Customer Reviews

How Would Jesus Raise a Child?

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Attention Parents! How Would Jesus Raise a Child? written by Teresa Whitehurst Ph. D., might be just what you are looking for to read. It raises the bar for Christian parenting books. Dr. Whitehurst captures the essence of the character and teachings of Jesus and skillfully applies them to parenting.

Dr. Whitehurst is a clinical psychologist currently working in research on leadership at Harvard University. She has a background as a therapist who has worked extensively with families. She is also a mother of two daughters and has balanced parenting, work and pursuing her education.

The value of the book comes from her applying the lessons from Jesus' life to the issues parents and children face. She draws from her clinical and parenting experience, education and research to identify the challenges that parents must overcome.

A reader might infer from the title of this book that the author is attempting to take advantage of the "What Would Jesus Do?" trend in the Christian culture. This is not the case however. Dr. Whitehurst has written a book that truly answers the question of how Jesus would raise children if he were a parent today.

She examines his way of life, his relations with his family, disciples, strangers and children. She looks well beyond the scriptures that speak directly of parenting and looks to the heart and soul of Jesus.

How Would Jesus Raise a Child? consists of two parts: "Our Inner Growth Comes First" and "A New Paradigm of Guiding Your Child;" each consists of five chapters. Dr. Whitehurst focuses equally on the parent's care for self and on parenting strategies.

This is not another parenting book that offers a list of expert opinions and rules to follow that may or may not be the best thing for a child. Dr. Whitehurst bases her instructions on the need for parents to express the same love, compassion, gentleness and teaching style that Jesus embodied during his three years of ministry. As Jesus emphasizes the importance of service to his followers, Dr. Whitehurst writes, "Service is at the heart of parenthood."

Each chapter in the book presents a balance of insights and lessons from Jesus' life, Dr. Whitehurst's clinical expertise, and other writers and teachers. Throughout the book, Dr. Whitehurst also offers comparisons between parenting and living like Jesus and parenting and living like the world. She illustrates quite a contrast.

Perhaps my favorite chapter is "Encouraging Your Child's Potential." In this chapter, Dr. Whitehurst shows how to teach, inspire and discipline children while also giving them the freedom to find their own identity and passions. She sums up the importance of providing positive support to children, "Since children tend to view God much as they do their parents, showing an interest in them boosts their confidence that God too is on their side and wants them to fully develop their unique gifts. And this may be the most important lesson of all."

I appreciated the several times when Dr. Whitehurst shared successes and failings from her role as a parent. Her honesty contributes to the overall empathetic and consultative tone of the book.

I don't think you will find a guide to Christian parenting as significant as How Would Jesus Raise a Child? So, if you are interested in raising your children as Jesus would, then definitely read and reflect on this book.

Craig Stephans, author of Shakespeare On Spirituality: Life-Changing Wisdom from Shakespeare's Plays

Dr Whitehurst is to be commended for this excellent book, which offers a fresh perspective on living the Gospel, applicable not only to child-raising but to all human relations. The chapter on the Golden Rule is the best treatment of this subject I have seen. While the book comes from an evangelical publishing house, Christians of all traditions, and anyone who looks for guidance to the teachings of Jesus, will find much of value here.

I highly recommend this book to anyone searching for a non-punitive method of discipline. This book isn't a step-by-step guide with explicit guidlines for disciplining children (it is most definitely not a child training manual). It is thought-provoking and if you really internalize the information, it will affect not only how you deal with your child(ren), it will change how you approach and deal with every person you encounter in life.

I found this book very encouraging. Every Seminary and church should have this on their must read list. The insite and tender leading is such a refreshing change from so many of the people who teaching break the child. I found this books sound theology valuable not only in the areas of raising a child but in the everyday process of life.

Highly recommended. Not only is Jesus our Lord and Savior, He is also a parenting partner who will help and guide us every step of the way. Whitehurst helps us attain a working understanding of this partnership to revolutionize our parenting. Wonderful book which totally changed my outlook on parenting.

The positives of the book include the fresh and purposeful insistence on Jesus as a role model in parenting, as well as the positive emphasis on prioritizing, listening to, and carefull knowing your child. As a corrective effort aimed at authoritarian, negative parenting, which has been all too common in many Bible oriented families, the book is helpful. It also contains positive principles applicable to all parents. On the negative side, the total absence of scientific data, the "driveby" psychology flavor of most of the examples in the book (usually anecdotes based on observing a very brief parent-child interaction in a public setting), and the generally negative slant toward behavioral approaches to child rearing is disappointing coming from a professional psychologist. While reinforcement and punishment are not the only essential aspects of parenting, they are an integral part of it and are inevitably used by parents on a daily basis. It would seem that guidance on using such principles well would be valuable to readers.

How about "How would MARY raise a child"?

It strikes me as very belittling of women and the importance of mothers in general.