Teaching your Family About Biblical Truth
Barry, A.L. What about… Christian Families? A 2-page document (PDF) written by former LCMS President, Dr. A.L. Barry, highlighting what God intends for families and how they can best respond to the many challenges that confront them.
Foley, Avery. “KidsAnswers: Who Sets the Rules?” Answers in Genesis. May 25, 2015. See the accompanying download of “Truth Verses.”
“KidsAnswers: The Bible is Reliable.” Answers in Genesis. August 19, 2009. Many reasons exist for why we believe the Bible and all that it contains.
Lee, Cameron. Beyond Family Values. Downers Grove, IL, Intervarsity Press, 1998. For most of the 1990s, “family values” was a matter of national debate. In this book, Lee challenges this “value language” as modernist and subjective, believing that Christian families should focus instead on cultivating virtue, and specifically “Christian” virtue.
Mason, Mike. The Mystery of Children: What Our Kids Teach Us about Childlike Faith. Colorado Springs, CO, WaterBrook Press, 2007. The Mystery of Children illuminates key spiritual truths modeled in the complex parent-child relationship. More than a manual on parenting, this book is for everyone who wishes to become childlike in heart or to be closer to children—two desires that are intimately and wondrously entwined.
Sengele, Mark. Pulse 057: The B-I-B-L-E. St. Louis, MO, Concordia Publishing House, 2010. 2-page PDF. Young people often want to know if the Bible is reliable: Does it really do what it says? Students begin by viewing a portion of an interview on The Cobert Report with author Bart Ehrman. Through this study, participants will explore the reliability of Scripture and understand that “Every word of God proves true; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him” (Proverbs 30:5).
Teaching your Family About God’s Plan for Marriage
Allender, Dan & Longman, Tremper. Intimate Allies: Rediscovering God’s Design for Marriage and Becoming Soul Mates for Life. American Association of Christian Counselors, 1999. In Intimate Allies, counselor Dan Allender and theologian Tremper Longman III merge their minds and skills to strip away cultural expectations and take a fresh look at God’s design for the marriage relationship. The authors focus on five foundations taken from Genesis 1-3 and include an extensive review of other biblical passages on marriage. Rev. Dr. Bryan Salminen says, “The very best book I have read, integrating sound psychological principles within a Christ-centered biblical framework. Each chapter has study questions for people to consider.”
Balswick, Jack & Balswick, Judy. The Family: A Christian Perspective on the Contemporary Home. Grand Rapids, MI, Baker Publishing Group, 2014. The fourth edition of this proven resource discusses current family-related issues. It brings a well-written Christian perspective on the home and family.
Dawn, Marva J. Is it a Lost Cause? Having the Heart of God for the Church’s Children. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1997. Consumer review: “This book provides a greater biblical understanding of children and how they fit in God’s kingdom. [It] does a great job of parsing out the obstacles and worldliness that confront children and those seeking to raise them in the Lord, i.e. technology, consumerism, sexual immorality, and violence. It has as one of its main themes ‘Being the Church’—by which Dawn means creating an alternative parallel society as compared to the world ruled by the ‘principalities and powers’ in various idolatries.”
Gresch, Dannah. What are you waiting for? The One Thing No One Ever Tells You About Sex. Colorado Springs, CO, WaterBrook Press, 2011. This book tackles issues of lesbianism and what people don’t usually talk about concerning sex. Author Dannah Gresch also has a website (www.purefreedom.org) where she blogs openly and honestly about the truth of God’s Word regarding sexual purity from a young age—from how one dresses and acts to how to respond to alternative sexual lifestyles. Her books are great guides for parents and young adults that may struggle with how to respond to recent societal boundaries.
LCMS Life Library – Marriage is a collection of articles in PDF format, covering a variety of topics on marriage.
Waite, Linda & Gallagher, Maggie. The Case for Marriage: Why Married People are Happier, Healthier and Better Off Financially. Broadway Books, 2001. A groundbreaking look at marriage, one of the most basic and universal of all human institutions, which reveals the emotional, physical, economic, and sexual benefits that marriage brings to individuals and society as a whole.
Purity
Dawn, Marva J. Sexual Character: Beyond Technique to Intimacy. Grand Rapids, MI, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1993. Short but powerfully written book about the biblical truth and understanding of sexuality.
Family Life series on purity for teens: FamilyLife has developed Passport2Purity® (P2P) to assist you in building heart-to-heart communication with your preteen while laying a foundation of purity that will prepare them for the turbulent years ahead. Through the shared listening experience, object lessons and guided conversations of a P2P weekend getaway, you can set your son or daughter on a journey of moral integrity—and strengthen the bond between you.
