Feb 12, 2021 | Parents and Family
When we lived in Illinois we had gone to a church for a number of years that was large and typically Evangelical, but not Reformed. That was frustrating for me, a couple years before we left for Florida I started looking for a church that preached the doctrines of grace, as they’re called, and embraced Calvinism. I found such a church, New Covenant Church, and it so happened that the pastor is a fellow Italian-American, Chris Castaldo, who takes great pride in his Italian heritage. We hit it off when he learned of my last name, and he was a good friend while we were there. I was writing the book at the time, and he said he’d love to read it when it was published. It took forever, it seems, but he got the book and read it in only a couple days, and was very kind in his praise. He said he’d like to ask me a few questions, and post that at the church’s blog, and you can find that here.
Aug 27, 2020 | Parents and Family
It’s kind of apparent that we are in a culture war. Make no mistake, conservative Christians didn’t start it, but we can’t escape it. Christianity had a great run in Western civilization as the default view of reality, over 1,500 years! That, of course, is no longer the case. The breakdown started a long time ago, arguably by the 1,600s, and Christianity ever since slowly, imperceptibly at first, lost influence and authority in the West. Even into the mid-20th century there was a thin veneer of christian influence in American culture, but that ended with what we’ve come to call The 60s. With the rise of the sexual revolution, the assault on all things Christian broke out into the open. The deconstructing of the family became job one of the secularists, and sadly many Christians have gone along for the ride. (more…)
Aug 8, 2020 | Parents and Family
I’d been waiting to write a post about our youngest son going off to college, but because of a ridiculous overreaction to a certain virus he’s not going. Instead he’s taking a couple classes online from where he was supposed to go, Florida International University, and a few from the local community college, also online. For someone who’s majoring in music this whole online thing can only go so far. My principle contention still holds, though. He is now in college, will be getting the same vacuous secular drivel as he would if he were there, and his faith will indeed endure and thrive. Having written a book on building an enduring faith in our children, I’ve encountered Christians who think having such confidence is not warranted. As you can guess, I disagree. (more…)
Jul 12, 2020 | Apologetics, Parents and Family
Well, probably teenager kids. It’s Woody Allen, after all. My wife and I recently re-watched Hannah and Her Sisters with our two sons (our daughter wasn’t available; she’s married), and it was an incredibly wonderful apologetics moment. I’ve argued that a secular culture that is often seen by Christians as a threat to their children is in fact their best friend, if we know how to use it. Woody Allen is always a great opportunity to do that. He is one of the few movie makers in Hollywood (although New York through and through) who deals with the big questions of life head on, and this movie is a wonderful example of that. Allen’s worldview is as secular as secular gets, and his movies are an excellent way to teach your children, or anybody else, the shallow, vacuous nature of such a life. It promises fulfillment, meaning, purpose, and hope, but never delivers. His movies always end in resignation to one degree or another. Since he can’t bring himself to believe in God, and in this movie he tries really hard (and it’s hilarious), whatever this unfulfilling life offers, that’s the best you can get. So eat, drink, and be merry, and go to art shows, as best you can. (more…)
Mar 8, 2020 | Parents and Family
I recently came across an article at The Public Discourse called “The Best Practices—and Benefits—of Religious Parenting.” Given I have some interest in the topic, I was curious to see what these best practices might be. We learn that religion in general has positive outcomes for parenting. In an increasingly secular culture, studies that prove the positive influence of religion are a good thing. But something was missing from these best practices that to me is, by far, the most important single factor of religious parenting: truth. Why would anyone want to raise their children in a religion that they don’t believe to be the truth? Probably because they don’t believe in truth, at least when it comes to religion. If it works, makes you happy, etc., that will do. Most Americans believe that just because something is true for you doesn’t mean it necessarily has to be true for me. Or put simply, true for you but not for me! Such a contention is ridiculous on the face of it, but many otherwise thoughtful and intelligent people actually believe this. (more…)
Jan 12, 2020 | Parents and Family
One of the easiest ways to persuade our children that God is real is the evidence of his incredible, amazing, mind-blowing design in nature. Paul tells us in Romans 1 that “God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made . . .” I made sure my kids understood this as they were growing up, and still do even though they are no longer kids. The reason it is critical for parents to do this is that we must counter the assumptions of the dominant secular culture. The most obvious, yet pernicious, is naturalism: the material world is all there is, and God is not required to explain it. Oh yes he is! Yet because of the ubiquity of secular culture, naturalism seems, well, natural. Countering this assumption (i.e., it can’t be proved) is easy. A simple example show’s how.
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