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Fearless Parenting: How to Raise Faithful Kids in a Secular Culture
Conscientious parents who long to bring their children up as good Christians and good citizens face an uphill battle. In a culture of rampant narcissism and moral anarchy, righteous living isn't easy and it isn't popular. But positive cultural transformation happens quietly, one life at a time, and that is good news for parents.
In this hopeful book, world-renowned researcher George Barna and nationally respected counselor Jimmy Myers offer parents a plan of action to raise healthy, godly children in a morally bankrupt culture. If the parents of this generation want to see their children grow up with their faith and consciences intact, they cannot afford to simply react, making it up as they go along. They must approach their responsibilities to parent their children with intentionality and consistency. This eye-opening book helps them do just that.
In this hopeful book, world-renowned researcher George Barna and nationally respected counselor Jimmy Myers offer parents a plan of action to raise healthy, godly children in a morally bankrupt culture. If the parents of this generation want to see their children grow up with their faith and consciences intact, they cannot afford to simply react, making it up as they go along. They must approach their responsibilities to parent their children with intentionality and consistency. This eye-opening book helps them do just that.
- GenresParenting
224 pages, Paperback
Published July 4, 2017
30 people are currently reading
490 people want to read
About the author
Jimmy Myers
4 books3 followersMy name is Jimmy Myers and I'm glad you're checking out my author page. Here's just a little about myself. Let's see...I was married the day I turned 20 years old to the most gorgeous girl in Cisco, Texas. Beth and I have been married now for 37 years, and have three adult married kids, with five grand babies, one on the way! I’m way too young for this…I was a child bride.
I spent the first 20 years of my vocational life doing youth ministry in local churches, my last being Hyde Park Baptist Church in Austin, Texas. I am a full time Assistant professor at Liberty University. I also serve as the Family Pastor for LifeAustin Church here in Austin, and was appointed by the Governor to the Juvenile Justice Advisory Board for the State of Texas. For the past 16 years I have been co-owner (along with my son) and Executive Director of The Timothy Center. The TC is a multi-campus Christian counseling practice that focuses on serving adolescents and their families.
Pairadocs Podcast
www.pairadocspodcast.com
Pairadocs is a unique marriage and parenting podcast that women will love and guys won't want to turn off. Jimmy and his son, Josh, will provide marriage and parenting insight, to be sure. However, don't be surprised if other topics emerge, such as sports, entertainment, politics, or the latest episode of Pioneer Woman - we have way too many women in our lives!
Some Interviews Include:
Jamie Ivey, Gary Chapman, Les Parrott, Nicole C. Mullen, Lysa TerKeurst, and Tony Campolo
Some Show Topics Include:
Transgenderism, Marital Sex Drive, Essential Parenting Battles, Shoulding on your spouse, Social media and our kids
You can find the show on: itunes, google play, and all other major podcast platforms.
For speaking inquiries contact The Fedd Agency/Fedd Speaking at www.feddagency.com
If you are interested, you can follow me, as I follow Christ…specifically:
On Twitter: @docjimmymyers
On Instagram @docjimmymyers
On Facebook: docjimmymyers &
The Timothy Center
I spent the first 20 years of my vocational life doing youth ministry in local churches, my last being Hyde Park Baptist Church in Austin, Texas. I am a full time Assistant professor at Liberty University. I also serve as the Family Pastor for LifeAustin Church here in Austin, and was appointed by the Governor to the Juvenile Justice Advisory Board for the State of Texas. For the past 16 years I have been co-owner (along with my son) and Executive Director of The Timothy Center. The TC is a multi-campus Christian counseling practice that focuses on serving adolescents and their families.
Pairadocs Podcast
www.pairadocspodcast.com
Pairadocs is a unique marriage and parenting podcast that women will love and guys won't want to turn off. Jimmy and his son, Josh, will provide marriage and parenting insight, to be sure. However, don't be surprised if other topics emerge, such as sports, entertainment, politics, or the latest episode of Pioneer Woman - we have way too many women in our lives!
Some Interviews Include:
Jamie Ivey, Gary Chapman, Les Parrott, Nicole C. Mullen, Lysa TerKeurst, and Tony Campolo
Some Show Topics Include:
Transgenderism, Marital Sex Drive, Essential Parenting Battles, Shoulding on your spouse, Social media and our kids
You can find the show on: itunes, google play, and all other major podcast platforms.