Hall, Laurie. An Affair of the Mind. Focus on the Family Publishing, 1996. Laurie Hall’s story reveals pornography’s subversive side and offers comfort, encouragement, insight, and a plan of action to women whose husbands are addicted.
McMinn, Lisa G. Sexuality and Holy Longing: Embracing Intimacy in a Broken World. San Francisco, CA, Jossey Bass, 2004. Conservative psychologist and theologian McMinn constructs the case for a holy longing.
Roberts, Ted. Pure Desire: How One Man’s Triumph Can Help Others Break Free From Sexual Temptation. Bloomington, MN, Bethany House Publishers, 2008. Here is hope for breaking free from sexual bondage. Learn how to establish healthy personal boundaries with proven, practical applications to claim Christ’s healing power and presence. Discover how you can start walking in victory today!
Schnarch, David. Passionate Marriage: Keeping Love and Intimacy Alive in Committed Relationships. New York, NY, W.W. Norton & Co., Inc., 2009. Written from a secular perspective, some readers may struggle with his language and ideas. However, this is some of the best work done on what it means to be well-defined in a marriage. Outstanding read, just be mindful of his orientation—a secular writer.
Schnarch, David & Maddock, James. Resurrecting Sex: Solving Sexual Problems and Revolutionizing Your Relationship. New York, NY, Harper Collins, 2003. Again, outstanding work as long as you can set aside the authors’ secular perspective.
Talley, Jim & Reed, Bobby. Too Close Too Soon: Avoiding the Heartache of Premature Intimacy. Nashville, TN, Thomas Nelson, Inc. 1990.
Thomas, Gary. Sacred Marriage: What If God Designed Marriage to Make Us Holy More Than to Make Us Happy? Grand Rapids, MI, Zondervan, 2015. A Roman Catholic theologian, Thomas does an outstanding job of elevating the position of marriage.
Tissot, Bob. Purity & Holiness: A Biblical Perspective on Sexuality and Relationships. Counselor, former high school and college basketball coach, now director of Bair Lake Bible camp, Tissot, in a creative way, addresses teenagers’ sexual desires and how to channel those passions in godly ways. He is available for speaking at churches and he is better in person than in his writing.
West, Christopher. Theology of the Body for Beginners: A Basic Introduction to Pope John Paul II’s Sexual Revolution, Revised Edition. West Chester, PA, Ascension Press, 2009. Rev. Dr. Bryan Salminen says, “The very best book I have read on this topic. It is a basic primer of former Pope John Paul II’s writing on the body.”
Homosexuality
Eyer, Dr. Richard C. Our Gay Neighbors. The Lutheran Witness, August 2009.
Johnson, Jesse. Homosexuality: Six Ways to Love the Sinner and Hate the Sin. The Cripplegate, May 2013. Blog article with practical tips.
How to Talk to Your Children About Homosexuality. Article from Focus on the Family giving practical advice and pointing to additional resources.
Yarhouse, Mark A. https://psychologyandchristianity.wordpress.com/and
http://www.sexualidentityinstitute.org/–video resources and blogs concerning sexuality and the church’s responses. Some of the articles include: Homosexuality and the Christian: A Guide for Parents, Pastors, and Friends; Understanding Gender Dysphoria: Navigating Transgender Issues in a Changing Culture; and Understanding Sexual Identity: A resource for Youth Ministry—honest, accurate answers to questions about homosexuality including recent research.
Yarhouse, Mark A. Understanding Gender Dysphoria: Navigating Transgender Issues in a Changing Culture. Downers Grove, IL, InterVarsity Press, 2015. Few topics are more contested today than gender identity. In the fog of the culture war, complex issues like gender dysphoria are reduced to slogans and sound bites. And while the war rages over language, institutions, and political allegiances, transgender individuals are the ones who end up being the casualties.
Transgender
Johnston, Jeff. Talking to your children about ransgender Issues. Focus on the Family, 2015.
McHugh, Paul. The Mind Has Mountains: Reflections on Society and Psychiatry. Baltimore, MD, Johns Hopkins University Press, 2006. Dr. McHugh, former head of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University, makes the case that transgendered people need to be treated psychologically, not biologically. Because of his work, Johns Hopkins no longer provides transsexual surgery. Outstanding read and research.
Parenting through social issues: http://www.focusonthefamily.com/socialissues
Santinover, Jeffrey. Homosexuality and the Politics of Truth. Grand Rapids, MI, Baker Books, 2011 (Kindle Edition). Somewhat outdated but outstanding read by a Christian conservative Yale medical doctor.