How to Build a Biblical Worldview in Your Children

Family policy matters and engaging and informative weekly radio show and podcast produced by the North Carolina family policy Council hi this is John Ralston, presidency, family, and were grateful to have you with us for this week's program is our prayer that you will be informed, encouraged and inspired by what you hear on family policy matters and that you will fold better equipped to be a voice of persuasion for family values in your community, state and nation, and now here's our house to family policy matters. Tracy Devitt Griggs thanks for joining us this week for family policy matters. Like it or not. We know that parents are the first and primary educators for their children.

So what can parents do to not only provide their children with an excellent quality academic education but also form their children into Disciples of Christ who bring a Christian worldview into every aspect of life, including the classroom class and director of the Center for biblical worldview at family research Council joins us today to discuss how parents can fulfill these foundational educational responsibilities to their children, David class and welcome to family policy matters. It's great to be back with you.

So tell us where to get this idea that parents are the first and primary educators of their children is a biblical principle. But I would argue that it is going all the way back to the Old Testament. I'm sure your listeners are familiar with this verse from Deuteronomy chapter 6, but I think it's it will talking about parents in education. You know I always say other than I think parents should view themselves as the chief disciple makers in their home and all words that come from old Deuteronomy chapter 6 verses six through 70 and Moses gets the law buddy that said then the Lord that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children you shall talk of them when you sit in your house when you walk by the way, when you live down when you rise and there's other scriptures. Of course, Proverbs 22 six train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it.

In the New Testament. Ephesians 6 for Paul as he says that your fathers will provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord and saw you and I think there's many Scripture verses that point to the fact that you know all of us Tracy are called to be good stewards of everything God is given to us. And if you're a parent you are called to be a good steward of your child, which means raising them up and that the fear and they have the mission of the Lord, giving them that biblical worldview which means you absolutely need to be aware and active in what's going on with your child education let's talk about when those worldviews are formed, how early you a great question so family research Council, we just do kind of at the national level you guys do in North Carolina at the state level and as we cared about biblical worldview for a long time we been around 1983, but one of the things that prompted us to actually form this new center for biblical worldview, which I get the joy of leading is a new survey that George Barna put out that show the ones worldview is really solidified and crystallized by the age of 13. Now course, people can be converted and have things can shift and change about when you look at the average by the age of 13 is one that worldview is set so obviously that means that education in these formative years leading up to 13 that plays a key role in the development and formation of a worldview and resume if you want other staff from the same pole that George Barna did we know that you know our culture is no longer what you could call a culture that's influenced by Scripture. Only 6% of Americans have what you could call a biblical worldview. When you go to the church. However, the pictures not much better. Even though 81% of evangelicals who attend church think they have a biblical worldview. Only 21% actually have one when you measure it based on belief and practice. And so, given the state of where we are with worldview. My goodness, how important it is to to focus on our children. If the number of parents with a biblical worldview is so low. How can we hope that they're going to be able to pass that along to their children. Note that a great question because you can't pass on what you yourself don't have and so that's one of the reasons it is so critical for groups like FRC and others in two to be raising awareness and providing resources and tools but more importantly in any parachurch organization or ministry.

My goodness, how important it is for the local church for pastors to be taking this seriously and realizing that they need to be no preaching acts positionally through God's word to inculcate that worldview. You know you have used the word so many times that what is a world deal worldview is simply just the lens through which you see the world a biblical worldview that your scene your world you're interacting with it. Your thinking about the major issues through the lens of Scripture is aware that come from.

Ultimately it comes through a thorough knowledge of what God's word teaches, and that comes from your own Bible reading your spiritual disciplines, but it also comes from the church. I think that these statistics is alarming as they are, they should be a wake-up call for many people who are leading our churches since appearance is hearing this and saying wow I don't even know enough.

I have a biblical worldview. Is there any way to know that for them. Yes, so do the survey that George Barna is doing is actually 81 questions that surveys belief and practice and that we don't have that available quite yet for people to take themselves up pretty soon. Couple weeks from now, I would invite all of our listeners to FRC.org/worldview and work and hope to have tools by which you can measure it because we have developed rigorous testing because you know it's one thing that you identify someone who has a biblical worldview that that's not very precise about what we try to do is measure the lease and behaviors and so that's a pretty a scientific way to do it is we don't have those diagnostic tools available yet, but they are coming. Tracy that's good to know you're listening to family policy matters weekly radio show and podcast of the North Carolina family policy Council. This is just one of the many ways and works to educate citizens across North Carolina about policy issues that impact a lot of families. Our vision is to create a state a nation where God is on religious freedom sources. Families were in life's cherished more information about his family and how you can help us to achieve this incredible vision for our state and nation. Visit our website@ncfamily.org and see family.org and be sure to sign up to receive our email updates, action alerts, and of course our flagship publication family North Carolina magazine. We also love for you to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and then of course appearance, immune if they and their children to religious schools.