For speaking inquiries contact The Fedd Agency/Fedd Speaking at www.feddagency.com
If you are interested, you can follow me, as I follow Christ…specifically:
On Twitter: @docjimmymyers
On Instagram @docjimmymyers
On Facebook: docjimmymyers &
The Timothy Center
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
July 26, 2017
My Rating: Probably not worth your time
Level: Quick, easy read; short book.
Summary
The title of this book is a little strange. For the most part, the book is about Biblical parenting in a secular world (which is more or less what the subtitle says). The name comes from the second chapter, where the authors tell you to reject fear as your basis of parenting. That is all well and good, but the response in this chapter is in relation to the first chapter, which might be one of the worst examples of writing in any parenting book, ever. I’d highly recommend skipping the first chapter, if you have any plans on finishing the book.
The remainder of the book is pretty solid; with almost a completely different feel than the first chapter (as if there were two authors…). The first few chapters are general reminders and thoughts on parenting from a Christian perspective that should be familiar to most church-going families. Some of the topics covered later in the book include clothes, materialism, social media, and ‘screen-time’, and they all contain good, practical advise. The one section where the book really does shine is in discussion of kid’s sports. In it, the author calls out parents who try to live vicariously through their children in sports and challenges parents to ramp down the amount of sports played and to not make them the number one priority in the life of your family. The section of the book was redeeming enough for me to not rate the book lower.
My Thoughts
I wanted to like this book more, but it was hard to get past the first chapter. In it, the author ‘projects’ what life make be like in 2030. Some of the ‘data’ points (such as rising crime, or Trump reducing/balancing the budget) are somewhere between disingenuous to out right lies. In case you decide to fact check (which I did), he heads you off by pointing out that if you think he is being ‘too political’ (or, what I’d call, maybe just being a complete political hack) it is because YOU, reader, are too politically correct. Along with misused data, the author also gives us an Orwellian tinged far right-wing dystopian fantasy; including the suggestion that new government agencies will be created and that pastors will have to submit their sermons/teaching for approval by the state.
Honestly, this first chapter is just embarrassing. It hurts me on two levels. First, as a Christian, it is embarrassing that this book is written by/for and published by Christians. I suppose the author may shrug it off and say, ‘this is just what could happen.’ However, his projections are based on neither facts nor anything to do with Christians. It is straight up far-right political (hackery?, propaganda? fantasy/nightmare? I can’t even come up with the right word for this). It reminds me of the chain email that went around (you probably got it from your mom or grandpa) 2008/2009 that claimed that Obama was the anti-christ and that Revelation said he would be a Muslim. Of course, the book of Revelation makes no such claim, and Islam would not be founded for a another couple of centuries. Overall, I think the first chapter could best be summed up as an email your grandmother would forward you because she is scarred. I think this is probably one of the biggest reasons why young people leave the church today. This is beyond the scope of a book review, but a generation ago, people left the mainline churches because they sounded like democratic party meetings, and now people are leaving evangelical churches because they sound like republican party meetings.
Second, this chapter was bad in it’s use of statistics. George Barna and I both have master’s degrees in City Planning, so I feel he should know better. Which leads me to another criticism of the book overall – with one of the authors being the head of a major polling/research group, the book was very lacking in data. I was interested in this book partly because I thought, with Barna being co-author, it would be data heavy. Then again, based on the first chapter, maybe that is for the best.
This has already gone on too long for a review, so I’ll wrap up quickly. The sections/chapters on social media and screen time offer some great guidelines and I appreciate anytime a parenting book (especially Christian focused) offers practical examples. The section materialism was impressively counter-cultural. It did a good job of calling parents out for their endless wants and purchases as a way of setting a poor example for our children. Finally, I was really impressed with the section on sports. This is something of a sacred cow in America, particularity for things like Baseball and Football (especially here in the South). It is an incredible challenge the author lays out, telling someone you may skip a tournament, or not enroll in a sport because it has games on Sunday. They do well in discussing the impact too many sports have on your family life (e.g. vacation time or even canceling vacations), on your children’s health, and, most convictingly, your own idols (vicarious living, or idol of parenting a sports star in think on how that reflects on you).
