License to Parent with Trace Embry

For Christian parents in American culture today, it can almost seem like we have found ourselves in a place where either we have gone stark-raving mad, or the entire world has. Because if our kids begin to rebel against all we have taught them at home, it now seems they have a rebellious and powerful ally in our entire culture. For today’s parents, this can be a lonely and helpless feeling. Does the problem really lie in our archaic biblical worldview? Or could the problem stem from something much larger and more dangerous such as the snapping of the American mind?

David Kupelian is an award-winning American journalist, vice president and managing editor of online news giant WorldNetDaily (WND.com), editor of Whistleblower magazine, and a widely read columnist. He is also the bestselling author of three influential book: The Marketing of Evil, its sequel, How Evil Works, and most recently, The Snapping of the American Mind: Healing a Nation Broken by a Lawless Government and Godless Culture. Kupelian has been interviewed by Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson, Laura Ingraham, Neil Cavuto, and many other TV and radio hosts.

Why Parents Need to Consider Systemic Issues in American Culture Today

Today’s topic is another one near and dear to my heart. We talk a lot about it here on License to Parent, but I’m still not sure we talk about it enough. I think maybe it’s because it seems so Orwellian or Twilight-Zone-esk that we are afraid people might just tune us out.

But, I truly believe that so many of the attitudinal and behavioral issues and failures that we are seeing with so many of our kids and families today have way more to do with the insanity that is now systemic to today’s American culture than with any one particular issue like sex, drugs, or rock and roll. Though all of these things, and more, certainly play into the grander scheme of things, and they are certainly interrelated throughout that grander scheme.

This is a much thornier issue than most people realize. And I think even fewer people are really equipped and ready to properly deal with it. I think this is largely because it is going to come at a whale of a cost to our own personal comfort and routine. Christians have been complicit in all this. It’s like the whole country has “drank the Kool-aid” that Satan, himself, has served up to a very vulnerable and naive people.

So on License to Parent, we are going to keep beating this drum; because, our kids’, our family’s, and our nation’s futures are all at stake here. In fact, I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that the future of the whole world is at stake. We’ve messed with God’s ecosystem, and without repentance, that never ends well. Today, David Kupelian and I discuss American families and culture as we cover the following topics:

What does David Kupelian discuss in his book, The Snapping of the American Mind?

How the secular mental health industry contributes to issues in America today.

How are parents complicit as things go haywire in American culture?

Why we need to seek God and recognize the gift of life.

Why parents need to share the simple truth of the Gospel with their kids.

Why parents may want to consider alternate options for their kids’ schooling.

How our kids need and want boundaries.

Picture provided by: cbcindustries

For Christian parents in American culture today, it can almost seem like we have found ourselves in a place where either we have gone stark-raving mad, or the entire world has. Because if our kids begin to rebel against all we have taught them at home, it now seems they have a rebellious and powerful […]

This is the way things have been since the beginning of time because these things really are self-evident. But like many other things in our world today, these same self-evident realities have been challenged in recent years by those whose postmodern thinking has helped create a very difficult world for the traditional parents who are […]

This is the way things have been since the beginning of time because these things really are self-evident. But like many other things in our world today, these same self-evident realities have been challenged in recent years by those whose postmodern thinking has helped create a very difficult world for the traditional parents who are still trying to employ common sense.

Michael Ramey is the Deputy Director for ParentalRights.org as well as the Director of Communications & Research. He holds a B.A. in Foreign Language (Spanish) from Virginia Commonwealth University and a Master of Divinity with Biblical Languages from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Ramey honed his communication skills through 13 years of church ministry before joining the staff of ParentalRights.org. Michael lives in Winchester, Virginia, with his wife Rachel and five beautiful children.

How the Rights of Parents Can Be Challenged by a Misguided Sense of Compassion

A lot of parents are beginning to feel like their parental rights are diminishing every day. I think the problem stems from virtually everything we discussed on a previous broadcast with David Kupelian. David wrote a book called The Snapping of the American Mind. He is exactly right; we have lost our minds in this country. It seems that our critical thinking skills have been so reduced that we have now become completely tribal in our thinking. We just don’t realize it.

