I love it when friends pass books on to us. This one came highly recommended, with good reason. Read it yet?
In Family Driven Faith, Voddie Baucham challenges parents to disciple their children in such a way as to instill a multigenerational faith that stretches from generation to generation. This book is making the rounds. I started reading it over Christmas and have mentally chewed on the insights for months, intrigued by this author who’s not afraid to push unpopular and un-PC parenting advice.
Baucham is clearly intelligent and well-read. He writes with candor and passion and a spirit of urgency, giving parents a kick in the rear to be intentional and proactive in saturating our kiddos with truth.
My favorite is chapter 4, “Give Him your Heart,” where Baucham describes a biblical worldview and offers practical tools for passing on these truths to our children. Throughout the entirety of the book, Baucham reiterates that it’s the parents’ (not teachers or Sunday school teachers or youth workers) job to spiritually train our children:
“We simply cannot fail to give our children the basic tools they need and expect the “professionals” to get the job done for us.” (pg. 90)
I’ve read few contemporary books with which I wholeheartedly agree. There are typically one or two ideas in any given book that don’t perfectly jive with my opinions, and Family Driven Faith is no exception. The unique thing about this book, however, is that I so totally and completely and fully agree with many of Baucham’s ideas and arguments, and then hugely disagree with about five pages. I read and re-read this handful of pages to make sure I was reading correctly. Baucham’s narrow opinions in one specific area took me by surprise. The thing that saddens me is that while he offers many encouraging and stimulating Scriptural ideas, he inflicts condescending and condemning language along with broad generalizations as he claims this specific opinion to be an absolute Biblical mandate. He thereby imposes an undeniably personal conviction as a standard to which God holds us all. Very disappointing.
So… a stimulating, interesting read, and one I would (for the most part) recommend. Just as with any book, read with awareness. And by the way, if you read Family Driven Faith and can’t figure out what in the world made my blood pressure rise, fantastic. I don’t have a problem with any of Baucham’s methods or opinions, my beef is when he claims them to be TRUTH.
Anyone read this book? Would love to hear your thoughts.