License to Parent with Trace Embry

So, what should healthy masculinity for young men of any race actually look like in today’s politically-correct society? And how do we help our sons get there without making them feel like they need to apologize for how God has made them? Today we will be discussing Raising healthy, boys in an unhealthy world with Shepherd’s Hill Academy’s Buddy Prow.

Buddy Prow is the boy’s therapist at Shepherd’s Hill Academy and also leads Celebrate Recovery at the Pointe Church in Toccoa, GA. He holds a bachelors degree in Accounting and has received his master’s degree in professional counseling from Liberty University. He is also pursuing his masters of Theology at Liberty University, completing his licensed professional counselor and master addiction counselor certifications. He also served for 6 years as a youth pastor at Lexington Baptist Church. For 10 years he has been a foster parent. He has served as a case manager. He and his wife have 10 children, 5 biological.

Godly Men and Toxic Masculinity

Today we are going to focus on our sons and how to turn them into healthy individuals in their God-given masculinity. There are many things in today’s culture that should alarm us when it comes to raising healthy, godly sons. One thing we see in particular is from the emotional side, specifically anger that comes out in men. Anger is a secondary emotion that is often driven by fear or hurt in men. In today’s world, we have so many options that bring on anxiety, frustration, etc.

Many of the young men we see at Shepherd’s Hill Academy are angry at God. One reason is that they have come from Christian homes where hypocrisy is present. Sometimes in ministry, ministry becomes the mistress of their family. They are angry at God for taking away their parents for the sake of their “mission.”

Men are often the more unresponsive of the sexes. In a church setting, we see that pastors are gearing their sermons towards women because they are responsive, they show up, they are emotionally driven and the impact of the sermon is often more visible. So essentially by doing so, we are alienating men. Men don’t quite communicate in the same way. The other part is that every man’s deep down desire is to have significance, where a woman’s is to be safe. That is why we see that in a healthy relationship a man provides safety for the woman, who in turn provides him with significance.

But what does godly masculinity look like? It’s a quiet confidence. A man must know who they are every day. When you make your identity what’s around you, that changes every day. That’s unstable and unsettling. The best thing to do is to understand what God thinks of you. When you wake up every day you can know who you are and who God thinks you are and that never changes. Being involved in your child’s life is crucial. And be there from an early age to guide them through each stage of life. Allow your sons to try, fall, and try again while you are still around to help them.

Episode Highlights:

What is the difference between toxic masculinity and godly manhood?

How do we train our boys up to be men of character?

At what point do parents need to be involved in developing their child’s masculinity?

Picture via: Pixabay

So, what should healthy masculinity for young men of any race actually look like in today’s politically-correct society? And how do we help our sons get there without making them feel like they need to apologize for how God has made them? Today we will be discussing Raising healthy, boys in an unhealthy world with […]

This is especially true in a day when so many self-proclaimed Christians appear to be conducting their affairs and casting their votes as if they were more secular-minded than biblically-minded. Because, it’s quite possible that parents and children, alike—through our political views and voting habits—will be responsible for helping shape the kind of world our grandkids either have to inherit or get to inherit someday. Today we speak with Dr. Wayne Grudem, as he helps us examine how the Bible helps us navigate our political landscape.

Wayne Grudem is Research Professor of Theology and Biblical Studies at Phoenix Seminary in Phoenix, Arizona. He received a B.A. from Harvard University, an M.Div. and a D.D. from Westminster Seminary, Philadelphia, and a Ph.D. (in New Testament) from the University of Cambridge, England. He has published over twenty books, including Politics According to the Bible. This would be a great reference book for any family discussing over 60 political issues. He is a past president of the Evangelical Theological Society, a co-founder and past president of the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, and a member of the Translation Oversight Committee for the English Standard Version of the Bible. He and his wife Margaret have been married since 1969 and have three adult sons.

Talking Politics and Religion

How do political conversations, along with Politics According to the Bible, better help kids and parents participate in a political discussion? We have the privilege in the United States of living under a system where the government arrives at its powers by the power of the governed. This means we get to decide as a people, but we need the wisdom to choose rightly. The teachings of the Bible provide principals, morals and the proper role of government that help to guide us as we make these decisions.

The bible talks about God’s people having an influence on secular government. In Genesis 41:40, Joseph was second in command over the whole nation of Egypt! In Daniel, Nehemiah, and others, we see other godly figures in places of power. Another well-known bible character, Esther, was able to save God’s chosen people because of the place she was given. In the new testament, we also see figures such as John the Baptist, Paul and others.

How do we as believers engage in the current political and social climate? While some people will be very involved politically, run for office and become officials, others will seek to vote and possibly work more on a local level. That is all part of God’s calling on the individual. But as Christians, we are all called to pray for those in authority. We should not be overtaken by fear and worry, but warn our children against that and how to listen wisely to our media and news outlets.

