In our culture, there are many concepts and theories, assumptions and views on how to raise children. Often, studies in the areas of Psychology and Human Development, Sociology, Medicine, and so forth, come to different conclusions, sometimes even contradictory. Studies in other cultures again have different views. Then there is the Christian sub-culture, with all its very helpful seminars, books, audio tapes, magazines, etc. But these usually draw their ideas from one or more of those same studies, and end up contradicting each other.
I don't want to discredit Christian educators, child psychologists, and so forth. They are playing an incredibly important part in helping parents understand their role; for instance, I believe that Focus on the Family, and James Dobson, THE contemporary parenting "guru", had and still has a huge influence on how families raise their children, and I am thankful for that.
If you are parents, or getting there :-), I encourage you to get your hands on some good books from Focus. However, when the theories of the books we read, Christian or not, contradict each other, then we're stuck. How can we really KNOW the best way to raise our children? The answer is quite obvious: Read the Bible!
You might argue that many things in the Bible are either old-fashioned, from another culture, and simply not applicable in our time. You're right, not everything applies to us. But everything can serve to teach us something, to educate us.
When the Apostle Paul wrote his letters, no one had a degree in Child Psychology; no one had heard about ADHD or other such "problems". But when Paul wrote, his thoughts were guided by the Holy Spirit, and He transcends time and culture. We still have to use our brains :-) when we read Scripture, to find out what things meant to the original writers and readers, and what it means for us today. But, if you want to know how to raise your children, then DO read the Bible, MORE than any other book.
John MacArthur has done a study on parenting, from the Bible. This book is the result of this study.
If you want to get the BASICS of parenting right, I strongly encourage you to get a copy. It is filled with quotes from Scripture and excellent advice. If, after reading it, you think it was not worth your time or money, then read it again, you must have missed something! This book is not written to give you the latest tips and ideas on parenting, but to give you a foundation on which to build your family and home.
Put it this way: if I were teaching Parenting 101 at a Bible College, this would be the required textbook (for Parenting 201, I'd require many different ones, most of them probably from Focus on the Family).
Please remember: I believe MacArthur does a good job explaining the Scriptures, focusing on what God wants us to know and do in our families. However, don't read the book like you read the Bible. John MacArthur is not God :-) You might find that some of his interpretations and views clash with yours. That's ok. You might be right. You might not be. For instance, he supports spanking (based on Scripture; Proverbs 13:24). I agree with that, but I'm not saying that spanking is a must. Regardless of your view on different things and issues, read this book with an open mind and see how God might use this tool to challenge and equip you to be(come) better parents.
