Our "Itty Bitty Book Rack"

Book Focus

Family Driven Faith (by Voddie Baucham, Jr.; Crossway; 2007) is a straightforward book that drives right at the heart of a significant issue facing the church today. The importance of parents working hard to discipline, instruct, and disciple their children. Let me give you Baucham’s main point by quoting from page 118:

"The key to understanding the role of the family in discipling children is understanding the purpose of the Fifth Commandment. This commandment was not given for the sake of the individual child as much as it was given for the sake of the community. God says [to his people in the Fifth Commandment] 'If you want to continue as the people of God in the midst of the pagan land that I am about to give you, you will have to do so by training and discipling your children.'

This is the linchpin in every argument I have made or will make in this book. God has designed your family—not the youth group, not the children’s ministry, not the Christian school, but your family—as the principle discipling agent in your children’s lives. The most important job you have as a parent is to train and disciple your children."

Baucham is consistent in emphasizing this point. Whether he is discussing developing a Christian worldview in kids, or striving for their obedience, or catechizing (instructing in doctrine and theology), or creating times of family worship, or making deliberate life-style choices for parents—all is discussed in this context. He works his whole discussion to line up with the book’s subtitle: "Doing what it takes to raise sons and daughters who walk with God."

This book is very direct, very simple, and for me, it has been very helpful (even while it has also been very convicting). This is a call to action for every Christian parent, and even if your specific responses to this call differ from Baucham’s, you will benefit from his challenge to strive towards “family driven faith.”

Other Recommendations

Heaven - Randy Alcorn
Heaven for Kids - Randy Alcorn
The Treasure Principles- Randy Alcorn
Faith Driven Family - Voddie Baucham
The Valley of Vision - Bennett, editor
Foxe's Book of Martyrs - Berry, editor
The Discipline of Grace - Jerry Bridges
The Costly Call Book 1 - Emir Caner, editor
Exegetical Fallacies - D. A. Carson
Total Church - Tim Chester, Steve Timmis
The Gospel and Personal Evangelism - Mark Dever
How to Develop a Powerful Prayer Life - Gregory R. Frizzell
Systematic Theology - Wayne Grudem
The True Woman - Susan Hunt
Becoming a Contagious Christian - Hybels and Mittelberg
Living the Cross Centered Life - C. J. Mahaney
A Scottish Christian Heritage - Iain H. Murray
Revival and Revivalism - Iain H. Murray
Questioning Evangelism - Randy Newman
Desiring God - John Piper
Legacy of Sovereign Joy - John Piper
Let the Nations Be Glad - John Piper
When I Don't Desire God - John Piper
Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood - John Piper (editor)
Knowing Scripture - RC Sproul
Can God Be Trusted? - John Stackhouse
The Case for Faith - Lee Strobel
Lost in the Middle - Paul David Tripp
Shepherding a Child's Heart - Tedd Tripp
Instructing a Child's Heart - Tedd & Margy Tripp
How to Act Right When Your Spouse Acts Wrong - Leslie Vernick
When People Are Big and God is Small - Ed Welch
Perspectives on the World Christian Movement - Ralph D. Winter
Everyday Talk - John A. Younts