Category: Family
How the Transgender Will Redefine Gender, Marriage, Parents, and Family
Posted on July 7, 2014 in Family, Marriage, Religious Freedom, Sexuality by Nathan Cherry
This is the second part of a two-part post. Read part 1 here.
A recent article by TIME magazine gleefully advocates for transgender people and their “struggle” to be accepted. Sharing the story of Cassidy, the first openly transgender Homecoming Queen in the U.S., the TIME article (and video) eagerly exposes people to another world full of confusion.
At one point Cassidy says she “came out” to her parents as a gay man in high school, but now lives as transgender. Yet Cassidy said it was in 5th grade that “she” first acknowledged and knew “she” was transgender. The amount of sexual confusion here is astounding to me. This is a young man that has been confused for a long time and rather than seeking any kind of help he is being encouraged in his confusion by others.
Speaking of confusion, an article at The Federalist details the extreme confusion of a female named Tracey transitioning to male:
Education: A Defense of Reading Fiction
Posted on June 27, 2014 in Family, Home School by Derick Dickens
I couldn’t believe my ears. An educator, a prominent one at that, had announced on a national television program that reading fiction was useless to the education of children. She stated that non-fiction would never get someone a job and was useless in the real world.
This is not only an ignorant statement, it is dangerous. This type of worldview seeks to make humans utilitarian… their worth is only what they can produce in business or to the government entities. They relegate men to just servants of a production workforce, not souls where nourishment is necessary, and beauty is her passion.
However, it is even more problematic than what I just wrote. Fiction has played an instrumental role in the development of our society and culture. Here are just a few reasons I think fiction is essential to a healthy, vibrant, and true education.
Don’t Fall for the DPTHLTCTOP Method of Raising Your Kids
Posted on May 16, 2014 in Family by Nathan Cherry
Do you want to help your kids?
This might seem like a silly question. You might be thinking that I’ve lost my grip on reality for asking something so inane and obvious. But, I think there is greater depth to this question and the answer than we might know. In fact, there is a possibility that you are doing more to harm your kids than help them.
Of course every parent wants to help. There is something in every parent (well, nearly every parent) that innately desires to do everything within our power to help our kids. This help looks different for every parent and child of course, but we all want to help.
Maybe we start teaching money management at a very young age so our kids will not get into financial trouble. Maybe we make sure our kids have the coolest clothes and shoes so other trendy kids will like them. Maybe we enroll our smaller than average child in martial arts class to make sure bully’s learn their lesson. I can see where each of these would be considered help.
8 Things I Want My Toddler to Thank His Mom For (in 20 Years)
Posted on May 11, 2014 in Family by Nathan Cherry
Original post found at The Gospel Coalition
My son has just turned 2—he delegated to me the task of buying a Mother’s Day card and writing a message on it. I’m coaching him to say, “Thank you mommy” and “I love you mommy” (though it will come out, at best, as “Thar Thaw Momeeeee” and “I yubba oo Momeeeee”).
But what do I hope he will say thank you for, in 20 years, as he looks back on having grown up with a Christian mother? Here’s what I’d love him to say as a 22-year-old, as he gives his mom some Mother’s Day chocolates (chocolates, not flowers, son—chocolates tend to get shared with fathers, while flowers just get looked at on mantelpieces).
1. Thank you for putting Christ before me. You taught me from the word go that I’m not the center of your world, because I’m not the center of the world. And you told me who does have that position—the Lord Jesus. I was never allowed to rule our house, and you always made it clear that my opinions and preferences, though important, are not authoritative. Thank you for the times you were not able to spend time with me because you were ministering to someone else. Thank you for the times you were not able to spend money on me because you had given it to someone else. Thank you that in never treating me like the most important person in your life, you pointed me to the most important Person in the cosmos.
Will Your 35 Year Old Kids Be Living in Your Basement?
Posted on April 29, 2014 in Family by Nathan Cherry
As a 5-year old child I can vividly remember asking my parents if we had enough money to pay bills, and get food. Not because we ever lacked the ability to pay our bills or buy food, but because things were tight and I had enough sense to be concerned about our financial matters. Now, people who know me best often joke that I still have the first nickel I ever earned saved somewhere for a rainy day.
One thing is for certain; I don’t want my kids to grow up without the ability to be savers and givers, and the responsibility of teaching kids proper stewardship falls squarely in the lap of parents. This is a responsibility that, sadly, many parents neglect and conclude their kids eventually will learn.
