Parenting: Equipping for Life

About the Course

The aim of this course is to provide a framework that explains God’s design for parenting. Instead of addressing a specific crisis or a given disciplinary issue, this book sets out to provide an overarching theological framework for parenting. As a parent, you will face all kinds of challenges, but with these categories in place, we hope that you will “act out of your God-given identity and role as a parent in keeping with God’s larger purpose for you in Christ” (19).

We’re not parenting experts or professional counselors. We’re a mom and a dad who have experienced the joy of raising four now-grown thriving children. In addition, this book is unique in that it is written by a married couple who embraces a biblical-theological approach, that is, “We seek the Scriptures from beginning to end to see what they can teach us about a given topic—in our case, parenting” (20).

Therefore, the primary approach of this book is not sociocultural (family structures and traditions), psychological (emotions and communication), or counseling-oriented (addressing specific problems). Instead, we seek to provide a biblical basis for parenting. We pray that this book gives you a firm foundation for your parenting efforts.