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The Most Important Place on Earth: What a Christian Home Looks Like and How to Build One
It all starts at home.
Newly revised and updated, The Most Important Place on Earth is Robert Wolgemuth’s inspiring and practical book for those looking for a strong foundation for their home. So what’s so great about a Christian home? There you will find redemption, forgiveness, hope, laughter, and genuine happiness. There you will also find discipline, purpose, and grace. Lots of grace.
Many people did not grow up in a Christian home, and many more do not consider their childhood experience a good model. The Most Important Place on Earth covers eight answers to the question, “What does a Christian home look like?” It is filled with stories and useful ideas that will convince any reader that a Christian home is not an elusive stereotype. It is something that really can be achieved. And it is something worth having. You’ll see.
Newly revised and updated, The Most Important Place on Earth is Robert Wolgemuth’s inspiring and practical book for those looking for a strong foundation for their home. So what’s so great about a Christian home? There you will find redemption, forgiveness, hope, laughter, and genuine happiness. There you will also find discipline, purpose, and grace. Lots of grace.
Many people did not grow up in a Christian home, and many more do not consider their childhood experience a good model. The Most Important Place on Earth covers eight answers to the question, “What does a Christian home look like?” It is filled with stories and useful ideas that will convince any reader that a Christian home is not an elusive stereotype. It is something that really can be achieved. And it is something worth having. You’ll see.
303 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2004
124 people are currently reading
920 people want to read
About the author
Robert Wolgemuth
69 books28 followersROBERT WOLGEMUTH has been in the media business for thirty-nine years. He is former president of Thomas Nelson Publishers and the owner of Wolgemuth & Associates, Inc., a literary agency exclusively representing the writing work of more than one hundred authors. Dr. Wolgemuth is a speaker and best-selling author of over twenty books, including She Calls Me Daddy, the notes to the Dad's Devotional Bible, The Most Important Place on Earth, and What's in the Bible: The Story of God Through Time and Eternity, co-written with R. C. Sproul. He is a 1969 graduate of Taylor University, where he received an honorary doctorate in May 2005. Dr. Wolgemuth is married to Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth and has two grown daughters, two sons-in-law, and five grandchildren.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
December 9, 2019
Fantastic read on the Christian family! I will definitely read it again.
January 15, 2023
I really enjoyed this book. So much great material here. I’m giving it 4 stars simply because the writing style was not my favorite. Content and message were excellent. Gave me a lot to ponder on and some great tools to implement in our family. Good convicting on some areas that I tend to overlook. Definitely recommend!
May 5, 2024
Spot on with Scripture. He outlines practical tips that some may instinctively do while others may need it written out.
December 7, 2018
Highly recommended!
I recommend this book to every believer. It breaks down every day life and how to welcome grace in 100% of the time in a real way. Its not just for families with children, I have found many suggestions to implement into my family of 2.
I recommend this book to every believer. It breaks down every day life and how to welcome grace in 100% of the time in a real way. Its not just for families with children, I have found many suggestions to implement into my family of 2.
June 30, 2025
3.5 stars overall. I had lots of mixed feelings reading this book but despite my own reactions to the author’s ideas and writing style, this practical guide to raising kids in a Christian home has left me thinking and returning to it even over a year later.
In The Most Important Place on Earth, Robert Wolgemuth depicts and describes actions and attitudes that shape and set apart a Christian home. With an emphasis on practical advice rather than abstract theological pondering, this book gave me a clear idea of actions I could take to display grace, joy, and God’s love as I raise my children.
This book is perfect for current or future Christian parents who want to instill faith in their children and display it in how they raise them but aren’t sure where to start.
Pros-
1. Encourages a take it or leave it approach. Wolgemuth encourages readers to use what is useful and ignore what isn’t. His humility as an author and his willingness to recognize that everyone needs something different was refreshing and made the advice feel less burdensome.
2. Helpful no matter your background. This read would be helpful for someone who wasn’t raised in a Christian home and wants to know how to do it. But it was also helpful for me who was raised in a Christian home but took a lot of things for granted. He explains both the what and the why behind actions Christian parents might take.