I haven’t seen a parenting book really reflect on sports to this extent before, and it almost makes the whole book worth reading. However, due mostly to the drag of that first chapter, I think this book is mostly not worth your time. If you are specifically looking for some guidelines on materialism, social media/screen use, and sports participation, it may be a worthwhile. However, you can probably find some decent guidelines for most of these online somewhere, or perhaps in other books.
*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
More reviews at https://MondayMorningTheologian.com/
Level: Quick, easy read; short book.
Summary
The title of this book is a little strange. For the most part, the book is about Biblical parenting in a secular world (which is more or less what the subtitle says). The name comes from the second chapter, where the authors tell you to reject fear as your basis of parenting. That is all well and good, but the response in this chapter is in relation to the first chapter, which might be one of the worst examples of writing in any parenting book, ever. I’d highly recommend skipping the first chapter, if you have any plans on finishing the book.
The remainder of the book is pretty solid; with almost a completely different feel than the first chapter (as if there were two authors…). The first few chapters are general reminders and thoughts on parenting from a Christian perspective that should be familiar to most church-going families. Some of the topics covered later in the book include clothes, materialism, social media, and ‘screen-time’, and they all contain good, practical advise. The one section where the book really does shine is in discussion of kid’s sports. In it, the author calls out parents who try to live vicariously through their children in sports and challenges parents to ramp down the amount of sports played and to not make them the number one priority in the life of your family. The section of the book was redeeming enough for me to not rate the book lower.
My Thoughts
I wanted to like this book more, but it was hard to get past the first chapter. In it, the author ‘projects’ what life make be like in 2030. Some of the ‘data’ points (such as rising crime, or Trump reducing/balancing the budget) are somewhere between disingenuous to out right lies. In case you decide to fact check (which I did), he heads you off by pointing out that if you think he is being ‘too political’ (or, what I’d call, maybe just being a complete political hack) it is because YOU, reader, are too politically correct. Along with misused data, the author also gives us an Orwellian tinged far right-wing dystopian fantasy; including the suggestion that new government agencies will be created and that pastors will have to submit their sermons/teaching for approval by the state.
Honestly, this first chapter is just embarrassing. It hurts me on two levels. First, as a Christian, it is embarrassing that this book is written by/for and published by Christians. I suppose the author may shrug it off and say, ‘this is just what could happen.’ However, his projections are based on neither facts nor anything to do with Christians. It is straight up far-right political (hackery?, propaganda? fantasy/nightmare? I can’t even come up with the right word for this). It reminds me of the chain email that went around (you probably got it from your mom or grandpa) 2008/2009 that claimed that Obama was the anti-christ and that Revelation said he would be a Muslim. Of course, the book of Revelation makes no such claim, and Islam would not be founded for a another couple of centuries. Overall, I think the first chapter could best be summed up as an email your grandmother would forward you because she is scarred. I think this is probably one of the biggest reasons why young people leave the church today. This is beyond the scope of a book review, but a generation ago, people left the mainline churches because they sounded like democratic party meetings, and now people are leaving evangelical churches because they sound like republican party meetings.
Second, this chapter was bad in it’s use of statistics. George Barna and I both have master’s degrees in City Planning, so I feel he should know better. Which leads me to another criticism of the book overall – with one of the authors being the head of a major polling/research group, the book was very lacking in data. I was interested in this book partly because I thought, with Barna being co-author, it would be data heavy. Then again, based on the first chapter, maybe that is for the best.
This has already gone on too long for a review, so I’ll wrap up quickly. The sections/chapters on social media and screen time offer some great guidelines and I appreciate anytime a parenting book (especially Christian focused) offers practical examples. The section materialism was impressively counter-cultural. It did a good job of calling parents out for their endless wants and purchases as a way of setting a poor example for our children. Finally, I was really impressed with the section on sports. This is something of a sacred cow in America, particularity for things like Baseball and Football (especially here in the South). It is an incredible challenge the author lays out, telling someone you may skip a tournament, or not enroll in a sport because it has games on Sunday. They do well in discussing the impact too many sports have on your family life (e.g. vacation time or even canceling vacations), on your children’s health, and, most convictingly, your own idols (vicarious living, or idol of parenting a sports star in think on how that reflects on you).