I think the abuse of digital technology has only proliferated all this craziness and, therefore, expedited the exchange of the Godhood of God for the Godhood of man. Humanism is now the measure of all things—not just God. We humans have our own sense and definition of justice and compassion that falls so short of God’s justice and compassion. We have bought the lie that ours is actually superior, though it’s really more in line with the justice and compassion of the devil. It is carnal justice and carnal compassion: short-term and short-sighted.

The legitimate concept of equal rights has been drilled into our heads for so long in this country that we have now lost our ability to prudently sort through the reality that equal rights can sometimes be anything but equal. When so-called equal rights are given to animals, entities, or even humans that are incapable of avoiding self-destruction, they can actually be a very dangerous liability.

This is why you don’t give guns to 3-year-old kids. Kids still can’t legally gamble, drink, or smoke. Why? Because it is the compassionate thing to do! Their brains, minds, and emotions have not qualified them to handle such things. Parents still have the legal responsibility and moral obligation to make sure their kids refrain from certain things they are not ready for and to do the things they should be ready for. But out a false sense of compassion, some parents actually supply their kids with these vices, while others are out campaigning for a perverted sense of equal rights for kids. More and more, our government is being pressured by an elite group of secularly-educated fools to take away the authority and power parents actually need to raise kids that have what it takes to properly discern and do right instead of wrong and good instead of evil. Why? Because Junior has his “human rights!” This is a very misguided view of compassion.

I’m looking forward to speaking with today’s guest about some of this. Hopefully, he can help parents understand their rights as the preeminent governing entity over their own kids because things are really starting to get scary for good parents trying to raise emotionally stable kids in America these days. Today, Michael Ramey and I discuss the rights of parents as we cover the following subjects:

What are the parental rights laws.

How do we define the terms that are so vaguely mentioned in laws?

What can parents do practically to help the schools and courts improve a parent’s rights in America.

Building a godly family involves many things, and one of them is a commitment to intentional parenting. Bringing the family together to complete meaningful activities is one example of how parents can be intentional. How Building a Godly Family Can Involve Intentional Activities Last week on License to Parent, we shared a list of nine […]

Building a godly family involves many things, and one of them is a commitment to intentional parenting. Bringing the family together to complete meaningful activities is one example of how parents can be intentional.

How Building a Godly Family Can Involve Intentional Activities

Last week on License to Parent, we shared a list of nine activities that can help strengthen relationships between parents and teens. This week we are adding to that list and suggesting more actions for parents to take in the process of raising their kids in a wise and godly way. The suggestions on this list are not simply tasks to cross off; they are clear and hands-on suggestions that may help parents in the journey of child-rearing.

Let's take a look at 11 more suggestions for building a godly and loving family:

10. Find service opportunities to complete as a family.

11. Try learning a new skill and creating as a family.

12. Push yourselves with a tough project or something that will involve a leap of faith. Finish your basement. Advocate for a cause. Go big!

13. Commit to reading the Bible, fasting, and praying together. This can strengthen your ability to keep each other accountable and can help you develop discipline together.

14. Evaluate the best options for education for your kids. In particular, think about the benefits of homeschooling. When parents take the reins on education, they are able to guide the schooling of their kids through a Christian worldview. This can help kids see a close-up view of what it means to be a Christian.

15. Restrain yourself from giving in to all of the demands and desires of your children.

16. Keep each other accountable. Teach your kids godly principles through the things you do and say so they will be prepared to keep you accountable as they grow older.

17. Remain steady for God.

18. Resist the urge to elevate your children to the number one spot in your life.

19. Have no limits to your love.

20. Get up and go! Decide to begin, and go for it!

Picture provided by: Bill Branson (Photographer) [Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Parents must be intentional about the time they spend with their children and make the most of these opportunities. Let’s consider some meaningful activities parents and kids can complete as a family. How Spending Time Together Can Build Relationships Between Parents and Kids When it comes to raising healthy kids, we often hear parenting “experts” […]

Parents must be intentional about the time they spend with their children and make the most of these opportunities. Let’s consider some meaningful activities parents and kids can complete as a family.

How Spending Time Together Can Build Relationships Between Parents and Kids

When it comes to raising healthy kids, we often hear parenting “experts” quoting generalities. Today on License to Parent, we are going to get specific. Let’s begin by considering the following list of activities that can help jump-start healthy relationships between parents and kids:

Use discernment when it comes to entertainment. Let that discernment open the door to conversations about the good, the bad, and the ugly in the entertainment we bring into our lives.