Don’t be so sure. I taught money management to high school juniors and seniors for a time, and I was amazed at what they didn’t know. They didn’t know how to balance a check book. They didn’t know how to write a check. They didn’t know you have to pay back the money you put on a credit card! And these are students preparing for college.
Dave Ramsey is a financial guru with years of experience. More importantly he knows what it is like to be wealthy, lose it all in bankruptcy, then claw his way back to the top stronger than ever. Now Dave Ramsey is a debt-free multi-millionaire that spends his time teaching others the principles needed to have “Financial Peace.”
Another Hollywood Actress Blasted by Feminists for Thinking What Millions of Others Think
Posted on April 24, 2014 in Family, Marriage by Nathan Cherry
Quiz: What do Stacey Dash, Candace Cameron-Bure, and Kiersten Dunst all have in common?
Give up?
The answer is that they each have been attacked recently in the media for their personal views; views which millions of Americans share.
In a stunning display of “tolerance,” liberals’ heads nearly exploded when a successful black woman, Dash, endorsed Mitt Romney in the last presidential election. What makes Dash’ experience so interesting is that she is a self-proclaimed Democrat that voted for Obama in 2008 but sad she wanted “the next four years to be different.”
Apparently the “hope and change” promised weren’t working out for Dash. So, as any intelligent person would do she reevaluated and decided to support another candidate. Imagine that? Dash said of her decision:
PGA Player Bubba Watson Doesn’t Think Golf is Important. What is…?
Posted on April 23, 2014 in Family by Nathan Cherry
From The Gospel Coalition: The Story: On Sunday Bubba Watson, one of the most untraditional golfers on the PGA Tour, was the winner of the 2014 Masters Tournament. But golf isn’t Watson’s top priority. What he considers most important can be gleaned from the description on his Twitter account, @bubbawatson (“Christian. Husband. Daddy. Pro Golfer.”) and his website, BubbaWatson.com (“Loves Jesus and loves sharing his faith”).
The Background: In an interview with Trevor Freeze of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, Watson tells how he uses his Twitter account—along with his PGA platform—to share about his faith in Christ.
“For me, it’s just showing the Light,” said Watson. “There’s people who want to put down Christians. I try to tell them Jesus loves you. It’s just a way to be strong in my faith.”
Science: We Need Dads
Posted on April 14, 2014 in Family, Marriage by Derick Dickens
New research has concluded what most of us already knew: children need fathers.
There is a myriad of evidence that shows a father in the home reduces violent crime, produces a better social environment, and provides essential growth opportunities. However, researchers have questioned the need for fathers thinking they only provide more parenting, not distinct and unique parenting.
New research conducted by Professor David Eggebeen of Penn State University, uncovers the unique impact fathers have on their children that is pointing researchers to the conclusion that fathers do not merely give more parenting, but distinct and unique parenting needed by children of both sexes.
Fathers do not merely give more parenting, but distinct and unique parenting needed by children of both sexes.
What is the Role of Youth Ministry in the Church?
Posted on April 13, 2014 in Family by Derick Dickens
You may not have realized it, but there is a vibrant debate concerning youth ministry. On the one end, some people believe there is a greater need for youth ministry to stop the growing secularization of our kids. On the other side of the debate, there are families abandoning the youth ministry seeing it as intrusive and problematic.
Acknowledging that there can be some benefit to having a ministry to a particular group within the church (Acts 6:1, Titus 2:3-4), the challenge to us is to consider the role of youth ministry in our churches.
From my perspective, there is a need for youth ministry to:
A View of Women the Feminist Movement Forgot
Posted on April 12, 2014 in Family, Marriage by Derick Dickens
Filing for divorce twice as often as men, women most often say it is due to ‘mental cruelty’ (Source: Why women leave men). It seems that in most all statistics, women are worse off as a whole. They are seeing the highest levels of poverty ( Source: National Women’s Law Center), out of wedlock births (Source: National Review), and one in three women will have an abortion in their lifetime (Source: Guttmacher Institute).
It demands us to ask some serious questions. Has the last century of women’s rights not touched the home? Has women’s equality not turned the tide of divorce? Has it not lifted women out of poverty instead of sinking them further into poverty? Women’s equality has failed precisely because it is misplaced from the Biblical understanding of women. It has failed precisely because it misunderstands the honor God has given to women.
In short, if you think women are equal to men, then you have too low of a view of women. Women are not merely equal, they are to be honored and esteemed unlike that of a man.