come From?
  • Tap into these basic longings to teach the
    creation story
  • Its the only adequate explanation for our
    legitimate thirst for
  • Relationship
  • Significance
  • Fairness
  • Transcendence
  • The creation account also helps us understand
    other issues

20
Where Did We Come From?
  • Its not murder to use animals for food and
    clothing
  • Animals are not like humans
  • Not made in the image of God
  • Need to be good stewards

21
Where Did We Come From?
  • Creation account makes human life sacred and holy
  • Its wrong to kill babies before they are born
    (abortion)
  • Its wrong to kill babies after they are born
    (infanticide)
  • Its wrong to kill the sick and infirm
    (euthanasia)

22
What Are We Supposed to be Doing Here?
  • Whats your purpose in life?
  • Many high school and college students To have
    as good a time as possible.
  • Cultures expectation that everything is supposed
    to be fun and entertaining
  • Wal-Mart employees

23
What Are We Supposed to be Doing Here?
  • Cast a vision for our childrens part in the
    larger story of life
  • God has a plan and a purpose for their life
  • He calls us to play our specially designed part
  • Innate longing for transcendence they have a
    role in the big story of creation, fall and
    redemption

24
What Are We Supposed to be Doing Here?
  • Teach by word and example that work has dignity
    and value
  • Work is not part of the curse! It is part of
    Gods perfect design
  • Adam and Eve were stewards of the Garden
  • Work is part of being a difference maker
  • Student, fast-food counter person, house cleaner,
    computer programmer, president, mechanic,
    administrator, teacher, mother or father we are
    called to make a difference in the world and in
    Gods kingdom

25
What Are We Supposed to be Doing Here?
  • Be a cheerleader for our childrens God-given
    gifts and talents.
  • Be students of our kids to understand their
    package
  • Explore personality styles

26
What Are We Supposed to be Doing Here?
  • Spiritual gifts
  • Acknowledge gifts and encourage kids to develop
    them
  • Help kids discover they are called to a special
    place of service with a special unique set of
    equipment to do whatever God has called them to
    do!

27
Where Are We Going?
  • Another way to inspire confidence in the
    Christian worldview is to celebrate the fact that
    the best part of life is still ahead.
  • To recognize the larger cosmic story of creation,
    fall and redemption, we need to point kids to the
    certainty of an afterlife.
  • Remind them that their choices on earth will
    determine their future in heaven.
  • Train them in the wisdom of considering both
    short-term and long-term consequences of choices.

28
Where Are We Going?
  • Take our children to biblical passages and good
    books that give them a glimpse of where were
    headed.
  • We are half-hearted creatures, fooling around
    with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy
    is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants
    to go on making mud pies in a slum because he
    cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a
    holiday at the sea. C.S. Lewis

29
Where Are We Going?
  • The Chronicles of Narnia

30
Where Are We Going?
  • Perhaps we are now qualifying for what degree of
    power and authority we will be granted when we
    reign with Christ. The New Testament assures us
    that those who endure, those who serve now, will
    reign later. We can challenge our children, Are
    we making daily decisions to serve, to develop
    our gifts and talents so we will be best prepared
    to reign with Christ? Lael Arrington
  • You can keep your fork

31
Where Are We Going?
  • You can keep your fork
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