Parenting Biblically

A free course for Christian parents, based on the Bible

Parenting well is difficult in even the best of circumstances, but God has given us some excellent examples and advice on the best ways to raise children. This course is based on three premises:

  1. The goal of Biblical parenting is to raise a morally responsible and biblically responsive child; we cannot save our children, but we should do all that we possibly can to lead them to a true understanding of Jesus and the Gospel.
  2. The Bible does not provide us with exact details about raising children. This course is not intended to be all-inclusive but to teach principles to be used in parenting.
  3. All child-raising principles used must bring glory to God and not run contrary to biblical theology.

“Before I got married, I had six theories about bringing up children; now I have six children, and no theories.”

— John Wilmot

A biblical vision for our parenting tasks is multifaceted. It involves:

  • being authorities who are kind
  • shepherding your children to understand themselves in God’s world, and
  • keeping the gospel in clear view so your children can internalize the good news and someday live in mutuality with you as people under God.

Course Structure & Basis

This course is intended to be undertaken weekly for ten weeks in a small group or with a spouse. In order to effect real change in your life, we urge you to truly study each lesson individually rather than simply reading through it.

The course material is based on:

  • The Bible
  • Growing Kids God’s Way by Gary & Anne Marie Ezzo
  • Shepherding a Child’s Heart by Ted Tripp
  • The Key to Your Child’s Heart by Gary Smalley
  • Dare to Discipline & Bringing Up Boys by James Dobson

Course Lessons:

  1. Foreword - The Job Contract

    It's a thankless position.

  2. Introduction

    Importance, assumptions, premises, & parenting types

  3. Pre-requisite relationships

    God first & healthy marriage

  4. Basic Principles

    Fundamentals to build upon

  5. Respect

    Upward, for peers, and downward

  6. Obedience

    Giving & obeying instruction

  7. Consequences, Discipline, Chastisement

    Instruction, encouragement, & correction

  8. Advanced Discipline Issues

    Expectations of age, reinforcement, & childish behavior

  9. Appeals & Family-Building

    Working within the system

  10. Child-Raising Suggestions

    Things we've learned along the way

  11. Additional Wisdom

    Resources for learning further