that truly, many of my readers have been disgusted, hurt, etc, by the teachings of the Pearl's and No Greater Joy Ministries. I in NO WAY want to promote a ministry that encourages anything contrary to sound doctrine and Christ-centered parenting. Please forgive me if I have caused any one to stumble. I have been pouring myself over countless writings of NGJ naysayers--to understand their perspective. And although I can see where they are coming from, I have yet to come to my own concrete conclusion that would lead me to "burn" my copies of the NGJ books. I know, by reading other blogs, that this topic of discussion is not new and I have no desire to start a "heated" discussion. Rather, as I have said time and time again, it is my desire to lift up the Full Counsel of God's Word.
It is hard to argue against edifying quotes like this from NGJ volume 3,
"You must train your children to be self disciplined. But MORE IMPORTANT than that, you must be living before your children a life so wonderfully different than they can only think of it as the presence and blessing of God. Only then will they hunger and thirst after righteousness instead of what the world has to offer. You can't talk, discipline or spank your children into sainthood...Oh, God, cause this child to know you, to honor you, cause his life to be an example of your mercy and grace."
{I have read a wonderful book by the Pearl's titled Jumping Ship--what to do so your children don't jump ship to the world when they get older}.
8 comments:
Susan,
You are so very encouraging, thanks.
God bless you as you seek Him,
Summer
Found your posts interesting...and may they be a help to others.
I wouldn't burn my copy of their book either! I found it very useful in many ways. And, like all other books, Christian or not, we are responsible to read them with guarded hearts. That is to say, we should be able to read a book that is MOSTLY good and take what is good out of them, and discard what we do not feel is biblical. Also, we need to measure EVERYTHING up against scripture. And truthfully, I found most of what is in their book to be scriptural.
Dear Susan,
Most of the naysayers are not saying that there is no good advice in Pearl's teachings. It's just that when you mix a little bad advice into a big batch of good advice, you get a very dangerous mix.
Consider this, rats won't eat rat poison unless it is mixed into something tasty. A little leaven leaveth the whole lump. This is the concern.
May God bless you as you continue your research into this.
http://www.salon.com/life/feature/2010/02/22/no_greater_joy/index.html
Have you read this article? It sums up my feelings much better than I can. I've been enjoying your blog but need to step away. As a mother of a child diagnosed with a Disorder that you would probably term spiritual or behavioral it is too frustrating to read your recent posts.
My husband and I prayerfully parent all of our children and when we finally got some answers from experts we were so relieved. Our daughter is so much happier now than she was a year ago. Why? Because we followed expert's advice. We implemented Occupational Therapy and changed her home environment to best help her. The little girl who screamed and threw fits constantly, ate so little she almost required a feeding tube, refused to wear anything but pajamas, cried over cold water, couldn't step on grass, wouldn't interact with other children or adults, and only wanted to be held, (just to name a few of her adversions) is now for the most part a happy, healthy little girl.
And we didn't have to spank her or break her will. I really hope people realize that God can be in the midst of professionals, that He alone heals but often used professionals hands. I hope people don't ignore professional advice. Yes it may be "new" in terms of the church & time but so are vaccinations, antibiotics, surgery, and seatbelts. And I think God's OK with all of the above. So just because it wasn't in the Bible doesn't mean God hasn't ordained it.
Blaming the Pearls for people who refuse to use common sense is like me blaming Ben and Jerry's for making me gain weight. Seriously.
Abby,
I am really sorry that you feel it is time to "walk away from my blog." Truly, I never wanted it to be about me nor my opinion. But rather, all about the Word of God and exposing darkness with the Light. May you continue to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.
From the North,
Summer
Abby,
I would love to understand more of where your frustration is coming from--feel free to email me.
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