Teaching young parents is an exciting but challenging endeavor. During the preschool, elementary, and preteen years, parents struggle with time. They are busy and tired. When their kids are young, they are learning to parent and trying to balance a growing career with an increasingly demanding family life. The older their kids grow, the more activities they engage in. At the same time, their careers are also becoming more demanding as they grow vocationally.

When we teach young parents, let’s encourage them to take care of their souls so they can pass a growing faith to their children. What you teach is so important for their growth and essential for the spiritual growth of their children as well. Psalm 78 explains this generation to generation model, “…teach them to their children, so the next generation might know them—even the children not yet born—and they, in turn, will teach their own children” (Psalm 78:5-6). This passing of a living faith to children, from one generation to the next, is both caught and taught.

A study by LifeWay Research discovered that “the largest impact on a child’s future spiritual health as an adult is that she regularly read the Bible while she was growing up.” When you help a parent hear God speaking to them through the Bible, the Word becomes truly alive in their lives. Not only do you feed the souls of your learners, but your teaching impacts their children as well. Children watch and model their behavior and values on what they see, especially from their parents. If children see their parents read the Bible, they will also read their Bibles. Teaching young parents actually ripples through the generations. And that is well worth the effort.


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Excerpt – John Piper, Calvinism, and Missions: A Way Forward

Read this section of Dr. Hopkins’ new book on the theology of John Piper.

Philip O. Hopkins
Associate Professor of Church History
Philip O. Hopkins is the associate professor of Church history at Gateway Seminary. He earned Ph.D. in applied theology from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and a second Ph.D. in Iranian history from the University of St. Andrews (Scotland). He is also a research fellow for the Institute of Iranian Studies at the University of St. Andrews, guest lecturer at Russian-Armenian University in Yerevan, Armenia, and part of the editorial board for Iran and the Caucasus (Brill).

Owning Up to the Failures of our Theological Heroes

What can be done when you discover the sins of historical figures who have shaped your theology?

Chris Woznicki
Affiliate Instructor in Theology at Fuller Seminary, JEC Research Fellow

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The Study Podcast
November 19, 2024

Revelation Chapters 19-20

Dr. Stewart and Tyler discuss the millennial debate. They cover different interpretations of the millennium, the strengths and weaknesses of each. They also describe the return of Christ and the final battle.

The Study Podcast
November 12, 2024

Revelation Chapters 17-18

Dr. Stewart and Tyler discuss Revelation 17 and 18, focusing on the symbolic representation of Babylon. They explore the chiasm structure, highlighting the introduction and judgment of key adversaries like the dragon, the beast, and Babylon.


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Jonathan Edwards and the Asbury Revival

Chris Chun and Chris Woznicki discuss the signs of true revival, signs of the work of the Holy Spirit, and why it is important to critically assess the characteristics of revival in a spirit of charity.

Chris Chun
Professor of Church History | Director, Jonathan Edwards Center
Dr. Chris Chun is the professor of Church History and the director of Jonathan Edwards Center at Gateway Seminary. Chris’ doctoral research at St. Andrews University was focused on the eighteenth-century Edwardsean Baptists in Britain. He also has served as president of The Evangelical Theological Society (Far West Region).

Jonathan Edwards and the Baptists | Douglas Sweeney, Nathan Finn and Chris Chun

Dr. Douglas Sweeney and Dr. Nathan Finn joined Dr. Chris Chun for a panel discussion on Jonathan Edwards, recorded live at the SBC Annual Meeting in Anaheim.

Chris Chun
Professor of Church History | Director, Jonathan Edwards Center
Dr. Chris Chun is the professor of Church History and the director of Jonathan Edwards Center at Gateway Seminary. Chris’ doctoral research at St. Andrews University was focused on the eighteenth-century Edwardsean Baptists in Britain. He also has served as president of The Evangelical Theological Society (Far West Region).

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