This review examines both Sutton's Who Owns the Family? and Thoburn's The Children Trap.
Thomas Nelson and Dominion Press have been cooperating to produce what they call the "Biblical Blueprint Series." The editors believe that the Scriptures give biblical blueprints to most of the questions and issues of our culture, whether they be about the family, education, politics, foreign policy, government, philosophy, liturgy, or psychology. This task seems very worthy, though some might disagree on what the Bible says about these issues.
The two volumes are some of the first published in the series. If these volumes are any indication of what is to come, I am gravely disappointed. They are loosely argued and sometimes too broad to be of much use. The authors many times ramble from one topic to another, even within the same section, repeating themselves over and over throughout the books. They are very simplistic on almost every issue, having very little in-depth analysis.
There are some redeeming qualities, however. Sutton compares God's covenant with the marriage covenant to say that God owns the family. He examines God's ownership in the context of childrens' rights, state rights, and parental rights. He examines the issues of parental discipline, inheritance, abortion, sexual privacy, and state intervention into the family. Each of these is a very worthy topic, though again he surveys them so quickly that he rarely adds anything new to their discussion.
Thoburn joins the same theme of "the state against the children," saying that God owns the children rather than the state. He wants parents to take their God-mandated responsibility to give their children a God-centered education. He points out that there is no such thing as a free education, and wants a free market education where parents have more control over their children and what is taught. He raises some excellent questions about the coerciveness of our present government controlled educational system that equalizes mediocrity. Government education contains many hidden costs, including the loss of liberty, control of children, the financial coercion of neighbors, and increased financial costs, that we many times forget.
Thoburn then writes an excellent section on what the family, church and civil government can do to reform the present system. For those with children and who want the best education for them, you won't want to miss this last section.
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Join or create book clubs
Choose books together
Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required. Learn more
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle Cloud Reader.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Flip to back Flip to front
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.