I have to stay connected right so what are some important things that parents can do at home to help their children succeed in public schools or private schools or religious schools. Yes, I think it's important in arterial unit at an education is not just meant to prepare children for careers that are education shapes them as individuals and I think parents do set the tone for those disciplines that shape character at home. Simple things such as you and I think you look with what you were the questions helpful. I think there are a lot of Christian parents to think of us and the kid to Christian school, but make sure the going to youth group on Sunday night or Wednesday night and that kind of fulfilling my obligation to make sure they're getting this biblical worldview. They're getting trying to think like a good Christian young person and youth groups great Christian schools are great but at the end of the if a parent is their chief disciple maker, you have to take ownership of your child's education. And so what that looks like it is something simple as I know one thing.

My family did growing up as were at dinner time. We had to leave our cell phones. Once we got them, and the leader high school years. We had to leave those in the other room and at dinner time. That was a time where my dad would lead us in the family devotional we would go through you. Ask us about things that we learned we would talk about current events and he would be able to reframe some of the issues. Maybe my sister and I had heard it school, through the lens of Scripture.

This is a rocket scientist doesn't require that you have about seminary degree might by peers don't have seminary degrees, but you know they they wanted to take a vested interest in what their children were were learning of her Christian parents around the country's weather. It's been a right before bedtime.

Having a prayer time with their family doing a devotional error again using that dinner time. Make sure they know not know every dinner is not a TV dinner but hey were to have intentional time with our families at all and all of think I'm getting a Tracy is the parents become the most important thing they can do at home to help their children succeed is just being intentional and having those conversations so these kinds of character traits also help them be good students don't think will it does absolute ones worldview of the foundation for everything is how we view interaction react to the world around us and that foundation has to be built on God's word and I think that you know the kinds of people that were wanting to become in his art as we raise children. We want our children become types of certain type of people, people who love the Lord. People who love their neighbors, who love their friends that boils down to that character development which happens in the home and it happens when they're at school. Once again they parents need to take an active role in making sure that they're having these kinds of conversations about what it means to love the Lord with all your heart, so my love your neighbor as yourself. And of course he said that by the age of 13.

Most children's worldviews are set but what about the parents of children that are high school age or adult is it too late for us. Note not sure an individual's worldview was solidified by age 13, that the data shows, but it can be shaped.

A root can be recalibrated in later years. That's why FRC produces curriculum and other materials for adults and for Sunday schools. As Christians, one of the tenets of our faith is that no one is beyond hope no one is beyond growth.

No one is beyond change, they can become difficult. You know, in the later teen years in the early adulthood.

But one thing. As Christians we believe is that God is all-powerful, nothing is beyond him and through the Holy Spirit can convict and can change our thinking can alter our worldview to be in line with Scripture and so yeah if you are a parent or even a grandparent eliciting the conversation you and I are having Tracy don't despair. God sees your pain and I go to him in prayer. Bring that child that found that daughter that grandson and granddaughter to the Lord and don't stop seeking to be a faithful presence in their life. Note, no one is beyond hope no one beyond change. So help out some recommendations for parents in ways that day can work with their schools to think the schools that their children are and in a winsome way. NL a way that that will be effective. Homeschooling is obviously an option, but for those who want to do feel led to do that the private school route over the public go out to either one of those get to know the teachers go go to the parent-teacher days. Make an intentional effort to get to know those who are educating your children, and some cases, especially if your kid is kind of beer you live in me know more about up again what I call out the blue city or blue state led by Democrats words more difficult to kind of be a Christian and have those views what that might mean then is discussing and supplementing the curriculum at home with your children attend school board meetings. Speak up when appropriate, serve on your school board run for and serve on your school board.

I consider working as a teacher or principal at the very least, having conversations with those who are teaching your children having conversations with the administrators. Consider again what was said. Supplementing curriculum either summit ministries based in Manatee Springs, Colorado. They have worldview curriculum. I was going through one of the books the other day it's written for middle school and high school students eager take a couple pages of that each day, and go through that as I think that even we have resources on our website FRC.org/worldview that looks at some of the contentious issues in the public square.

You can download those resources for free and use those kind of in your family devotional time so you have offended a couple of times but it goes back to just using 1015 20 minutes here there being intentional and having those conversations with your children. I data class and work in our listeners go to learn more about the good work that you do and follow all of the work that is done@frcfrc.org/soap/worldview is built on the landing page for all things related to the center for biblical worldview really only wants this ministry was cut a new initiative. FRC in May of that already. We have resources on therefore thinking that religious liberty life sexuality politics we have of interviews that I've done the George barn is done. We have articles on the whole post of issues, including one I recently wrote on the parents duty for education we have stuff on critical race theory to all of those resources can be found@frc.org/worldview, and I would encourage people to come back, but to that site. In the weeks and months that had as we launch some of our bigger initiatives such as curriculum and Sunday school material things like that, great David class and director of the Center for biblical worldview at family research Council. Thank you so much for joining us today on family policy, listening to family policy matters. We hope you enjoyed the program and plenitude in again next week to listen to the show online and to learn more about NC families work to inform, encourage and inspire families across Carolina go to our website at NC family.award that's NC family.org. Thanks again for listening and may God bless you and your family