It seems to me that kids these days aren’t even aware of our biblical heritage and Christian foundation. So how did we get to a place, biblical and morally and theologically where we are so divided? Dr. Grudem states that he is “not sure that we let it happen. The supreme court took to itself powers that it shouldn’t have and began to chip away at religion in general but Christianity specifically.” There is a need to reclaim the ground that has been lost by our supreme court. Romans 13 talks about obeying our government. We need to understand the structure of our government and who really has authority over the people.

Episode Highlights:

How should parents answer their kids who say that their vote isn’t really gonna change anything?

We got to where we currently are in America—-politically, morally and ideologically-divided because—how?

As parents, what, specifically, could we have done better; and, what can we be doing, now, to better prepare our kids to stem the tide of some of this political insanity and division we’re seeing today?

Picture via: Pixabay

This is especially true in a day when so many self-proclaimed Christians appear to be conducting their affairs and casting their votes as if they were more secular-minded than biblically-minded. Because, it’s quite possible that parents and children, alike—through our political views and voting habits—will be responsible for helping shape the kind of world our […]

I think you’d have to be blind or a liar to refute the fact that, by and large, today’s kids are not exercising the same degree of respect for their elders— or even their own parents—as they did just a generation or two ago. But, the distrust part of the equation, might not be so obvious. Why is that?

Josh Temple is 28 years old. He was raised in a Christian home but says he became an agnostic when he joined the army. During his first tour in Afghanistan, he said that he saw the enemy dying in the name of their god and began to wonder if he would be willing to do the same. God miraculously confirmed his faith but, when he got back home he found himself struggling with survivor's remorse. Fast forward he came to work at Shepherd’s Hill Academy and had the privilege of leading a student to salvation. The Lord confirmed to him that this was, in fact, one of the reasons his life was spared. He continues to work with teens at Shepherd’s Hill Academy and for the last 3 years has served as the lead pastor of Turnerville Church in Turnerville, GA.

Leading the Next Generation By Example

When discussing the topic of maturity, one thing that Josh mentioned was how surprising it is that many parents come in to Shepherd’s Hill Academy afraid of their teens. As a young man with a grandfather who was “old school”, he never saw fear in his grandfather’s eyes; much less fear of him. “I remember meeting my first set of parents and being confused and amazed in the fear that I saw and I couldn’t understand why. Kids shouldn’t be running your life. You are setting the boundaries and sticking to them.”

Unfortunately, a lot of these parents let things slide when junior was very young and created the precedent for discipline. Now that junior is 15 years and 200 pounds he is suddenly “out of control.” Instead of discipline a lot of some parents want to film and record and put it on social media.

Is it true that so much of what kids distrust and disrespect about their parents can be brought on themselves? For example, do some parents lack limits with their cell phone? Do they spend more time watching tv than interacting with family? Are their addictions in their life? I see so many parents dropping the ball, but it’s not equated with the child’s reactions.

The church is really lacking an element of accountability, especially when it comes to parenting today’s children and teens. We’re shooting ourselves in the foot! Confrontation is uncomfortable, but as Christians, we are told to confront and keep our brothers and sisters accountable. If you want your kids to read the bible and go to church, read your bible and go to church. If you don’t want your kids to drink, don’t drink in front of your kids. Don’t over complicate it. Your children are watching and they are following in your footsteps.

Episode Highlights:

What are today’s children seeing in their parents that may lead to increased disrespect?

How can parents today provide a healthy example of living for their children?

What is the role of the church in parenting and accountability?

Picture via: Pixabay

I think you’d have to be blind or a liar to refute the fact that, by and large, today’s kids are not exercising the same degree of respect for their elders— or even their own parents—as they did just a generation or two ago. But, the distrust part of the equation, might not be so […]

I think you’d have to be blind or a liar to refute the fact that, by and large, today’s kids are not exercising the same degree of respect for their elders— or even their own parents—as they did just a generation or two ago. But, the distrust part of the equation, might not be so obvious. Why is that? Today on License to Parent we will be speaking with a real “insider” on this topic, Josh Temple.

Josh Temple is 28 years old. He was raised in a Christian home but says he became an agnostic when he joined the army. During his first tour in Afghanistan, he said that he saw the enemy dying in the name of their god and began to wonder if he would be willing to do the same. God miraculously confirmed his faith but, when he got back home he found himself struggling with survivor's remorse. Fast forward he came to work at Shepherd’s Hill Academy and had the privilege of leading a student to salvation. The Lord confirmed to him that this was, in fact, one of the reasons his life was spared. He continues to work with teens at Shepherd’s Hill Academy and for the last 3 years has served as the lead pastor of Turnerville Church in Turnerville, GA.

Rules Without Relationship Produces Rebellion

As a child, Josh grew up in a Christian home with a wonderful mother as a spiritual leader for his home. He was taught scripture and godly principles, growing up in that “bubble” of everyone being a Christian and that was how life worked and functioned. In 2010, he moved completely outside of that bubble when he joined the army. For the first time ever he had to make the decision whether or not to go to church and consequently found himself going less and less. There was no accountability and no one to keep his attendance in check. When he went overseas he saw what was happening on the other side of the world in the name of religion, naturally bringing up the question, “how can I believe that the God of the bible is the real, true God?”

One night he prayed and really let God have it. And it was at that moment that he experienced and knew that God was real. God isn’t real to us and cannot be real to us until we’re real to him. It is certainly true that many today don’t grow or experience God because they are afraid to ask questions. “That’s why I really challenge the guys here [at Shepherd’s Hill Academy] to ask questions. Not only does Christianity welcome questions, but it encourages them. ” The bible says to come taste and see that the Lord is good. Come and taste.

So how did Josh get from Afghanistan to Shepherd’s Hill Academy? In 2014 he was on his second tour and started to consider how cool it would be to start a place to send kids, take away their cell phones and make them live in a primitive state because he had gained such an appreciation for life because of his living conditions. Little did he know he would soon find a place exactly like he was describing.

The most important thing that the military was able to teach was the importance of boundaries. While we may not understand rules at the time, they are there for a reason. Bringing that mindset here, and enforcing rules consistently help the staff at Shepherd’s Hill Academy be successful in building trust and offering healing to the students. “I think that as a culture we have a twisted concept of what love is. Not telling someone the truth because it hurts is not love. Love is telling the bad news because it’s good for them. God loves us in a ridiculous way but bad things can and do happen. Jesus took a beating and death in the name of love.” Rules (or boundaries) without relationship (or love) equals rebellion. If there’s no relationship but only rules then rebellion is expected.

Episode Highlights:

What does true, biblical love look like?

Why is it so important for your child’s faith to be built on a relationship rather than the tradition of our parents?

How can these concepts help us develop the next Greatest Generation?

I think you’d have to be blind or a liar to refute the fact that, by and large, today’s kids are not exercising the same degree of respect for their elders— or even their own parents—as they did just a generation or two ago. But, the distrust part of the equation, might not be so […]

Too many parents look at entertainment, in general, but movies in particular, as a harmless engagement of time that allows us to escape into a world free of all the responsibilities and liabilities of life long enough to be refreshed in preparation for the real-world responsibilities of life. And, I think that for the most part, that’s exactly right. Just like, for the most part, cars are simply modes of transportation. They are not designed to ruin your life; but, to simply get you from place to place in a timely fashion. The problem is that too many people, particularly kids, get more than merely refreshed from movies and more than just where they're going with cars. Both cars and movies have liabilities to them and can even be dangerous to one degree or the other. The difference with movies over cars is that nobody is making a car that’s purposely designed to hurt/corrupt you or your kid. But, filmmakers can sometimes create movies with agendas that transcend mere entertainment value and, therefore, making them potentially dangerous to the viewer, depending on the audience. But, we have a guest, today, that’s working hard to help us with all that.

Dr. Ted Baehr is Founder and Publisher of MOVIEGUIDE®: The Family Guide to Movies and Entertainment and Chairman of the Christian Film & Television Commission® ministry, as well as a noted critic, educator, lecturer, and media pundit. His life’s purpose, according to Ted, is to be used of God to redeem the values of the media while educating audiences on how to use discernment in selecting their entertainment.

The Influence of Christian Families on the Entertainment Industry

What is MovieGuide? Why did it begin? And how can Christian families benefit from it? Dr. Ted Baehr explains that there are two sides to this answer. MoveGuide was created to help parents choose movies and teach their children to use discernment. There is a principled approach to the analysis of movies. Some of it has to do with content, as well as theological issues and context. The goal of MediaGuide is for teens and children to learn discernment and make wise choices. The platform was born out of Dr. Baehr’s experience within the film industry. Growing up and raised by movie stars, Dr. Baehr leaned very much to the left on content and industry topics. However, God got ahold of him and he began to see the need for analysis of content in the entertainment industry, especially as it relates to our youth today.

How do we redeem the media? We teach our children to be media wise. When they then go and see movies they essentially vote with their dollars. When our children (as well as ourselves) go to movies that are clean, wholesome, don’t contain the violence or nudity that so many movies have, we show the industry with our presence that they really can fill a theater. Movieguide is then able to further influence the entertainment industry directly, noting movies they believe will be impactful for their audience. This allows us to not only influence producers but help show them the love of Christ.

But what about movies with a hidden agenda, specifically in relation to the LGBTQ? Dr. Baehr cautions parents to evaluate films and look for those hidden agendas. Some movies that have gotten great reviews from critiques do not get great reviews from MovieGuide. But the media is starting to take note of our presence at the movies. Did you know that of the top 10 box office films last year, not one had a hidden LGBTQ agenda? In the top 25 box office films, there were maybe 1 or 2 but they were at the bottom of the list. In turn, there were actually less gay/lesbian characters in films this past year in comparison to previous years.

Should Christian parents support films that aren’t necessarily “Christian?” A biblical worldview says that we live in a real world with real pain and suffering that needs a real savior. When we apply this to comic book movies, they are all over the map.

Too many parents look at entertainment, in general, but movies in particular, as a harmless engagement of time that allows us to escape into a world free of all the responsibilities and liabilities of life long enough to be refreshed in preparation for the real-world responsibilities of life. And, I think that for the most […]