Parenting and Apologetics

The recent brouhaha over Yale professor Amy Chua’s memoir regarding her “Tiger Mother” parenting approach has stirred the pot about the most effective parenting techniques like in this New York Time debate: Is Extreme Parenting Effective? The Christian community has also had its share of parenting debates: Scheduling infants? Or demand feeding?

Sometimes these differences come to our attention because there are theological concerns with parenting methods. Back in 1998 the Christian Research Journal published an article about a Christian parenting ministry called The Cultic Characteristics of Growing Families International. We also published a follow-up article response to that article. In 2003 we published another article concerned with extreme parenting methods called “Christian Families on the Edge: Authoritarianism and Isolationism Among Us.”

But CRI is also concerned with equipping parents to train their children to know what they believe. In 2009 author Chris Sherrod offered parents tips on why they needed to equip the next generation. Sherrod was correct when he stated: “First, we need a clear definition of what we’re looking for—do we want nice kids who don’t get in trouble, or passionate followers of Christ?”

–Melanie Cogdill, Managing Editor, Christian Research Journal

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