3. Easy to implement. There are so many small actionable steps that he recommends. Things like praying with your kids at bedtime, greeting them when they come home, hanging scripture verses on the walls so they can see it, showing grace to visitors, planning ways to incorporate laughter- Wolgemuth gives so many practical steps that take only a few minutes but can make a huge impact on your relationship with your child.
4. Father’s perspective. I especially love that this book takes and shares a father’s perspective on raising children. I think father’s, especially those who are the sole bread winners, can have a harder time connecting with their kids and being involved in setting the culture at home. This book emphasized how much impact a father can have and how he can positively relate to his kids and it’s from a father’s perspective.
Cons-
1. Writing Style. The writing style was off putting to me in that Wolgemuth includes stories and analogies that made me feel like he was taking a long way to getting his point across sometimes. His writing doesn’t flow or sound pretty to me, but that wasn’t really the point of the book.
2. Gender Roles- While I think Wolgemuth does try to place parenting as something both moms and dads do together, I feel like sometimes it is clear he has different expectations for women vs men in this role. For example, he tells a story about a mom who didn’t stay home to raise their children. He advocates it is best for a parent to stay home with their children to raise them instead of both parents working, and he is careful to acknowledge that this is an idealistic view rather than realistic. It is still off-putting a bit though that the mom in the story was being set up as a bad example for working when her husband who was also working was not.
Likewise, in one section he talks about how kids should be taught to interact differently with their dad vs their mom, and I feel like this distinction wasn’t needed. Children need to learn to respect both dad and mom and to love both dad and mom. Admittedly, I’m excessively picky about things like this, but this language inherently gives women less power (ex. talking about how moms need love but dads need respect) which concerns me because I think many men abuse role differences to make moms (especially stay at home moms) powerless in their families. (Okay, I know that’s my own soapbox, so I’m getting off it now!)
In The Most Important Place on Earth, Robert Wolgemuth depicts and describes actions and attitudes that shape and set apart a Christian home. With an emphasis on practical advice rather than abstract theological pondering, this book gave me a clear idea of actions I could take to display grace, joy, and God’s love as I raise my children.
This book is perfect for current or future Christian parents who want to instill faith in their children and display it in how they raise them but aren’t sure where to start.
Pros-
1. Encourages a take it or leave it approach. Wolgemuth encourages readers to use what is useful and ignore what isn’t. His humility as an author and his willingness to recognize that everyone needs something different was refreshing and made the advice feel less burdensome.
2. Helpful no matter your background. This read would be helpful for someone who wasn’t raised in a Christian home and wants to know how to do it. But it was also helpful for me who was raised in a Christian home but took a lot of things for granted. He explains both the what and the why behind actions Christian parents might take.
3. Easy to implement. There are so many small actionable steps that he recommends. Things like praying with your kids at bedtime, greeting them when they come home, hanging scripture verses on the walls so they can see it, showing grace to visitors, planning ways to incorporate laughter- Wolgemuth gives so many practical steps that take only a few minutes but can make a huge impact on your relationship with your child.
4. Father’s perspective. I especially love that this book takes and shares a father’s perspective on raising children. I think father’s, especially those who are the sole bread winners, can have a harder time connecting with their kids and being involved in setting the culture at home. This book emphasized how much impact a father can have and how he can positively relate to his kids and it’s from a father’s perspective.
Cons-
1. Writing Style. The writing style was off putting to me in that Wolgemuth includes stories and analogies that made me feel like he was taking a long way to getting his point across sometimes. His writing doesn’t flow or sound pretty to me, but that wasn’t really the point of the book.
2. Gender Roles- While I think Wolgemuth does try to place parenting as something both moms and dads do together, I feel like sometimes it is clear he has different expectations for women vs men in this role. For example, he tells a story about a mom who didn’t stay home to raise their children. He advocates it is best for a parent to stay home with their children to raise them instead of both parents working, and he is careful to acknowledge that this is an idealistic view rather than realistic. It is still off-putting a bit though that the mom in the story was being set up as a bad example for working when her husband who was also working was not.