I haven’t seen a parenting book really reflect on sports to this extent before, and it almost makes the whole book worth reading. However, due mostly to the drag of that first chapter, I think this book is mostly not worth your time. If you are specifically looking for some guidelines on materialism, social media/screen use, and sports participation, it may be a worthwhile. However, you can probably find some decent guidelines for most of these online somewhere, or perhaps in other books.
*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
More reviews at https://MondayMorningTheologian.com/
July 12, 2017
Review:
The subtitle of George Barna and Jimmy Myers’ new book, Fearless Parenting, is How to Raise Faithful Kids in a Secular Culture. That subtitle shows the parameters and the context for the book. It combines Barna’s expertise in research with Myers’ expertise as a licensed professional counselor for adolescents and their families. Barna’s statistics show what issues are so crucial for teen identity in today’s culture. But Myers includes the stories of teens and/or parents that help the research hit home. Myers also speaks very directly to parents who may have given over the spiritual formation of their children to the church, who have used anger, guilt, and shame in their discipline, who have created the problems of entitlement, materialism, “the push,” and even addiction to social media and the smartphone that is ruining their kids’ lives. The authors say, “Many of the problems faced by today’s kids are facilitated by their parents in the home” (George Barna & Jimmy Myers, Fearless Parenting: How to Raise Faithful Kids in a Secular Culture, Baker Books, 2017, p. 17). But the book is not all blame. Each chapter includes practical suggestions for how parents can counter or eliminate those negative influences for their children. It’s in the implementation of those “counter” actions that the term “fearless parenting” makes sense because so often those counter actions are directly opposed to the cultural pressures and values that both the parents and the children face. The writers’ goal is to help parents prepare children to take on our “increasingly secular society and win a cultural war. We must no longer protect and separate them from culture but prepare and train them to engage and ultimately transform culture” (p. 42). Any Christian who wants to equip children from ages 4 to 24 to transform our secular culture needs to read this book. 5 stars. M.L. Codman-Wilson, Ph.D., 7/12/2017
The subtitle of George Barna and Jimmy Myers’ new book, Fearless Parenting, is How to Raise Faithful Kids in a Secular Culture. That subtitle shows the parameters and the context for the book. It combines Barna’s expertise in research with Myers’ expertise as a licensed professional counselor for adolescents and their families. Barna’s statistics show what issues are so crucial for teen identity in today’s culture. But Myers includes the stories of teens and/or parents that help the research hit home. Myers also speaks very directly to parents who may have given over the spiritual formation of their children to the church, who have used anger, guilt, and shame in their discipline, who have created the problems of entitlement, materialism, “the push,” and even addiction to social media and the smartphone that is ruining their kids’ lives. The authors say, “Many of the problems faced by today’s kids are facilitated by their parents in the home” (George Barna & Jimmy Myers, Fearless Parenting: How to Raise Faithful Kids in a Secular Culture, Baker Books, 2017, p. 17). But the book is not all blame. Each chapter includes practical suggestions for how parents can counter or eliminate those negative influences for their children. It’s in the implementation of those “counter” actions that the term “fearless parenting” makes sense because so often those counter actions are directly opposed to the cultural pressures and values that both the parents and the children face. The writers’ goal is to help parents prepare children to take on our “increasingly secular society and win a cultural war. We must no longer protect and separate them from culture but prepare and train them to engage and ultimately transform culture” (p. 42). Any Christian who wants to equip children from ages 4 to 24 to transform our secular culture needs to read this book. 5 stars. M.L. Codman-Wilson, Ph.D., 7/12/2017
July 17, 2017
Great parenting book that will make you laugh, step on your toes, and challenge you to be the fearless parent that God desires you to be!
July 8, 2017
Absolutely excellent. My favorite parenting book I've read so far in my life. It's full of practical Bible based parenting advice.
August 17, 2017
When I started reading this book, I figured it would be full of instructions. I assumed the focus would be on kids.
In some ways, it was.
But more than focusing on the "how to's" of raising kids, Fearless Parenting focuses more on the parent themselves.
Don't let fear rule your parenting.
