Soul Sustenance: Give Them Jesus

Give Them Jesus by Dillon T. Thornton is a fresh, joyful guide for parents on how to train their children to love God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. I recently had a chance to review this book, which I really appreciated. I liked how the book was vague enough so it worked with any Christian denominations, but specific enough to be practical and useful.

The author makes a strong case for being intentional about passing the faith down - when parents are vocal about their faith, children are more likely to stay committed. He does a good job of helping parents answer questions kids may have about Christianity, and I really enjoyed reading the book.

I had a chance to do an email interview to learn more.

Q&A with Dillon Thornton

• Why did you decide to write this book?

I wrote the book primarily for parents, grandparents, and other guardians. The fundamental presupposition of the book is that Christian parents are responsible for the spiritual development of the children under their care. I’m convinced that most parents feel this responsibility, though they haven’t been adequately equipped to fulfill it. Many years ago when I served as a children’s pastor, an important Barna study was published. The study revealed that roughly 90% of parents with children under the age of 13 believe they have the primary responsibility for training their children in the faith, but a majority of these parents don’t spend any time during a typical week discussing spiritual truths with their children. Parents are not so much unwilling to provide spiritual training, the study concluded. The problem is that they are ill-equipped for the task. The study further indicated that many parents aren’t able to guide their children spiritually because they themselves don’t have a firm grasp of the Christian faith. This is precisely why I wrote Give Them Jesus. My goal is to guide parents to a deeper understanding of the core truths of the historic Christian faith, and along the way to supply them with appropriate language, helpful illustrations, and relevant object lessons, so that in the end they will be better prepared to pass these truths on to their children.

• Why is it so important for parents to be intentional while passing on their beliefs?

If we’re not intentional about formative instruction then our kids are going to be shaped by other influences. Children, like all people, are on a quest for answers. They want to know, “Who am I? Where do I belong? And what is my purpose?” Children are question factories. My boys have questions about God and grasshoppers, theology and pastries, prayer and suffering, heaven and hell, you name it. There’s an endless supply of people and resources they could consult to find answers to their questions, but I want them to come to me first. This means that I have to work hard at making our home a safe place for inquiry and discovery.

• Why is it sometimes a challenge for parents to talk about faith with kids?

I think many parents struggle with this because their own thoughts about faith are confused. As parents, we must have a solid understanding of the historic Christian faith. This is the first step. We then need to develop ways of “translating truth,” explaining these concepts with accuracy and in child-friendly ways. Throughout Give Them Jesus, I’ve tried to help parents clarify their own thoughts and then I’ve tried to assist them with the work of translation by providing illustrations, object lessons, and by phrasing fairly complex theology in elementary terms.

  

A related issue I should comment on here is the topics of Christian theology that, if fully expounded, are not exactly G rated. I think parents sometimes struggle with subjects like the crucifixion or the virgin birth, wondering if their young children are ready to hear about these things. Crucifixion is the sort of thing that can give even a grown man nightmares. It was savagely violent. Parents need to understand the magnitude of suffering Jesus endured for his people, but we’ll need to use discretion as we describe crucifixion to our children. Depending on the age of the child, certain details may need to be omitted. And this omission does not mean that a parent has diluted the gospel. There is a difference between understanding the mechanics of the crucifixion and affirming the meaning of the event. The particulars of Roman crucifixion, such as the use of nails to hang the victim on the cross, may or may not be shared. The pivotal point to emphasize with our children is that Christ actually suffered and died for us.

Similarly, we can talk to our young children about the virginal conception. My 7 year old son isn’t ready for basic biology discussions yet, but this doesn’t mean that I need to wait until later to teach him about Jesus’ birth. When we talk about Jesus’ journey to earth, I generally say something like, “Jesus was born in a special way to show us that he is both human and God.” We’ll talk about the “natural way” of conception as my boys get older, and then they’ll understand exactly how Jesus’ birth was “special” or “supernatural.” So I can introduce these ideas to my children when they are very young, and then come back to fill in the details as they get older.