I enjoyed reading this new book last week by my favorite United States Senator:

Ben Sasse. The Vanishing American Adult: Our Coming-of-Age Crisis—and How to Rebuild a Culture of Self-Reliance. New York: St. Martin’s, 2017.

It’s unusual for a U.S. Senator to write a book like this. It’s not politically partisan. It’s more like a philosophical and practical book on parenting.

Sasse convincingly argues that kids should read great books and work hard and that parents should strategically introduce their children to different world cultures so that they better understand their own.

To get a better idea of what his book is about, check out these resources:

1. Collin Hansen, TGC review

See also Ben Sasse’s talk at TGC’s 2017 national conference—“What Does Washington Have to Do with Jerusalem?”—followed by Collin Hansen’s interview. [Read more…] about The Vanishing American Adult

I contributed this article to the latest issue of Southern Seminary’s Journal of Discipleship and Family Ministry:

Naselli, Andrew David. “Training Children for Their Good.” The Journal of Discipleship and Family Ministry 3.2 (2013): 48–64.

The article addresses parental discipline. This is a lightly edited manuscript from a sermon I preached on June 3, 2012.

Here’s the outline:

1. Seven Propositions about Discipline from Hebrews 12:4–11

1. 1. 1. God disciplines his children (Heb 12:5–7, 10).
      2. God disciplines all his children (Heb 12:6, 8).
      3. God disciplines only his children (Heb 12:6–8).
      4. Discipline is training: God disciplines his children for their good (Heb 12:10–11).
      5. Discipline seems unpleasant and painful (Heb 12:11).
      6. God’s children should endure God’s discipline (Heb 12:5, 7, 9).
      7. God’s disciplining his children compares to human parents’ disciplining their children (Heb 12:5, 7–10).

2. Levels of Discipline in the Book of Proverbs

• • • Level 1. Teach
    • Level 2. Warn
    • Leve 3. Enforce
      • Does “the rod” represent discipline but exclude physical discipline (Prov 13:24; 22:15; 23:13–14; 29:15)?
      • Is spanking a form of physical and psychological child abuse?
      • Do the proverbs about using the rod refer to young men rather than children?
      • Is spanking an obsolete part of the Mosaic law-covenant in the Old Testament?
      • Is spanking antithetical to the gospel?

3. Concluding Application

1. 1. 1. Pray for your children.
      2. Evangelize your children.
      3. Use multiple levels of discipline.
      4. Love your children, and tell them and show them that you love them.
      5. Beware of two extremes: (a) not disciplining and (b) over-disciplining.
      6. Fathers, take the lead in discipline.
      7. Learn how to discipline each of your children most effectively.
      8. Distinguish between family rules and the Bible.
      9. Be humble about parental discipline; don’t be proud and judgmental.
      10. Persevere with a long-term view that trusts God’s word.

4. Recommended Resources

• • • Baugham, Brad. “Gospel-centered Parenting: Our Greatest Challenge—Discipline.” Sermon preached to Emmanuel Bible Church in Mauldin, SC. March 1, 2009.
    • Farley, William P. Gospel-Powered Parenting: How the Gospel Shapes and Transforms Parenting. Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2009. See chs. 8–9 (pp. 145–74).
    • Grudem, Wayne. Politics—According to the Bible: A Comprehensive Resource for Understanding Modern Political Issues in Light of Scripture. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2010. See “Discipline of Children and Spanking” (pp. 256–60). [Cf. the review my Dad and I wrote.]
    • Köstenberger, Andreas J. God, Marriage, and Family: Rebuilding the Biblical Foundation. 2nd ed. Wheaton: Crossway, 2010. See “Physical Discipline” (pp. 142–46, 341–43).
    • Schreiner, Thomas R. Review of William J. Webb, Corporal Punishment in the Bible. The Gospel Coalition Book Reviews, September 12, 2011.
    • Wegner, Paul D. “Discipline in the Book of Proverbs: ‘To Spank or Not to Spank?’” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 48 (2005): 715–32.
    • Wilson, Douglas. Standing on the Promises: A Handbook of Biblical Childrearing. Moscow, ID: Canon, 1997)
    • Wilson, Douglas. Federal Husband. Moscow, ID: Canon, 1999.
    • Wilson, Douglas. Father Hunger: Why God Calls Men to Love and Lead Their Families. Nashville: Nelson, 2012.
    • Wilson, Douglas. Future Men: Raising Boys to Fight Giants. 2nd ed. Moscow, ID: Canon, 2012.

Related:

1. Endnote 8 in the article: I preached on Hebrews 12:3–17 on March 3, 2013 to Sovereign Grace Church in Greenville, South Carolina, and I only briefly mentioned parental discipline because that is not the passage’s primary point.
2. Ask Pastor John: “How Do I Know If I’m Being Disciplined by God?”

Last week I posted “An Encouraging Word for Mothers of Young Children.”

It generated some friendly push-back in the comments as well as on some other blogs (e.g., Jim Hamilton’s wife, Jill, responds here).

I agree with Jill.

But I wonder if some who read those quotes by Martyn Lloyd-Jones and Don Carson may be missing the main (encouraging!) point: mothers with young children generally have less time for the type of Bible reading and study than they would have without young children. And that’s OK because God’s calling of wife and motherhood is high. That’s an encouraging thought, especially to mothers who are frustrated and/or bear a weight of unnecessary guilt. Those are the types of mothers of young children that this should encourage. [Read more…] about Follow-up on That Encouraging Word for Mothers of Young Children