Three Ways to Teach Worldview at Home

Three Ways to Teach the Biblical Worldview at Home

By Jeanne Dennis

Encouraging a learning lifestyle in the home helps parents pass on a biblical legacy. As every parent knows, lessons have to be repeated and reinforced on an ongoing basis. When we homeschooled our daughter, we realized that homeschooling was not just teaching school subjects at home. It was a way of life. Learning permeated everything we did.

It’s the same with teaching our faith. Our relationship with Jesus defines believers’ lives, and so it also should permeate everything we think, do, and say. Successes, failures, fun times, sad times, elation, discouragement – God’s Word has wisdom for every situation. As we hide the words of God’s love letter to us in our hearts, He helps us understand Him better and grow closer to His heart.

Here are three ways you can incorporate a biblical worldview at home.

1. Read and Discuss the Bible Together

We’ll begin with the most obvious one: God’s Word. It’s even more important than our daily food. We need the spiritual food of Scripture to stay close to the Lord and avoid giving in to temptation. Spend time reading it alone and encourage your children to do the same. But also include some daily Bible time as a family, even if you read only one verse together.

It’s amazing what even young children glean from hearing God’s Word read to them! After you read a verse or passage, have your children tell you what they understood about what they heard. Our daughter, Christine, does this with her children every morning, and we love to listen in during our visits.

When you have children talk about a passage, you can determine whether they have understood it and make any corrections that are necessary. Christine always affirms each child’s insights but gently corrects misunderstandings. She often backs up what she says with other scripture verses or experiences of biblical characters.

When children have been exposed to a scripture verse or section, you can use tools to help them remember what they learned.

2. Use Tools to Help You Apply Scripture during Teachable Moments

One way to reinforce biblical lessons is to make an arts and crafts project using favorite verses. You and your children can each design something that illustrates a verse or includes the verse written on it. Hang or place the projects in various parts of your home as reminders that God’s Word guides us in every part of life.

Encourage your children to memorize their favorite verses, and memorize some yourself. You might try setting verses to music using either a familiar or original tune. Setting Scripture to music helps with memorization. It made all the difference in our home. If you prefer ready-made Scripture songs, many CDs and DVDs are available.

You can also use books or CDs to help you apply Scripture to everyday situations. I want to help you as much as possible to find good resources to teach biblical worldview to your family. Below you will find links to helpful books and other resources, many of which we have used in our family.

3. Encourage One Another

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. (Heb. 10:24-25 ESV)

We usually hear this verse in reference to the local church, but I think we should also apply it to our families. How many families today actually spend quality time together? How many make a point to engage with and/or apply Scripture while they are together?

When I was growing up, my dad often made our school lunches to help out our mom, who was working to help support our family of ten. Not only did Dad take special care to make sure we each had something we liked in our lunch, he often included notes on the paper bags. It thrilled me to find a note from my dad, and it helped me feel closer to him during a busy or difficult day.

Think about ways you and your family can “stir up one another to love and good works.” You might pick one day a week for encouraging one another. Give it a creative name. Children can plan for that day all week. You can:

• Say something encouraging. “I saw what you did for that old lady down the street. That was so kind!”
• Write encouraging notes to one another. “I know tomorrow is going to be hard, but you can do it. Lean on Jesus. He will be with you, and I’ll be praying for you.”
• Make a special gift or snack for each person, and write down or tell one biblical quality you see in that person.
• Have a family conference and talk about the good things you observed in one another that week. Discuss upcoming challenges and find out how you can support one another in them.
• Have an indoor (or outdoor) picnic and discuss all the wonderful gifts God has given you. Then thank Him together for His gifts and each other.
• Use your imagination for other activities!

Be creative,  but teach your children to be kind and to think about what they write [and say] before doing it. Help them understand that something funny has to be funny for everyone so that no one feels hurt.

You Can Do It!

Maybe the Bible activities seem too difficult or you don’t feel confident in your own Bible knowledge. It’s always a good idea to pray at the beginning of Scripture reading and ask God to help you understand what you read, but don’t worry. The more you read God’s Word, the clearer it will become. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit will guide us into all truth (John 16:13). Read the Bible each day. Read it with your family. Then apply its truths to everyday life. Then you will reap the rich rewards of walking closer to Jesus – and possibly with your family, as well!

© Jeanne Gowen Dennis

To find links for all Heritage of Truth interviews and blog posts, go to TV and Blog by Topic or TV and Blog by Guest/Author.

Suggested Resources

I hope this list helps you as you seek to guide your family to a closer walk with God.

Films

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Books

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From Christianbook.com:

Resources from J Warner Wallace

Alex McFarland books 

Patterns of Evidence resources

A Practical Guide to Culture
By John Stonestreet & Brett Kunkle / David C Cook
Cultural pressure is increasing, especially on our kids. But even in a world of addictions, ever-present screens, and gender-identity questions, youth can have clarity and confidence. We must help them attain it. In this honest and practical guide for parents and Christian leaders, John Stonestreet and Brett Kunkle will enable you to help your kids influence the culture, rather than let the culture change them.

So the Next Generation Will Know: Training Young Christians in a Challenging World
By Sean McDowell & J. Warner Wallace / David C Cook

Gen Zers are making a mass exodus from the church! Can we do anything to stop this trend? McDowell and Wallace say yes—and provide research-based, proven strategies and practical, experientially grounded tactics to help parents, youth leaders, and Christian teachers assist young people in owning their faith and effectively engaging the world around them. 204 pages, softcover from Cook.

Parenting with Scripture: A Topical Guide for Teachable Moments – eBook By Kara Durbin / Moody Publishers

Proverbs for Parenting: A Topical Guide for Child Raising from the Book of Proverbs (NIV edition) By Barbara Decker / AB Publishing

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God’s Wisdom for Little Boys: Character-Building Fun from Proverbs By Jim & Elizabeth George / Harvest House Publishers

God’s Wisdom for Little Girls: Virtues and Fun From Proverbs 31 By Elizabeth George / Harvest House Publishers

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