Likewise, in one section he talks about how kids should be taught to interact differently with their dad vs their mom, and I feel like this distinction wasn’t needed. Children need to learn to respect both dad and mom and to love both dad and mom. Admittedly, I’m excessively picky about things like this, but this language inherently gives women less power (ex. talking about how moms need love but dads need respect) which concerns me because I think many men abuse role differences to make moms (especially stay at home moms) powerless in their families. (Okay, I know that’s my own soapbox, so I’m getting off it now!)
May 12, 2024
Overall: 3.5 stars! I thoroughly enjoyed the premise of this book, but have also read others that are similar. Thus, my perspective may be comparative in nature. The book does a great job at simply laying out the foundations of why a home environment is the most important place for kids. Additionally, the author gives some practical ideas of how to implement some of his key points.
Where the book falls short is the part about spanking, which I did not agree with. Perhaps, the specific part about spanking could have been left out, or the author could have provided additional approaches to enforcing discipline. Date I say his spanking suggestions are outdated? Maybe it’s just me, but we don’t use spanking or punishments in our house. Natural consequences, boundaries, and guidance is how we try to approach disciplining our daughter.
I liked the idea of a prayer road! And, the author’s description of how important a grace-filled home is really resonated with me! Although I did not agree with the spanking recommendation in the discipline section, the author made a great point about how important it is to teach kids, from a young g age, to forego their own temptations and immediate gratifications. In a world of quick-fixes and instant gratification, teaching kids how to act in ways that achieve long-term rewards/goals rather than immediate impulses can be a very meaningful gift to the future generation!
Where the book falls short is the part about spanking, which I did not agree with. Perhaps, the specific part about spanking could have been left out, or the author could have provided additional approaches to enforcing discipline. Date I say his spanking suggestions are outdated? Maybe it’s just me, but we don’t use spanking or punishments in our house. Natural consequences, boundaries, and guidance is how we try to approach disciplining our daughter.
I liked the idea of a prayer road! And, the author’s description of how important a grace-filled home is really resonated with me! Although I did not agree with the spanking recommendation in the discipline section, the author made a great point about how important it is to teach kids, from a young g age, to forego their own temptations and immediate gratifications. In a world of quick-fixes and instant gratification, teaching kids how to act in ways that achieve long-term rewards/goals rather than immediate impulses can be a very meaningful gift to the future generation!
March 7, 2019
What a fantastic book! This is one of the most enjoyable & important books I've ever read. Every family should read it...whether you have kids or not, or if you you have an empty nest like we do. I was thrilled that many of the things recommended in this book our family already did/does. There are many more ideas that I plan to implement with future grandchildren, with my husband & with friends.
I picked it up just to see what it was all about, and a few short hours later, I was halfway done. It was conversational, touching, funny, serious & wonderful. I laughed. I cried. Sometimes I laughed till I cried. I'm going to buy copies for all the people I love.
I picked it up just to see what it was all about, and a few short hours later, I was halfway done. It was conversational, touching, funny, serious & wonderful. I laughed. I cried. Sometimes I laughed till I cried. I'm going to buy copies for all the people I love.
November 8, 2017
The author describes this book as a cafeteria line. He encourages the reader to pick and choose what works for his/her family at their stage of life. There were many things I could see us implementing in the future, as well as many things that were applicable to where we are now. As with most books on family and parenting, I didn't agree with him 100%, but overall, I felt like this was a pretty grounded approach to creating a Christian home that is a blessing to our families and others around us.
November 21, 2021
This book has excellent tips for how to make a Christian home, a topic that we have to figure out using Biblical principles but not specific guidance. One memorable takeaway is the five "vitamins" that you need to say (including I'm sorry and I love you) daily to everyone in your family. I recommend this for moms and dads looking to put Christ first in your home, but I did feel like a poor parent after reading some sections that imply your kids don't have special needs or challenges.
June 20, 2022
I highly recommend this book to any and all parents, parents-to-be, and really anyone who is looking to have a Christian home, even if you aren't blessed with kids! This is going to be one that I keep and return to time and again whenever my husband and I are having problems and in raising (hopefully) our own children. It has a permanent place in my library. It's simple, straight forward, and filled with good advice for living closer to the Lord!
