Family Driven Faith
Posted on : 17-04-2007 | By : Alex S. Leung | In : Reformed, Relationships, Sanctification
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Voddie T. Baucham Jr., or Voddie Baucham for short, is about to release a new book titled, Family Driven Faith: Doing What It Takes to Raise Sons and Daughters Who Walk with God. As mentioned on Voddie’s blog, it is coming June 11, 2007 and being published by our good friends at Crossway.
If you’re a church leader who’s passionately involved (or want to be) in your church, I commend this one to you 
Here’s the publisher’s introduction:
More teens are turning away from the faith than ever before: it is estimated that 75 to 88% of Christian teens walk away from Christianity by the end of their freshman year of college. Something must be done.
Family Driven Faith equips Christian parents with the tools they need to raise children biblically in a post-Christian, anti-family society. Voddie Baucham, who with his wife has overcome a multi-generational legacy of broken and dysfunctional homes, shows that God has not left us alone in raising godly children. He has given us timeless precepts and principles for multi-generational faithfulness, especially in Deuteronomy 6. God’s simple command to Moses to teach the Word diligently to the children of Israel serves as the foundation of Family Driven Faith.
I respect Voddie and his ministry and that his book may have good principles… but… I think he needs to take into account cultural differences as well. Sure, multi-generational, postmodern, etc. I think the chinese family unit is quite different than what we understand. If we look at the perspective of a “biblically-based” family unit, I doubt you would find many takers in the “chinese church”. Just want to say that this isn’t just specifically a critique for the “chinese church” but ya, most churches that aren’t specifically euro-centric will have different ideals. Anyways, just want to re-iterate I think it’s great to have biblical principles for the family in a book, but there is also a need to address the culture that it’s relevant to as well. It’s not as easy as following biblical principles and that’s it… there’s more research and sharing of wisdom that needs to be done for specific cultures engagement in the word.
Heya Shu! Yeh, very good point you made and I agree wholeheartedly — we gotta take into account the cultural setting in which we minister. Our “chinese church”es are definitely unique and have a whole lot of cultural baggage that affects the effectiveness of family ministry–often more negative than positive. Voddie doesn’t seem to take into account much of the cultural issues, but I think that’s ok for what he’s trying to get at.
We gotta remember what Voddie is responding to though. He’s responding to a clear ineffectiveness of stratified/segregated “youth” ministry model where too many youths have left the faith. His proposal for a Family Integrated Church approach is quite new of a paradigm shift (not just a tweak to the current programs) and strives to follow biblical models of family discipleship.
So for all this, I’m looking forward to seeing what this book is about
haha, I think principally his ideas make sense… I just wonder how we can realistically change to a family mode of discipleship in the local church. Especially with society’s preoccupation with work/play mentality. Granted, Youth ministry was developed out of a change in societal norms… parents “dropping off” their kids to be discipled instead of learning how to disciple them themselves… but ya… lotsa issues to think about :p
I hope his book will reveal good stuff
peace
shu
What Voddie’s proposing (if I’m not mistaken) is to completely remove segregated ministries from the church, in return for this Family Integrated Church (FIC) discipleship approach. His version is quite extreme (I’m not sure to what extent he is carrying this out at his church), but he himself is no longer accepting invites to speak at “youth” events.
What’s interesting to note, is that Southern is slowly moving towards integrating such a family-centered vision in the Lead school. It’ll be interesting to see how this pans out in the curriculum:P
I could be totally wrong, but I would think that Voddie’s take on “cultural differences” would be bashed by talking about absolute truth. As he says, “there are things that are true for all people in all places at all times.” Also, as Voddie loves to say, “I don’t write the mail, I just deliver it”. Thus, if I’m understanding him correctly, the Word of God is absolute truth and what it says is true for all people in all places at all times EVEN across “cultural differences”.
I’m excited to see what practical actions can be done to promote a less segregated church.
Of course “selling” the idea to churches won’t be easy (and Voddie recognizes this as he tells us on his blog), but as we all know:
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” — 2 Timothy 3:16-17 ESV
If we’re looking for a solution to such a problem, I’m sure that the Word of God will have something to say about it — and I’m sure that Voddie will let us know by delivering us some “mail”.
Warmest regards.
Ok, my take.
Actually, I do not think the “absolute truth” card is necessary in this matter. I don’t think discipleship is something that is concretely defined in a matter that says “Family Discipleship” is the key scriptural way and thus the only way to go. Sure there are a few passages that tell of parents to teach their children the ways of the Lord, I am not doubting that. But there is nothing specific that says THAT is the only way to do discipleship. There were still teaching in synagogues in ancient mediterranean times and beyond when the early Judeo-Christians converted. When is it time for a child to become a grown-up where they will not need family discpleship anymore and think on their own? If it is when they get married (so they will leave their original household) I think that just doesn’t make sense sociologically.
It is easy to dismiss “cultural differences” right off the bat but I don’t think we should automatically. I agree that we need to be living as the redeemed in a culture that needs to see the redeeming work in Christ even today, but I do not think it means that Youth Ministry as it has been used today is not biblical? In a society that does not have “rites of passages” to growing up, I think doing youth ministry is just another avenue of discipleship. I see that at my church right now in the youth ministry. Many older disciples of Christ discipling younger disciples of Christ. Jesus said let the little children come to me. The family of God is found in the church and in the body of Christ. It’s not that I would not encourage BLOOD family discipleship, I just don’t think scripturally youth ministry does not make sense.
Culturally, there are relevants issues we need to discuss, debate and resolve that won’t come easy.
Finally, remember that this is not a PRIMARY issue of doctrine. I think it would be wise not to throw out “absolute truth” on an issue that is not core to the doctrines of our faith. We need to hold the keys to our core doctrines in one hand and be open to contextualization of the message on the other (i.e. Driscoll’s rants).
Peace out.
Thanks for some good reminders, Shu.
I think the culture issues in discipleship is something I often neglect to take into serious consideration, and for my own ministry to younger guys at church I don’t think I’ve taken it much into account. Room for improvement here, personally, for sure.
Just as Southern seems to be taking a balanced approached to family ministry, I think we could use both “youth ministry” and integrated family discipleship. Voddie’s new extreme position is his reaction to the failure of youth ministries to keep and to build faithful men and women of God devoted to His mission. I’m trying to keep this “reacionary” mindset at the forefront, because this is the environment that he is serving in. I don’t know.. let’s exam our own “youth” ministries and consider has it actually been effective? How could it be more effective?
I’m not sure how the book is going to pan out - whether it will just be a book of family discipleship principles from the biblical historical narrative, or a careful exegesis of certain texts?
Either way, the doctrine of perspicuity would have it that we all agree that whatever method we move forward in our churches’ ministries… we should be sticking to the principles of discipleship from in His word, along with the Lord’s didactic / normative commands of the same.
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