Sheltering Our Kids From The Bible
I wrote on children’s church a few weeks ago. There are a number of elements I didn’t touch on because our ideas in this area are still in their infancy and our beliefs about how children should learn God’s word are just coming together and making sense. Up until a few weeks ago we did send our kids to Children’s church. I didn’t like doing it but I really saw no other alternative. I wasn’t sure what the right thing to do was. On the one hand I had it in my mind that children needed to learn about the Bible in ways appropriate for them. On the other hand I wondered why I felt the need to turn Bible truth into a cartoon when God never gave us an alternate book for kids.
In the last two years I have watched my children learn. I have read different opinions on the subject and searched out information to help me in my quest for efficient Bible teaching. My husband and I have talked at length about what I have discovered.
We have learned a lot in these past years and about 6 months ago came to a final decision. We knew we would be moving soon so we decided to not make waves by taking our kids out of our small church’s children’s ministry. In any case, however, we have opted to not utilize children’s church regularly any longer.
I have said this before and I will say it again. I have absolutely no problems with cartoon depictions of the Bible. I don’t see any harm in Veggie Tales and I don’t frown upon Christian coloring books. They are cute and very child centered. I like that and my children enjoy them.
My beef is that many churches are perfectly fine with replacing Biblical truth with cartoon images. The reasons for this is that children learn better when the Bible is taught in a manner appropriate for them. I agree somewhat with that idea but I think the church as a whole go about it the wrong way.
The stories in the Bible have been carefully and perfectly chosen to be a part of one amazing book written for all people, not just those over a certain age. It doesn’t matter what church you go to. That point cannot be argued as Jesus points out that children are not second class citizens to be shooed away.
God didn’t give us a cartoon version of His word. He gave us one age indiscriminate version which we have manipulated to keep our children from hearing the truth about the deadliness of sin because we think their minds can’t handle it. All we teach them is the cute stuff in playful, pretend, unrealistic cartoon form. And then, when their healthy fear isn’t developed in time and they go astray as teenagers we all wonder what happened. We took them to church. They were involved in Sunday school and youth group.
I believe one of Christian parent’s biggest mistakes is thinking that the Bible and its tougher lessons were meant for adults only.
When a 10 year old boy runs across a nudy magazine (or any magazine with half dressed girls) for the first time he is excited at the new experience. He feels it is something to hide but has no real basis for that feeling because his parents, pastor, and the children’s church leaders have hidden this issue from him. If, however, the parent has explained to their child from the time he was 4 or 5 that nudy pictures are an abominable, evil sin and why, when he first sees that magazine at ate 10 he immediately things, “evil”. He is 100 times more likely to roll it up and take it to his father to destroy together than to get caught up in a habit that is dangerous and life altering because the truth of that sin has been drilled into him for years. This has left the child little room to even consider getting caught up in this sin. He has been made wise in his young age and will fare better in life as a teen and an adult as a result.
We are raising our kids to be adults but for some reason we aren’t teaching them how to be adults. Replacing Biblical truth with cutsie Bible stories in animated form puts us on dangerous ground. Cartoon animal heads sticking out of cartoon portholes have never proven to bring anybody closer to salvation.
This is why I believe kids need to be in church with their families. Not only is it important for the family to be together for spiritual learning but I also feel that we need to stop sheltering our children from the Bible.
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You have some good points there, and I am starting to agree with this concept of doing church with the whole family and not all segregated, but my husband isn’t really on board yet- I’m not sure we totally understand the concept yet. My main question is, what practically does staying in church with your whole family look like in a church that is set up for “segregation?” Ours has child care for newborn through toddler/preschooler, and then classrooms with the cutesie activities up through grade 4 or 5. Do you ever utilize any of the classrooms? We have two boys just turned 3 and almost 1, and we have been keeping our 3 year old with us because he doesn’t want to go to the “playroom” (he cries about it and we don’t want church to be a negative experience), and our 1 year old either cries for mommy if we leave him or gets hungry during the service, so we end up keeping him with us anyway in a special room overlooking the sanctuary. We were exhausted last weekend after church, and we could hardly hear the service, I struggled to feed the little one while the toddler wanted snacks… we left early even though we love our church and our pastor since we couldn’t hear the message anyway (and we were going crazy). I’m so torn on this and would love your thoughts. (I enjoy your blog by the way!) We do hope for more children.
-Sally
Hello. My husband and I are in the beginning stages of the whole kids in church stage. We both went to sunday school, childrens church, and youth group. The really odd thing, is that I grew up putting my heart and soul into doing God’s work from a young age as I accepted him as my Lord and Savior when I was in fourth grade (attending our local A.W.A.N.A. club). So, we both know that we enjoyed playing all the time with other kids at church and at school, but I think both church and school are for learning, uplifting, encouraging, and growing not just playing. Mind you there is nothing wrong with playing with others. The question is who do you want your kids around? People who say they believe the bible but don’t live it or those who live it but don’t know how to believe what God says?
I know, whoa! But think about it for a minute. Have you met people in the church that live what they know or are they trying to keep up with the jonses? Are they honestly conserned about you when they ask the question or are they just making small talk? Is there any fallow up call or stop by your house when you tell them the troubles in your day? Where is the true and honest fellowship? Why is it that we are not able to hold people to the standard they claim to live? When a person claims to be a fallower of Jesus, whay is it judgemental for another person in the church to ask approach them about the way they are living their life? Just a little more to chew on.
I have been in the sunday school class teaching the children memory verses straight from the bible and then reading gentle stories about Christ. There is a proper time and place for everything and parents need to remember that the Lord has entrusted these little ones into their care and we need to take care of them as a gift from the Lord not a pleg from God for not doing his will. Often times we want what we had so bad that we forget about what we have been gifted with today.
I pray your trip goes well the rest of the way. Now with a “like new” rear end and a new transmition before the road trip begins you will be able to relax and enjoy the trip and all the sights you see along the way.
Take care and remember to pray always. You are a wife and mom and your days are full enough. Rejoyce in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.
God is with you and you know that. You are in my thoughts and prayers.
Sincerely
(Mommy of two little ones)
Bravo!
Great post!!
I was raised in a church that didn’t separate the children from the church. It was okay.. there was a lot that I didn’t understand, and I felt the adults really didn’t take the time to teach us as I now feel that adults should. (Not that our parents didn’t teach us, but that the church also should help in teaching.)
I thought about removing the kids from the children’s class during church services at our old church because I really felt like they didn’t teach much- that it was all fun and games.
Now we go to a different church, and I love how they train the parents and volunteers who teach the children’s class HOW & WHAT to teach, instead of throwing them in a class room without any instruction.
They also don’t shy away from the tough subjects. I think parents should definitely sit in during some of their children’s classes to get a feel for what they are learning (and IF they are learning).
We go to a church that is very bold about speaking the bible-believing truth and doesn’t fluff things up- and I really love that. Its nice to see that they speak straight from the bible with children too.. not from a cartoon book… and then discuss it with the kids.