Consider turning off traditional entertainment sources for a period of time. Try to replace them with some good teaching from time to time. Don’t be legalistic about it, but use it as a springboard to further conversation.

Find a good church and a good youth group. Nurturing a good family works best in the environment of a good church family that can help keep you accountable.

Have regular, meaningful discussions with your kids.

Eat together! Conversation around the dinner table, and even around dinner preparation, is a great way to spend time with your kids and prompt them to look at life through the lens of a biblical worldview.

Take vacations together. Road trips are even better. These are great times for bonding, games, conversation, and fun.

Laugh together!

Put limits on technology. Less tech-time allows more talk-time.

Look for teachable moments in current events and push the antithesis. In other words, follow the logical outcome of what’s happening in the world and ask your kids, “What will be the likely outcome of this? What if another option had been chosen?” Help them learn to evaluate their own choices.

This is the first part of a 2-part series. We will continue our list of activities to jump-start your relationship with your teen next week on License to Parent.

Picture provided by: U.S. Army

Could the Bible really affirm that our sweet little offspring are basically evil? Are Junior’s occasional “unsavory behaviors” most often the result of his intrinsic sin nature, or the effects of a clinical disorder? Or both? Can our presuppositions about Genesis being a history book ultimately shape the behavior, character, and value system of our […]

Could the Bible really affirm that our sweet little offspring are basically evil? Are Junior’s occasional “unsavory behaviors” most often the result of his intrinsic sin nature, or the effects of a clinical disorder? Or both? Can our presuppositions about Genesis being a history book ultimately shape the behavior, character, and value system of our kids and perhaps our entire family?

Dr. Del Tackett is the former president of the Focus on the Family Institute and a former senior vice president of Focus on the Family. He created Focus on the Family's The Truth Project, a nationwide project to bring the Christian worldview to the body of Christ. Tackett served more than 20 years in the U.S. Air Force and was appointed by President George H.W. Bush as the director of technical planning for the National Security Council. A popular conference speaker, Tackett speaks on topics such as American Christian heritage, Christian worldview, and management. He has also created and published many written works that discuss worldview and cultural issues.

Can the Way Parents Interpret Genesis Affect How They Raise Their Kids

Our presuppositions really do have a lot of sway on what we believe about any particular subject, and how we raise our kids is no exception. As Christians, of course, we are supposed to take our cues for raising our kids from God and His Word. But what we believe about Scripture as a whole is often rooted in what we believe about the very first book in the Bible, Genesis, and whether it is a literal and historical account of man’s beginnings or a mere figurative account.

So what are the implications for raising our kids if Genesis is merely a figurative book? Well, that’s a question I’d like to reserve for today’s guest. But why wouldn’t we take Genesis at face value, like we would any other book, unless the content or context tells us otherwise? I don’t read that it even implies that it is anything other than a historical account of how things began. So why not take it as historical? The only reason I can think of for interpreting Genesis any other way is because it can appear to defy what a lot of scientists have concluded. The key word is “appear.” But we have to delve deeper than mere appearances. If we do buy into the premise that Genesis is figurative, or something other than historical, and that science is always final and exhaustive in all it’s conclusions, then maybe we are going to have a problem.

But scientists have very often had to reevaluate their conclusions down through history when more knowledge or evidence gets discovered on any particular subject. And I think it’s important for our listeners to know that there are still a lot of scientists who believe the earth is young. Their beliefs are just as evidence-based as those who campaign for an old earth. As I see it, if you don’t understand and accept Genesis at face value as a history book, then why would you take any part of Scripture as literal or historic, including the resurrection? Why not also take the 5th commandment, “Honor your mother and father,” figuratively or as a mere suggestion?

If we can show our kids—with good scientific evidence—that perhaps Genesis is on the right side of history and truth here, then maybe more parents can help bring their kids to a place of accepting the truth of Scripture as a whole. This means accepting Christ’s atoning work on the cross and the validity of the 5th commandment as well as other Scriptural truths such as mandates about marriage, family, and raising kids. Of course, the ideal result of belief in these things are first, salvation for our kids, and second, raising kids that will honor and obey God and us as parents. If Junior can accept the miracle of creation, then the resurrection ought to be a snap! And that, by itself, should help make raising our kids a whole lot easier—if, in fact, they are truly inhabited by the Spirit of the Lord. Today, Dr.