Parenting God's Way

by Alistair Begg

With parents running children from football to music lessons to maths tutoring, where does the responsibility of God-ordained parenting fit in? In this wisdom-packed booklet, Alistair Begg explains that Scripture lays out a role for parents that extends far beyond that of carpool driver and homework helper. Drawing from the book of Ephesians, Alistair provides clear and practical accountabilities for both mothers and fathers that are God ordained. When God s design for parenting is followed, everyone in the family thrives, and children grow to healthy-minded, God-honouring adults.

Genres: Parenting, Christian Living, Christian

48 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2017

About the author

Alistair Begg has been in pastoral ministry since 1975. Following graduation from The London School of Theology, he served eight years in Scotland at both Charlotte Chapel in Edinburgh and Hamilton Baptist Church.

In 1983, he became the senior pastor at Parkside Church near Cleveland, Ohio. He has written several books and is heard daily and weekly on the radio program, Truth For Life. The teaching on Truth For Life stems from the week by week Bible teaching at Parkside Church.

Reviews

[Jamie Harvey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. It is short, simple and gives encouragement to those seeking to parent biblically. It just falls short of 5 stars because it is just too short and could have more specific biblical application. It felt more like a summary than a full book. Like a sermon, which maybe it was, I am not sure. But criticism aside, my takeaways are this.

Mothers, read Titus 2:3-5. Love your husbands and children. Be self-controlled, pure, busy in the home and submissive to your husbands so that the Word of God would not be reviled. How we act will show the world who God is and open doors for the Gospel!

Fathers, read Ephesians 5. Love your wives and do not abdicate your role in the home to train up your children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

[James Bunyan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I share many theological convictions with the author. Unfortunately, this short book was full of unhelpful assertions and generalisations that that seem to be driven more by cultural assumptions than biblical exposition. Where there is biblical exposition, some of it is not carefully nuanced enough to be persuasive. As examples, the author flatly asserts that:
-absentee fathers are to blame for crime and sexual immorality
-there are lots of studies to prove this (if so, why not quote one?!)
-feminists want to destroy the social order
-the Bible does not really allow for Mums to work
-women must submit to their husbands in everything
-cleaning is generally for the Mums and discipline is generally for the Dads

There is perhaps truth in these claims but they need to be carefully argued, carefully substantiated and carefully nuanced. Titus 2, Ephesians 6 and other wonderful NT passages do not teach everything we see above; where those passages do speak into those situations, that needs to be clearly shown and not asserted. Any cultural assumptions, such as the idea that Dads “don’t know where the hoover is kept” need to be acknowledged and indeed challenged, not assumed. Making it seem that the Bible teaches your own cultural assumptions is clumsy at best.

There was, however, an excellent section on the need for fathers not to exasperate your children that was carefully considered.

[Tricia Knutson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very short book broken into 2 sections-Being a Father God’s Way and Being a Mother God’s Way. While there are not practical parenting tips in this book, it does an excellent job pointing mothers and fathers to Scripture to get the answers for how to love and serve your spouse and your children. Alistair makes several very good points about how we are to live according to Scripture and what that looks like. I definitely recommend this quick read.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought he had some great points! I disagreed with some of his hard fast lines on certain things. There is also no guarantee of the things Begg promises on the last section.

[Michelle Moses · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very quick read centered on mom and dad's different roles based off of a couple of Scriptures. Thankfully, God is a gracious God, so He can work despite our shortcomings.

[Michael Potts · Rating 3 out of 5]

+ An excellent correction. Paints a succinct, beautiful image of a strong, godly household. The book achieves its aim to challenge and provoke us to action. The fathers chapter is excellent.

- Feels like an over-correction. Author can be prescriptive and hardline on issues that scripture is quiet-to-silent on, particularly in the weaker chapter on mothers. His final page makes promises of ideal 'results' without basis.

= Veered between 3 and 5 stars. I found this one really hard to rate. Overall, it's a terrific reminder of parental duties and goals, grounding us and refocusing our hearts. However, too much of the limited page count centres on the author's personal wisdom/stances, regardless of whether I agree with him or not.

(I went to three friends' houses recently and accidentally left each of them with a short Christian book. 2/3...)

[Colleen Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Main Point: Alistair Begg gets straight to the point for moms and dads. He lays out the ways dads admonish their children and how to better encourage them, as well as digging into the mom/wife's role in the household.

Thoughts on Book: it was a quick and easy read - almost made me wish for more. I definitely want to reread it with my husband and talk through it.

Favorite Quote: "This dilemma underscores the truth of the scriptures: our culture's shining ideal of the working mother is fool's gold. Mothers busy building their homes are also busy building a stronger society. They who labor in the workplace strengthen a company, but they who labor in the home build the future." P. 36

[Hilda Roberts · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a brief examination of parenting in the light of God's word. it is helpful for a quick read and overview.

However I only gave it 3 stars because personally I felt the section on 'Being a mother God's way' was focused more on theology and feminism. There were a few good points in the section and although I don't disagree with them, it felt more generic and indirectly to do with parenting.

The section on 'Being a father God's way' to me was clearer, having a good balance of doctrine and practical application.

[James Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short enough to read in one go. First half addressed to fathers, second half to mothers. I found the eight ways in which fathers can exasperate their children (Ephesians 6:4) very accurate and challenging!

[Thiago · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderfully challenging and encouraging with raw Bible as its foundation. Slightly weaker on the section for mothers in comparison with the depth seen in the father's section.

[Jon Pentecost · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful brief expounding on parenting from Ephesians 6, applied via obvious experience and wise reflection on Begg's part. The book is split into half (one addressing fathers, one to mothers).

Great brief overview of parenting. I think particularly helpful for parents with children in grade-school and up.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I’ve found with most books of this nature, great practical and biblically-based advice for the menfolk and an idealistic, almost worshipful, but ultimately unhelpful section on mothering.