The Book and its Topic
Revolutionary Parenting. Not ordinary parenting...
Do you want to raise a spiritual champion? Honestly, what Jesus-following parent doesn’t? That is what Revolutionary Parenting is all about. Raising kids with a life-impacting faith. The groundbreaking research (that you have become so accustomed to) conducted by George Barna and the Barna Group shows you what really works.
So, what is a spiritual champion? The definition given in Revolutionary Parenting states that a spiritual champion is “An irrepressible follower of Jesus Christ who accepts the Bible as truth, lives by its principles, and seeks ways to impact the world and continually deepen his or her relationship with God.”
Wow! That must be the best summary of what I would like to see in my kids one day...
George Barna does not spare you the gory detail. He dives right in with some really unsettling facts about today’s 8 to 12 year olds. Hair-raising stuff. And if that’s what’s going on with them, I don’t want to know what the moral condition of today’s college students are...
See, George Barna claims that we have our own worldly definition of successful parenting. We get this from our own parents, friends and (you guessed it!) mass media. However, if we measure our worldly criteria of success to what God defines as success, we fall short. Considerably so.
Some say that George Barna is the most quoted Christian writer today. Why is this? George does not make assumptions. He is a true statistician in the sense that he wants to be able to prove every claim he makes with decent research. That is what made him an icon.
This work is no different. Revolutionary Parenting is based on brilliant research into what it takes to raise a spiritual champion. We have the opportunity to learn from those who have actually achieved success. Similar to asking Tiger Woods some golf advice - an extremely good idea.
And is it worthwhile advice? You bet! Excellent advice. Any discerning Christian would be able to see that the advice given here is straight from the Bible. Given in a practical modern-day way. In Revolutionary Parenting, George also compares the research advice to what the Bible says.
The advice in a nutshell? Walk on the straight and narrow with God yourself. Without this, you don’t have much hope of raising spiritual champions.
What I really found helpful is two little sections at the end of each chapter, called Rapid Review and Hands-On respectively.
The Rapid Review gives you the five to ten main ideas from that chapter listed as bullet points. This will be extremely helpful in the future when I want to refresh my memory without re-reading the book. Even though I want to do exactly that often as wel (the re-reading part).
The Hands-On section gives some practical advice to help you implement the advice given in that paragraph. Knowing what to do is one thing. Having some really great practical advice on how to implement it in your own family is quite another...
George also concludes the Book with a chapter called How Studying Revolutionary Parenting Changed Me. It is an excellent call to action, and a good reminder to take what you learned in the book and apply it in your own family.
Any Christian parent will agree with me that there are few things as important as the knowledge that our children will fine for eternity someday. Revolutionary Parenting will help you get them there...
BookDisciple.com Power Quote
“You cannot hope to raise a spiritual champion unless you love God with all your heart, mind, strength, and soul. That commitment must be clearly seen through your life before you can hope to have children who embrace that objective. And they must see you investing in your own spiritual
growth before they will accept the importance of their personal commitment to becoming a genuine disciple of Jesus Christ. Anything less will strike them as hypocrisy – and undermine your efforts to move them to higher planes of maturity.” – Revolutionary Parenting, p. 18.
So, how does it read?
Just like Revolution, this book is easy to get through. I like George’s relaxed, easy-to-follow style of writing. I also appreciate his attempts to pack huge messages into small books. Well done George!
What did this book mean to me personally?
I have a 22-month-old, little girl. In six weeks time, I'll have a little boy as well. I will lay down my life for either of them - even my eternal life. Nothing is more important to me than their salvation. Nothing!
I will read and re-read this book many times during their adolesence. And if God decides to bless us with more children, I will afford them the same courtesy. This book will certainly help me. God is my partner, and Revolutionary Parenting is my manual.
Thank you, George.
What did I like the best? A list of rules in a section called Lay Down the Law. These rules are concrete guidelines that I can give to my children and enforce without exception. The rules are similar to what my parents used. I wonder why they didn't work on me... ;-)
Even though legalism for the followers Jesus is not a good idea at all, kids need to learn obedience above all. And, therefore, rules are a necessity.
I just want to add that I have met George Barna, his wife and their three girls one evening at a get together with some of the friends of the of echurch family in Franschhoek, South Africa. I could see that they take their parenting serious. They have three marvellous girls. It is refreshing to know that in addition to talking the talk, George Barna is walking the walk!
Conclusion
If you are a Christian and you have kids, I will put money on it that one of your biggest desires is to have your children with you in heaven. And, no, I am not a gambling man ;-)
In today’s world, with all the external influences on our children, we need all the help we can get. Revolutionary Parenting might be one of the most helpful resources on parenting that you will ever get a chance to lay your hands on.
Do so. But only if you are on fire for God yourself. Only if you are a spiritual champion yourself. If you are not, I doubt you will be able to encourage your children to be spiritual champions. Remember, they will always do what you do rather than do what you say. Be an example!
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