Toward Parental Responsibility

God has placed parents in a position to teach their children and to train them in His ways. It is a lofty responsibility, but so important as we consider how the next generation can be impacted by parents transmitting their Christian faith and teaching their children to think for themselves and to possess their own faith. 

Deuteronomy 6 contains these words:
5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
6 "And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.
7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.
8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.
9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Culturally-speaking, our governmental authorities should be supporting the work of parents, recognizing their role in contributing to a stable society.  In the state of Tennessee, powerful new legislation does just that. The Christian Post reported recently that "Gov. Bill Lee has signed into law a measure that aims to safeguard parental rights in the classroom and beyond that one advocacy group warns are being 'eroded.'" It's called the Family Rights and Responsibilities Act.

The article noted that:

The rights and responsibilities granted to parents under the legislation include the ability to "direct the upbringing of the child," the right to "direct the moral or religious training of the child," the power to "make all physical and mental healthcare decisions for the child and consent to all physical and mental health care on the child's behalf." The measure also gives parents the right to "access and review all health and medical records of the child."

Matt Sharp of Alliance Defending Freedom is quoted in the article, stating: "Parents love and know their child best, and they have the right and duty to direct the upbringing and care of their children..." The article said: "Sharp lamented that 'parental rights have been eroded by government actions that exclude parents from critical educational and health care decisions.'"

The Christian Post also noted:

According to a 2023 report from the advocacy group Parents Defending Education, at least 1,040 school districts across the U.S. attended by more than 10.7 million students have "Transgender/Gender Nonconforming Policies" that allow or require employees to keep a student's gender identity status hidden from parents.

In California, there is a move afoot to pass a statewide law to codify this type of secrecy. The Daily Citizen of Focus on the Family reports:

AB 1955 allows schools to “socially transition” children to identify as the opposite sex – without parental notification or consent.

The bill is retaliation against school districts that passed parent notification policies that require school staff to inform parents if a child says he or she wants to identify as the opposite sex or as a different “gender.”

The districts, in turn, were pushing back against California Department of Education guidelines that encourage schools to hide information about children struggling with sexual identity confusion from their parents.

This bill has already passed the Senate and was scheduled today to have a hearing before a committee of the other chamber, the Assembly.

Make no mistake, there are powerful forces that want to undermine parental responsibility. You have authorities that want to remove children from homes where parents do not affirm a child's chosen so-called "gender" and deny prospective foster parents from participation because of their traditional beliefs that are consistent with the Biblical teaching that there are only two genders. 

It's been pointed out that you have lawmakers who believe they can do a better job of parents than the actual parents. And, parents have to be so committed and not abdicate their God-given directives. Parents are important, and are charged with the training of their children, preparing them for this world. When you see teens and young adults that are engaging in criminal behavior, certainly they are responsible for it, but you have to wonder where their parents are and what they have done.  Much has been said about the fatherless crisis that we have in our nation today.  It's a high calling and quite a challenge to raise children in this world, but God gives the strength and wisdom to those who undertake it.