Good Parenting is More About Biblical Theology Than Processes and Techniques

I appreciated these words from the introduction to Gospel-Centered Family by Ed Moll and Tim Chester (a book Paul David Tripp calls "a must read for parents," now on sale for 60%-off at WTSBooks):

The reality is there are biblical absolutes, but at the level of principles rather than processes. Good parenting is not about adopting certain techniques. It’s about living as part of God’s story and letting God’s good news shape your values, attitudes and behavior.

The Bible is not a parenting manual, but the story of what God is doing in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In the end, good parenting is more about biblical theology--living out God's Story (the Gospel), letting it shape you--than it is about prescribing precise techniques and processes.

Here's the full quote:

This is a book about gospel-centered families. The word “gospel” means “good news”. So this is a book offering good news for families. It offers ideas to help you negotiate the sometimes troubled waters of family life. 

But our good news is more than good advice. It’s more than tips based on experience. It’s about the good news of life, hope, forgiveness and freedom in Jesus, and how this good news impacts family life. 

The Bible isn’t a manual on parenting. You can’t look under “D” for “discipline” or “T” for “teenagers”. The Bible is a story – the story of God’s salvation. It tells the story of the creation of the world, the rebellion of humanity, the promises God made to Israel and the coming of God’s Son, Jesus. It tells us how God designed the world, what’s gone wrong and how God is putting the world right again through Jesus. 

This book shows how this wonderful story intersects with the story of your family. The Bible story can become the story of what God designed your family to be, what goes wrong in your family and how God can put your family right again through His Son, Jesus. 

There are two common, contrasting approaches to parenting. Some people emphasize that every family is different and so parents need to make it up as they go along. Other people emphasize biblical absolutes and so prescribe precise techniques. The reality is there are biblical absolutes, but at the level of principles rather than processes. Good parenting is not about adopting certain techniques. It’s about living as part of God’s story and letting God’s good news shape your values, attitudes and behavior.

Families come in all different shapes and sizes. Two parents, single parents, step-parents. Several children, an only child, stepchildren. We tried not to assume every family fits the two parents with 2.4 children mold. We recognize that single parents face extra challenges while step-children raise their own unique issues. But to make life easier we’ll sometimes speak of your child, sometimes of your children; of a parent and parents.