One of my biggest takeaways was that I cannot parenting out of fear. Proactively setting up boundaries and systems in your house allows you to parent without fear. When we only parent reactively, we aren't actually helping our kids. Barna and Myers assert that when we prioritize relationships, set boundaries around media for the WHOLE family, and take charge of our children's spiritual growth we are parenting in ways that will help our kids be faithful.
Based on years of counseling experience and statistics, Barna and Myers will equip you in how to raise your kids with a different mindset than the one prevalent in culture today. This book is more than just a "how to" book. It's a guide to changing your thinking so that you can raise children who learn to love God more than the culture they live in.
Fearless Parenting is a guide to letting go of the fear you may feel for your child as they are raised in a highly secular culture today. It's a reminder that we must live our lives differently in order to stand out. And a call to radical living that benefits not just our children, but the entire culture when we choose to go against the grain.
I received a copy of this book from Baker Books. This review is my own, honest opinion.
In some ways, it was.
But more than focusing on the "how to's" of raising kids, Fearless Parenting focuses more on the parent themselves.
Don't let fear rule your parenting.
One of my biggest takeaways was that I cannot parenting out of fear. Proactively setting up boundaries and systems in your house allows you to parent without fear. When we only parent reactively, we aren't actually helping our kids. Barna and Myers assert that when we prioritize relationships, set boundaries around media for the WHOLE family, and take charge of our children's spiritual growth we are parenting in ways that will help our kids be faithful.
Based on years of counseling experience and statistics, Barna and Myers will equip you in how to raise your kids with a different mindset than the one prevalent in culture today. This book is more than just a "how to" book. It's a guide to changing your thinking so that you can raise children who learn to love God more than the culture they live in.
Fearless Parenting is a guide to letting go of the fear you may feel for your child as they are raised in a highly secular culture today. It's a reminder that we must live our lives differently in order to stand out. And a call to radical living that benefits not just our children, but the entire culture when we choose to go against the grain.
I received a copy of this book from Baker Books. This review is my own, honest opinion.
February 9, 2021
Two professionals from two completely different fields of expertise teaming up to write one comprehensive and compelling work. Each chapter nails the subject matter and there are copious amounts of reference materials and practicalities that will take your parenting to another level. A MUST read for every parent and GRANDPARENT.
I give this book 6 stars it so exceeded expectations. The last four chapters alone make it worth its weight in gold!
I give this book 6 stars it so exceeded expectations. The last four chapters alone make it worth its weight in gold!
September 15, 2017
Fearless Parenting: How to Raise Faithful Kids in a Secular Culture by Jimmy Myers deals with an issue that many parents think about. I liked that he makes you realize fear is not what should govern your parenting. It is hard to not let the secular word overrun things. He gives you a plan that encourages faith.
It is well written.
I received a copy thru a Goodreads Giveaway.
It is well written.
I received a copy thru a Goodreads Giveaway.
February 6, 2021
Great read
This book gave great insight to what it means to be a fearless, Christian parent in today’s society. I loved the personal experiences from both authors as well as the Biblical truth that goes hand in hand.
This book gave great insight to what it means to be a fearless, Christian parent in today’s society. I loved the personal experiences from both authors as well as the Biblical truth that goes hand in hand.
August 31, 2022
Fantastic read with great insight for today’s parents in the thick of it. I walked away with several aspects of my parenting that need to change and improve. Really appreciated their perspective on several important topics and some specific ways to improve. Totally recommend!
September 7, 2017
The beginning was a bit weird, but I found it eye opening straight talk that helped me to see the forest not just the trees in business.
August 26, 2018
It was a good book, but a pretty typical Christian parenting book and I couldn't get myself to quite finish.
February 23, 2020
Did not finish. Couldn’t continue reading past the endorsement of Trump
October 5, 2020
So good... one of the best parenting book I’ve read. One that I want to re-read every year as a refresher. Chapter one was weird and not really relevant but the rest was spot on.
Want to read
February 6, 2021Ashley West 2/5/21
May 15, 2021
Great reminders on how to raise religious kids in a secular world.
July 12, 2023
4.5 rounded up. My husband and I read this together and did learn some practical things to move our family in the direction we intend. It was certainly worth the read!
September 13, 2023
There were some great points. Mainly for parents of older kids (preteens and teens) though. Chapter 1 made me think I wouldn’t enjoy the book but the rest was pretty good!
August 10, 2024
The best parenting book I’ve ever read!!
January 12, 2018
“Are parents today facing issues that would have been unthinkable to their grandparents’ generation? Yep.”
Parenting children today is hard. There are so many new situations to deal with, especially with technology. Cell phones, social media, cyberbullying – many of these things our own parents didn’t have to deal with when raising us. In Fearless Parenting, the two authors work together to bring the data of today’s issues into easy to use tips in raising kids today.
I requested Fearless Parenting as part of Baker Books Bloggers and was given a free copy in exchange for a fair review. I am happy to read any tips on how to raise children today as I have four children and the oldest ones are on the verge of hitting teenage-hood.
In twelve chapters, the authors discuss parenting techniques and specific situations and topics that are relevant to today. First, they make the case that parents should not parent out of fear, but with an attitude based on Biblical values and perspectives. There are chapters about children’s spiritual growth, rejecting materialism, social media and smartphone use and consistency. Each chapter also has tips, questions, rules or stories to emphasize the topic and give parents actual tools to use.
I found this book very helpful and will add it to my home library with my parenting books. The book is well researched so all the tips are very practical and have reasons as to why they should be implemented. Having confidence as a parent will definitely help my children. I would recommend this book to any parent. It is written from a Christian perspective.
Parenting children today is hard. There are so many new situations to deal with, especially with technology. Cell phones, social media, cyberbullying – many of these things our own parents didn’t have to deal with when raising us. In Fearless Parenting, the two authors work together to bring the data of today’s issues into easy to use tips in raising kids today.
I requested Fearless Parenting as part of Baker Books Bloggers and was given a free copy in exchange for a fair review. I am happy to read any tips on how to raise children today as I have four children and the oldest ones are on the verge of hitting teenage-hood.
In twelve chapters, the authors discuss parenting techniques and specific situations and topics that are relevant to today. First, they make the case that parents should not parent out of fear, but with an attitude based on Biblical values and perspectives. There are chapters about children’s spiritual growth, rejecting materialism, social media and smartphone use and consistency. Each chapter also has tips, questions, rules or stories to emphasize the topic and give parents actual tools to use.
I found this book very helpful and will add it to my home library with my parenting books. The book is well researched so all the tips are very practical and have reasons as to why they should be implemented. Having confidence as a parent will definitely help my children. I would recommend this book to any parent. It is written from a Christian perspective.
July 21, 2017
I feel like this book was written just for me. It addressed so many issues that I’m facing in my life as a parent of a 14 year old and an 11 year old.
It’s no secret that this world is not an easy place to raise children, especially as a Christian. There have been numerous times in the past few months, I’ve felt like I had no idea what I was doing as a parent and wished for someone to come along and give me advice and tell me it would be okay. This book did just that.
The book covers very important topics, including family relationships, materialism, pornography, and social media. It also recommends other resources that would be helpful to equip our children to face the harsh world.
The overarching theme is that Christian parents need to parent without fear…we cannot allow our fears of “what could happen” to dictate our parenting. It also gives us what we need to raise the most precious gifts we are entrusted with.
I highly, highly recommend this book to any parent, but especially parents of pre-teens and teens. It is a book that I will revisit with a highlighter and page tabs.
My Rating: 5 stars
I received this book from Baker Publishers in exchange for an honest review.
It’s no secret that this world is not an easy place to raise children, especially as a Christian. There have been numerous times in the past few months, I’ve felt like I had no idea what I was doing as a parent and wished for someone to come along and give me advice and tell me it would be okay. This book did just that.
The book covers very important topics, including family relationships, materialism, pornography, and social media. It also recommends other resources that would be helpful to equip our children to face the harsh world.
The overarching theme is that Christian parents need to parent without fear…we cannot allow our fears of “what could happen” to dictate our parenting. It also gives us what we need to raise the most precious gifts we are entrusted with.
I highly, highly recommend this book to any parent, but especially parents of pre-teens and teens. It is a book that I will revisit with a highlighter and page tabs.
My Rating: 5 stars
I received this book from Baker Publishers in exchange for an honest review.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews