Necessity of Parental Spiritual Leadership

Necessity of Parental Spiritual Leadership In this paper, I will show why I believe the parents are to be the primary spiritual caregivers of their children. I believe that there is more than just personal preference deciding who should train children spiritually. This has been a topic of much discussion and one that needs to be brought to the attention of parents. Parents in North America have largely left the spiritual raising of their children up to the church. This is why there are many children and family pastors. I believe that the churchs role is to support the parents in raising children spiritually. It would help to begin by defining some terms. When talking about spiritual leadership, what then is meant? Spiritual leadership is quite simply leadership that is spiritual. Leadership is the act of leading a group of people. This can be by taking somebody from one place and moving them to another by being an example and correcting should the need arise. Spiritual leadership takes the idea of leadership one step further by making it about leading somebody spiritually. What then isÂÂ   meant by spiritual in spiritual leadership?ÂÂ   Spiritual pertains to the realm of religion. In this paper, spiritual will refer to the leading and following of Jesus Christ. Now that spiritual leadership has been defined who can be spiritual leaders? Spiritual leaders can be anybody who is farther along on the faith journey than the one theyre leading. This might include pastors, teachers, leaders, parents, older siblings, or older individuals in the church. In some cases, the spiritual lead er is younger than whom he is leading. Why do children need spiritual leadership? George Barna in his book on transforming children[K1], says that in order to have a proper relationship with God, children must be taught to obey Him.[1] Children need someone to guide them along this journey of life to becoming more like Christ. They need someone to teach them the things of God. They will not and cannot do that on their own. They are in dire need of someone to guide them who is more spiritually mature than they are. What does spiritual leadership have to do with families? Moses wrote in Deuteronomy chapter 6 These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.[2] These verses give a clear indication that children are to be taught the things of God by their parents. These words were spoken by Moses as a direct command from God. God was to be taught about by the parents all the time. There is a clear indication of this by the words when you sit, when you walk, when you lie down and when you rise up. One can infer that this is to be an every day, every week, every month, and every year occurrence. The Bible is clear where talks about parents teaching their children. Does spiritual leadership need to come from the family or can it come from somewhere else? The two locations that spiritual leadership can come from is the family or the church. The church is a great place for Spiritual leadership come from because of the amount of knowledge that most leaders in the church have. On the other hand, a family is also a great place for it to come from because; there is the sheer amount of time that they are with their children and the built in trust the children have for their parents. The question is, is the church and the family equal in terms of training or is one better than the other? When the church leads spiritually, there can be much benefit to the children. Reggie Joiner believes that, The church is a critical part of Gods divine strategy to demonstrate His redemptive story to the world.[3] Over the years, since its inception, the church has perfected the art of teaching. It has designed strategies to guide children into the knowledge of Jesus Christ. The church has specific vacation strategies called VBS, Vacation Bible School, to get the gospel into the hearts of the boys and girls. Many boys and girls give their life to Christ at the VBS. These take place all around the world. George Barna said that, Most church-going parents are neither spiritually mature nor spiritually inclined and therefore they do not have the sense of urgency or necessity about raising their kids to be spiritual champions.[4] The church has picked up the slack of parents. This is why there are becoming more and more children and youth directors. Churches are realizing that parents are not doing their God-given responsibility to lead their children spiritually. Putting it quite simply when he said, while more than four out of five parents believe they have the primary responsibility for the moral and spiritual development of their children, more than two-thirds of them abdicate that responsibility to their church. Their virtual abandonment of spiritual leadership for their children is evident in how infrequently they engage in faith-oriented activities with their young ones.[5], George Barna identified the key problem in the lives of parents today. When children come to church they are taught by educators who have spent all week learning a lesson that they will teach to the children. This lesson has been specifically planned to aid in the spiritual development of the child.ÂÂ   The Sunday school teachers, many who have done this for many years, are teaching out of the experience and other things that they have learned. This teaching becomes concentrated in i ts Biblical content. A former childrens director Michelle Anthony stated what most workers in childrens ministry feel when she said, We desire that those in our care will have been spiritually formed by the time they leave our ministry.[6] It is this desire that drives the many childrens workers at churches around the world. All this so far seems well and good, but[K2] Barna figured out the problem with this church predominant teaching. He said, So, parents are happy, children receive some religious instruction and experiences, and the churches are serving people. This sounds like a wonderful win-win situation except for one issue: the approach is completely unbiblical.[7]ÂÂ   This leads to an improper view that the church should be the primary spiritual caregivers of children. They can have an influence, but[K3] should not be the primary. When parents make the decision to lead spiritually it can have the largest impact on their children.ÂÂ   Parents have the unique,opportunity to help them (kids) discover, access, and strengthen their (kids) trust and faith in Jesus Christ[8] as authors Powell and Clark correctly identified. Children are born into this world completely helpless. They cannot do anything on their own. As they begin to grow, they become attached to their parents. They look to the parents for guidance, support, and encouragement. Through this relationship that has been God-given, the parents can use this relationship to begin guiding their children to follow Jesus Christ. As George Barna specified, Spiritual development is a lifelong continual process. It is not to be practiced as a once a week routine[K4], but a 24/7 habit.[9] This is attainable by the parents and not the church. There are 168 hours in a week. 56 of those are designated as sleeping hours. Children spend approximately 40 hours in sch ool. This leaves 78 hours of the week that the children are neither sleeping nor at school. These 78 hours can be intentional hours that parents can use to guide their children spiritually. The church only gets probably 1 to 2 hours a week of spiritual influence over the children. Powell and Clark also stated so well that parents, model an unconditional, nonjudgmental, and ever embracing love in which our kids can do nothing that jeopardizes or even lessen that love.[10] Through this parents can show pragmatically to their children that nothing can drive the kids out of the family. The parents are modeling the same that is true in Gods family. Once they are a part of Gods family, nothing they can do is able to snatch them out of the Fathers hand.[11] Parents must not wait until children are in school to begin the spiritual training of their children. They can begin as early as when they bring them home from the hospital. By simply singing the song Jesus Loves Me, parents can begin the spiritual training of their children. This song speaks great theological truths. Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so. The children can know first off that Jesus loves them. Second, they can learn to trust the Bible. It is the Bible that accurately tells them the truth that Jesus loves them.ÂÂ   The parents are teaching[K5] though the song even before the child can speak. Children can know these truths from a very young age and all it begins with is the parent singing the song to them and they are imparting deep theological truth. The authors of Losing Your Marbles plainly state, If kids dont feel loved when theyre young, they may never love themselves in a healthy way.[12] This is very easily done by parents who can model the u nconditional love that God has for us. Parents can teach their children the love of the Father with the love that they have for their kids. It is kind of ironic that God describes himself as a Father. That is what sets parenting apart from anything else. God has allowed parents to take those young individuals and be able to mold them in accordance with His Word. Jesus welcomed the little children onto His knee. He still wants kids to be with him. In their book Sticky Faith Drs. Powell and Clark say that when kids come to the conclusion through failure or pain that theyre not in control of their faith and they lose interest in their faith, they are going to set that faith aside. Parents must help the kids discover the faith that doesnt fade by staying true to the words of Jesus. They wrote the children need to learn to trust in the one the Father has sent and live convinced that the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.[13] Again, Michelle Anthony brought the important truth out when she said, As ministers of Christ, I believe our job is to simply hoist our sail far and as wide as we can and catch the wind of God. That sail is important, but not as important as the wind.[14] As parents deal with children day after day they will be able to see these areas where the Holy Spirit is moving and use that prompting to speak the truth of God into the kids lives. Even a simple thing like walking down the stree t, there are areas that parents can use to teach about Gods greatness. As the children hear about news articles, parents can use that as a jumping point to speak the truth. As the parents listen for Gods direction, they will be able to use random things that can happen every single day as teaching points. Its no accident that God directly told the parents in Deuteronomy to teach the things of God, when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.[15] These words are very strong proof that it must be the parents that lead spiritually. The church is simply not in the kids lives often enough. In conclusion, there is nothing wrong with the church teaching children spiritually[K6], but they must not be the primary. The primary spiritual leadership needs to come from the parents. They have been called by God to fulfill this role. Often parents dont know where to start[K7], but, even just reading the Bible with their kids is a great place to start. Its no coincidence that God has placed children in a family and when someone receives Jesus as their Savior they become part of Gods family. The family is very important to God and that is why the parents can reach their children best. The book Think Orange underlying theme is that the parents are red; signifying their love for the children and the church is yellow, signifying it as a light in the world. It is only when both come together, red and yellow that you get orange. Rather than the church doing one thing and the parents doing another thing, if they work together they can attack two fronts. When you combine two influences, you amplify whats important[16] The best, and most ideal situation, is the family providing the primary spiritual leadership[K8], and the church coming alongside and augmenting the parents teaching with their own teaching. The churchs role is to evangelize the world. The parents role is to disciple and train their children as spiritual leaders. This is not a task that parents can approach half-heartedly, theyÂÂ   must daily rely on the Holy Spirit to guide them in this rewarding task. Annotated Bibliography Anthony, Michelle Dreaming of More For The Next Generation Colorado Springs, Colorado: David C. Cook, 2012 Boys and girls come to Sunday School every single week and every single week, sadly, boys and girls stop coming to Sunday School. This book explores the ideas of what could happen if boys and girls, entire families, learned about got together. Imagine what could happen to our world if this generation of Christians altered their mindset about the importance of disciple in children. If an entire generation continued to practice the things that they learned in Sunday school as kids. The change can happen and it starts with parents to taking their role of spiritual leaders seriously. Anthony, Michelle; Marshman, Megan 7 Family Ministry Essentials Colorado Springs, Colorado; David C. Cook, 2015 Ministry to families has become something of an important aspect in many churches today. No longer are specific leaders just ministering to kids but, there is a gradual shift towards the church providing something for the entire family. This book looks at 7 essential aspects related to ministering to families. The first aspect is essential to this report with its title being Empowering Family as Primary. The authors suggest that in one generation there could be a shift in the primacy of parents being the primary spiritual caregivers for kids. Recycling, seatbelts, and sunscreen have changed from obscurity to necessity in only one generation. Think what could happen if we made this the prime thing we were teaching parents. Barna, George Transforming Children Into Spiritual Champions Ventura, California: Barna Research Group, Ltd., 2003 When it comes to raising boys and girls according to the word of God, George Barna leads the pack on championing this cause. He has done extensive research into reasons why children need to the number one priority in the church. He says that children need to be an investment by the church. With all the research that has been done, children are still influenced primarily by their parents. Even though churches do have an influence on children, the church is on the lowest tier of influence. Parents must rise up and take their place in leading their family spiritually. Joiner, Reggie Think Orange Colorado Springs, Colorado: David C. Cook, 2012 With the church averaging only 40 hours of a year to influence a child, compared to the 3000 that parents get, it only makes sense to have parents use that time to spiritually raise their children. The think orange philosophy is that when parents and the church work together, the spiritual training can be attacked on both fronts. Families being red, representing love and church being yellow, representing light, it is when those two combine you get orange. The author stresses that the parents voice needs to be the strongest in a kids life. The parents need to matter more than their friends, more than a coach, and more than the world. This book, if properly utilized, could change the church today, because it changes families. Joiner, Reggie; Hansen, Elizabeth; Ivy, Kristen Losing Your Marbles Cumming, Georgia: The reThink Group, Inc., 2013 Reggie Joiner weaves the tale of a boy named Simon and his quest to do the right thing at school. This book takes a look at one week out of out of Simons life and the massive changes that can take place in strictly one week. Flipping the book over, Joiner stresses that kids need six things repeatedly in their lives to make a difference. When these six things are done by parents, they can make lasting changes in their childrens lives. The six things are time over time, love over time, words over time, stories over time, tribes over time, and fun over time. These six things done over time, show children that they matter and in these parents can speak spiritually into their kids lives. Newheiser, Jim Parenting is More Than a Formula Philipsburg, New Jersey: PR Publishing Company, 2015 This book is written as an encouragement to parents that sometimes the best parenting doesnt follow strict rules. A key portion of the book is on the parental duties as directed from scripture, with the following section on responsibilities of the child for the choices that he makes. This book hits the nail on the head when it points out the very important high point that its only by Gods grace our kids can be saved. Powell, Kara E.; Clark, Chap Sticky Faith Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2011 This book explores the relationship between children who are raised in the church who is that walk away from it as they get older. The numbers speak of 50% of kids walking away from their faith, their faith does not stick. The essential leading factor with the decision to stay or leave the faith is the influence that parents have on the kids. The authors write that as children get older they need to have developed faith for themselves otherwise, it will not stick and they will walk away. In order to make Faith stick, parents must have conversations with their children about spiritual things throughout the week and not only on Sundays. [1] George Barna, Transforming Children Into Spiritual Champions (Ventura, California: Barna Research Group, Ltd., 2003), 61 [2] Deut. 6:6-7 (NASB) [3] Reggie Joiner, Think Orange (Colorado Springs, Colorado: David C. Cook, 2012), 36 [4] George Barna, Transforming Children Into Spiritual Champions (Ventura, California: Barna Research Group, Ltd., 2003), 111 [5] George Barna, Transforming Children Into Spiritual Champions (Ventura, California: Barna Research Group, Ltd., 2003), 109 [6] Michelle Anthony, Dreaming of More For The Next Generation (Colorado Springs, Colorado: David C. Cook, 2012), 29 [7] George Barna, Transforming Children Into Spiritual Champions (Ventura, California: Barna Research Group, Ltd., 2003), 114 [8] Kara E. Powell and Chap Clark, Sticky Faith (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2011), 37 [9] George Barna, Transforming Children Into Spiritual Champions (Ventura, California: Barna Research Group, Ltd., 2003), 116 [10] Ibid. [11] John 10:29 (NASB) [12] Reggie Joiner, Elizabeth Hansen, Kristen, Losing Your Marbles (Cumming, Georgia: The reThink Group, Inc., 2013), 47 [13] Kara E. Powell and Chap Clark, Sticky Faith (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2011), 36 [14] Michelle Anthony, Megan Marshman, 7 Family Ministry Essentials )Colorado Springs, Colorado; David C. Cook, 2015), 121 [15] Deut. 6:6-7 (NASB) [16] Reggie Joiner, Think Orange (Colorado Springs, Colorado: David C. Cook, 2012), 134 [K1]comma [K2]comma [K3]comma [K4]comma [K5]awkward sentence [K6]comma [K7]comma here instead [K8]comma

Legality of Suicide and Assisted Suicide :: essays research papers

Suicide has become a big part of American society, year after year more people are taking their own lives for many different reasons. A lot of philosophers have broken down all the reasons of suicides into two different categories, rational suicide and irrational suicide. A rational suicide has been given five basic criteria that usually must be met for the person's act to be considered rational. The five criteria which a person must show for their suicide to be considered rational are, "the ability to reason, realistic world view, adequacy of information, avoidance of harm, and accordance with fundamental interests."(Battin 132) Another opinion of rationality of suicide is, "it is the best thing for him from the point of view of his own welfare-or whether it is the best thing for someone being advised, from the point of view of that person's welfare"(Brandt 118). People have to characterize suicides because a lot of times they don't understand what that person is going through so by grouping them and placing criteria on them it allows them to accept it in an easier manner. A lot of suicides are grouped in the rational category because they are committed so the person can be saved from the pain they may be experiencing from a terminal disease. This seems to be just about the only true rational and morally correct reason why a person should commit suicide. Yet a lot of times these patients are "heavily sedated, so that it is impossible for the mental processes of decision leading to action to occur."(Brandt 123) In other words these patients have a rational reason to commit suicide, yet their mind is not capable of making that decision. So if terminally ill patients are the only ones who have a good rational reason to commit suicide, then where does that leave everyone else? Well just about everyone else commits suicide because of a little thing that enters everyone's life at some time and that thing is called depression. Depression can come from several different things, such as a loss of something like a job, a loved one, a limb such as an arm or leg, or anything else that might be held dear to that person. Other things could be rejection at home or in the work place, abuse, and sometimes even the thought of getting old and not wanting to know what tomorrow holds in store.

Political Islam Essay

The constant failure of western secular ideologies to have a resolve for the problems facing humanity has given birth to the political side of Islam.   Since its inception in to the world, western principles have done nothing but abuse and brutalize Islamic doctrines, traditions, values, and culture.   To add more insult to injury, western ideologies have implanted a fake sound of progress to Islam in its failure to uplift the economic conditions of Islamic societies and nations.   Given the extra-religious motivations, political Islam or more ideally known as Islamic fundamentalism is fueled by a multitude of concerns that pollute Islam in numerous ways possible. In order to expound the symptoms that lead to the foundations of Islamic political thought, John Esposito lists down and discusses varying frameworks for such phenomenon.   He first explains the failure brought about by the secular philosophies justifies Islam’s legitimacy as an alternative form of ideology in governments and societies.   Esposito simply suggests that the Muslims cannot be blamed if ever they result to allegedly unorthodox ways to subsidize because the only choice left for them is to look for another non-corruptive option to uplift their worsening economic, cultural, and moral breakdown (Eposito, 2000). Esposito also contends that the role of armed forces such as the Taliban in Afghanistan have made a vital role in setting the course for Islamic fundamentalism’s resurgence (Eposito, 2000).   The resurfacing of Islam in a more extreme manner has its root cause in other angles apart from the contributions of various militia forces.   Primarily, the rise and dominance of Judeo-Christian traditions in various sects around the world is a plausible angle, this is because Judaism and Christianity have particular doctrines which are at odds with Islam.   Though they do not attack places of worship, Muslims still violate Christian and Jewish laws through their radical behavior. John Esposito (2000) implies that Islam or Islamic Fundamentalism for that matter is a case of civilization collision between two different civilizations.   He furthers that the rising influence of religion in international affairs contributes to the conflicts of civilizations.   In this particular argument, Esposito attempts to generalize the role of religion in other endeavors, but religion has its own interests to pursue.   In Islam’s case, how can its adherents postulate a world order if the doctrines that highly influence their ways of life are incoherent? The clash of civilizations theory is just as the same as clash of interests.   If a person does not concur with the concept of a particular ideology; it is his or her prerogative to disagree and not conform to it.   Esposito’s framework in this sense is as simple as the United States refusal to embrace the concept of communism and the Soviet cause during the 1950s.   Osama bin Laden for instance, expresses a great deal of resentment over the United States and its ideologies, that’s how he justifies his acts of terrorism in various cities and countries, but if he wants to claim Islam as the world order, he is then misguided by his alleged advocacies that would save the world. Democracy’s main concept is freedom; democracy refuses to be shackled by laws that hinder progress.   Religion meanwhile has its own foundations based on what is morally right and morally wrong.   It is quite considerable how Esposito gives a non-biased discussion of whether there is conflict of interest between Islam and democracy.   He concludes that politics is more influential here and not religion, and that failure to support civil society as well as failure to participate in political affairs strengthens religious and secular authoritarianism (Esposito 2000). It is plausible to think that there can be a mediating factor between Islam and democracy; this is due to the fact that both ideologies have a similar cause, which is to pursue the best interests of the people.   It is quite true that Islam and its conformists are on the receiving end of western immoralities; however, it is a person’s own will whether to conform to what certain aspects of western ideologies imply. Furthermore, although Islam and democracy may have some overlapping and conflicting principles, a certain application of mutual respect is possible to satisfy all angles in conflict. In Light of John Esposito’s article regarding the resurrection of the Islamic resentment over western secular ideologies, a number of questions are raised to address the matter: †¢ How is terrorism justified as a counter-measure against the perceived immoral and corruptive nature of western thought? †¢ In what context and up to what extent does â€Å"evil† apply in western ideologies? †¢ If Mohammed were alive today, would he be having a similar response to the nature of western views as modern political Islam conformists do? †¢ Do the Political Islamists simply advocate for the upholding of Islam’s tenets or do they also thirst for global power in other aspects such political and economic? †¢ If Islam in itself postulates a diversity of beliefs, how can Islamic fundamentalists constitute their very core ideas in to the world?

The Idea of Honor in Chaucers The Wife of Baths Prologue...

This essay compares the conception honor in Geoffrey Chaucers The Wife of Baths Prologue and The Franklins Tale from The Canterbury Tales. The problem of honor seems to be timeless in its difficulties. There are many ideas and opinions concerning this delicate subject, which always is popular, along with its ability to frustrate and perplex the human. During the time of Chaucer, females such as the Wife of Bath were asserting their rights against the forces of male chauvinism. Apparently, the battle of the sexes for supremacy is everlasting in its intensity and has always been fought. Consequently, we have both male and female chauvinists, and they appear in Chaucers works. They make for interesting reading. In â€Å"The Franklin’s†¦show more content†¦Aurelius reveals his love to her and jokingly she agrees to his love and embrace if he removes all the rocks from the east coast of Brittany. Aurelius goes to a student-magician and agrees to pay him one thousand pounds if he can do the impossible and remove all the rocks from the coast of Brittany. The magician is successful in the deed so Aurelius goes to Dorigen to ask her to keep her promise. She is shocked and contemplates suicide rather than disgrace herself. During this her husband returns home and learns of what has happen. Even though it causes him great grief, Arveragus tells her to fulfill her promise. Aurelius finds out of his nobility in telling her to do that and cancels the promise, and the student magician also cancels the debt Aurelius owes him. In â€Å"The Wife of Bath’s Tale,† the Wife of Bath is married five times and always tries to have mastery over her husband; however, at the time she gains mastery over a husband, he dies. After explain how she gained mastery over her fifth husband she tells a tale of a young knight in King Arthur’s court who rapes a young girl. The law says he should be killed but the queen and ladies of the court beg and keep him alive. He tells a foul old lady he will do whatever she demands if she saves his life and she does by giving him the answer he needs. The old lady demands that the knight marry her and in agony the knight agrees too.Show MoreRelatedAttitudes Toward Marriage in Chaucers the Canterbury Tales1477 Words   |  6 PagesAttitudes Toward Marriage in Chaucers The Canterbury Tales Chaucers The Canterbury Tales demonstrate many different attitudes toward and perceptions of marriage. Some of these ideas are very traditional, such as that discussed in the Franklins Tale, and others are more liberal such as the marriages portrayed in the Millers and the Wife of Baths Tales. While several of these tales are rather comical, they do indeed give us a representation of the attitudes toward marriage at that time inRead MoreEssay about The Ideal of Marriage1238 Words   |  5 Pagesmeaning the wife and the husband are together and living happy in there married life, other married couples may tend to cheat and disrespect each other, meaning that the married couple are not together or are separated may be there opinion of the ideal marriage. In the medieval period Chaucer, writes to his audience the ideal of marriage in his stories. In Chaucers Canterbury Tales he explains the medieval way of a ideal marriage In The Wifes and Baths Tale and The Franklins Tale suggest thereRead More Chaucer Essay2650 Words   |  11 Pages Chaucers The Canterbury Tales demonstrate many different attitudes toward and perceptions of marriage. Some of these ideas are more liberal thought such as the marriages portrayed in the Wife of Bath, the Clerk’s and Merchant’s Tales. Then there are those tales that are very traditional, such as tha t discussed in the Franklins and the Squire’s tales. And lastly there is a tales of that of the Friar and the Summoner which aren’t really involved with marriage but are in the middle of the marriageRead MoreFigurative Language and the Canterbury Tales13472 Words   |  54 Pages1. allegory: a literary work that has a second meaning beneath the surface, often relating to a fixed, corresponding idea or moral principle. 2. alliteration: repetition of initial consonant sounds. It serves to please the ear and bind verses together, to make lines more memorable, and for humorous effect. †¢ Already American vessels had been searched, seized, and sunk. -John F. Kennedy †¢ I should like to hear him fly with the high fields/ And wake to the farm forever fled from the childless