January 29, 2023
This was an outstanding book with so many practical ideas! A little overwhelming to consider all of them, but great options to pull out the best pieces for my family. Highly recommend for any parents who desire to create and maintain a Christian home.
“There is hope, laughter, and genuine happiness. Discipline and purpose are there. There is redemption. There is forgiveness. And there is grace…lots of grace.” ❤️🙌🏻
“There is hope, laughter, and genuine happiness. Discipline and purpose are there. There is redemption. There is forgiveness. And there is grace…lots of grace.” ❤️🙌🏻
December 5, 2025
This is a great book for getting to the basics of cultivating a Christian home. Practical and laid out well. Kind of cheesy and overly American/Conservative-leaning. A bold mark against it from my side was the passing comment about giving 10-15 spanks to children. In my opinion, there is never a place for that many spanks.
But, I would recommend the book to new parents, especially those who didn’t come from healthy or Christian homes, as well as those for whom a refresher is good (which is actually all of us.)
But, I would recommend the book to new parents, especially those who didn’t come from healthy or Christian homes, as well as those for whom a refresher is good (which is actually all of us.)
April 9, 2024
Good points and insight. I came away with some good family tips and pointers. Obvious this is a heavily Christian book and it is definitely very cheesy. The book has added flair and stories that do not really need to be there. I understand that there needs to be length to the book but towards the end of the book I started to skim.
September 1, 2017
This was OK- I felt it was a bit surface level for families who have already been intentional in setting up a God-centered home. If you are struggling to keep your family diligent in faith matters, this may be helpful.
July 26, 2018
There aren’t many books that provide practical advice for parenting. This one does. You won’t implement all of these ideas (some were not for us), but learning about words and parental discipline are jewels I won’t soon forget. I only wish I would have read it sooner.
October 15, 2020
A must read in every Christian home!
This is a resource I will be constantly referring to as I seek to be a more godly mother and I’m encouraging my husband to read it. I love the author’s straightforward and unapologetic tone.
This is a resource I will be constantly referring to as I seek to be a more godly mother and I’m encouraging my husband to read it. I love the author’s straightforward and unapologetic tone.
July 7, 2025
3.5 stars. I have mixed feelings about this book. In many ways, it is inspiring and offers great parenting advice. In other ways, it illicites applications from Biblical texts that seem black and white rather than leaving room for Christian freedom.
November 20, 2025
This is such a sweet book written in the tone of a loving, older man in the faith who desires to pass on the wisdom he has gleaned over the years. I would say this is an incredible book for young men who desire to marry but did not grow up with a Godly father figure/family dynamic.
December 29, 2017
an all around good book on what a Christian home can look like. I really admire the heart that went into this book, a "must read" for any Christian family.
May 1, 2018
This book took me ages to read as it could be a little slow at times. However it was enjoyable and consisted me on several issues. Would recommend for Christian parents with kids of any age.
December 28, 2019
Remarkable book on the Christian home! So many practical applications and thoughts on developing your view of home.
January 30, 2020
Brother Wolgemuth's winsome writing makes this book a joy to read. Many good nuggets of wisdom scattered throughout.
September 1, 2020
Highly recommended
I will definitely come back to this book on my shelf regularly. Great insights, easy to read, highly recommended to all who hand influence with kids
I will definitely come back to this book on my shelf regularly. Great insights, easy to read, highly recommended to all who hand influence with kids
May 1, 2022
Excellent how to book on creating a Christ honoring atmosphere in one’s home
August 25, 2022
This is the best parenting book I’ve ever read so far. A must read for every Christian parent.
February 8, 2023
It was ok.
June 7, 2023
Couldn't finish. It felt cheesy and superficial.
July 16, 2023
It is a beautiful book that shows you the importance of having a Christian home and what that means for you and your children. A must need for any Christian's bookshelf.
January 17, 2025
I disagree on a couple of points, but overall this is my favorite Christian parenting/relationship book that I've read so far. I learned a lot and will be applying some of these concepts in my home!
January 22, 2025
One of my favorite all time books! Read it the first time back in 2011, and I love to revisit it often and recommend to others. Great concepts and biblical ways to implement Christian family values.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews