Kids, Politics, and What You Can Do About It

     The conventions are over. The nominees are chosen. As we turn our attention to November, politics seem to permeate every social media channel, news station, and conversation. The hype can cause us to throw our identity behind our political party and who we're voting for. "Us" versus "Them" seems to be the name of the game. It's so much easier to alienate those with different political affiliations than it is to engage in a civil, helpful conversation about our differences.

     In their early years, most kids end up adopting whatever political opinions their parents support. I can't count the number of conversations I've heard at Camp about how one candidate is "the only good choice" and the other candidate is "a liar", "will cause World War 3", or "is crazy!" (I've heard these things about candidates from both sides of the aisle).

How do we teach our children to engage in the political process with their character still in tact?

     As Christ followers, it's important to remember our ultimate authority. God is the sovereign King over the whole world. His word trumps everything else (*that's not a comment about any specific candidate!*). He has given us the Bible as the final rule to guide us through our lives, which includes the how we vote. As parents, instilling Christ-like character into our children is what will ultimately drive their political decision-making. 

Below are a few Scripture passages to help guide our families through election season, and affect positive change in our country.

"Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God." Romans 13:1

• We should confidently teach our children who is in control. Regardless of who's elected, Jesus is still the King (ref. Matthew 28:18).

"I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity." 1 Timothy 2:1-2

• We should pray for our leaders. Encourage your children to pray for world leaders, presidents, congressmen, senators, local politicians, teachers, and pastors. How can we expect each one to adequately fulfill their duties if we as citizens don't support them through prayer? It is only through the Holy Spirit where prayer is answered and communities are united.

"Remind believers to submit to the government and its officers. They should be obedient, always ready to do what is good. They must not slander anyone and must avoid quarreling. Instead, they should be gentle and show true humility to everyone." Titus 3:1-2

• Love each other. Be gentle towards one another. It's easy to love people who think and act like you. The true test of love and humility comes when we reach out to the people on the "other" side of the spectrum. We must always remember these words of Paul in his letter to Titus:

"We too, were once foolish and disobedient. We were misled and became slaves to lusts and pleasures. Our lives were full of evil and envy and we hated each other. But- when God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy" (Titus 3:3-5, paraphrased).

Jesus came to abolish "us vs. them." Let's stop accusing, judging, and condemning. Let's start loving, giving, and serving all in accordance with God's word.

When Your Child Asks About Race, What Do You Say?

     Our country has been hit hard in recent weeks. News cycles are packed with stories of violence, racial tension, heartbreak, and anger. Yes, there are stories of healing, restoration, and compassion. Yet even the glimmers of hope seem overshadowed by the stories of pain. As much as we may want to shelter our children from painful stories like these, they eventually reach our kids' ears. When your child asks about race, what do you say?

Step One: Look in the Mirror

     Kids are just beginning to develop empathy and social-awareness. They constantly look to others for cues on how to treat people. Kids need guidance in relating to others, especially with those who are different from them. As a parent, you are the most important and influential example to your child. Most of the time, our kids are tiny mirrors of our own character. Your response to racism and injustice shapes how your kids will respond. Your words and actions - even the subtle ones - form the baseline for your child's interactions with others. Before we take any steps forward, we all need to take a look in the mirror and contemplate how we respond to others who are different than us.

Step Two: Define the Problem in Simple Terms

     One of the reasons that racism is so hard to defeat is that it's hard to pin down. It's easy to identify the blatant, name-calling, sign-carrying racist. But it's a lot more difficult to call out the person with an unspoken racist attitude. When we talk to our kids about race, we should be as clear and as simple as possible. It all starts with God's Word. Here's a few Bible passages you can study with your family to learn about God's purpose for race, ethnicity, and redemption.

• Genesis 1:26-31 - God creates the first man and woman. God makes it clear that every human is created in His image, and each one has equal worth and value.

• John 4 - Jesus shows radical love to a marginalized woman from Samaria. Even though the context is different from our culture, the racial tensions between Jews and Samaritans parallel the issues in our day. The social rules of the time should have prevented Jesus from talking to a stranger of a different ethnicity and gender. Jesus defied all these social norms and extended a hand of compassion to another person in need.

• Romans 10:11-13 - The apostle Paul teaches us that when it comes to the family of God, "there is no distinction between Jew and Greek" (Romans 10:12). Jesus freely gives his grace to everyone who calls on his name, not just those who belong to a certain race or ethnicity.
   
• Galatians 3:23-29 - Paul again writes about the inclusivity among Christians. We are sons and daughters of God our Father because of Jesus Christ. God never excludes us or lowers our status based on our ethnicity, social standing, or gender. "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:28). God's family is not color blind or gender neutral, but celebrates God's glory on display through each unique individual. 

Step Three: Demonstrate Love Together as a Family

     Hashtags, videos, and social media help reveal the problems, but they will never be the source of healing. People are very resistant to change, but a person is much more open to discussion. Changing the systemic problems starts by changing a single person. Racism, injustice, inequality, and prejudice melt away in light of the Gospel. We must share the hope and love of Christ with the individuals we have around us. No matter where you live, there is opportunity for your family to give healing to those who are hurting. 

What Now?

     Many people are asking the question, "What do we do now?" A clear answer or a concrete solution has not emerged just yet. However, we can do the hard work of mourning with those who mourn, feeling their pain, and developing empathy for those who are hurting. We can look to Jesus.

     Jesus came as man, felt our pain, bore our sin, and carried our cross. He didn't try to explain away the pain or teach us why our pain wasn't justified. Jesus loved. He loved to the point of death. We can follow the example of Jesus by being present for those who are hurting.

     When your kids ask about race, demonstrate love. Model empathy. Most of all, respond with grace. 

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I don't have many answers, but you can check out these resources for more understanding on the topic of race from a biblical perspective.

• Bloodlines - by John Piper. Download the free ebook about race, the cross, and the Christian. You can also watch a short film from John Piper based on the book.
• Matt Chandler led a panel discussion with 4 African-American church leaders from The Village Church (Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas) on empathy, healing, and how we all can move forward together.
• Russell Moore wrote an article on The Gospel Coalition's blog about the nuances between political, moral, and practical solutions to injustice.
• Lecrae, a hip-hop artist and outspoken Christian, wrote an insightful guest essay for Billboard.com about humility and empathy in understanding race relations.
• K. Edward Copeland, pastor of New Zion Baptist Church (Rockford, IL) and member of The Gospel Coalition, delivered a timely and helpful message to his congregation about the importance of empathy and prayer in the middle of this difficult summer.

Teaching and Modeling Prayer - Discipleship at Home

Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. As he finished, one of his disciples came to him and said, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

Luke 11:1 (NLT)

     Jesus gave us the perfect model for living a prayerful life. Even so, the people who spent the most time with him still needed help developing their own habit of prayer. My wife and I are also still growing in our habit of prayer. While we wouldn't consider ourselves prayer-experts by any means, we've made a choice to make prayer a priority in our home. We believe it's much better to model prayer for our kids than it is to teach them "about prayer," because ultimately the goal is that our children will be comfortable praying to God, not just able to say prayers. I hope that this post helps you to teach and model a vibrant prayer life to your kids.

Create a Routine for Prayer

     As my wife and I lead our kids in modeling prayer, here are some routines that we use to work prayer into our family life.

• Meals: This is an obvious time to pray. Maybe even too obvious. The danger is that we might say a rote, thoughtless prayer instead of authentic, real prayer to the Lord who gave us all of the grub on our plates. My family adds specific things to pray for at each meal. At breakfast we have a list of medical needs that we pray for. At dinner we pray for a missionary family or group somewhere across the globe. The specifics you choose aren't as important as looking for something to get us past the “Good bread, good meat, good Lord, let’s eat!” style of prayer.
• Bedtime: At bedtime we ask our kids to tell us about their favorite part of the day. We also ask if they have anything that they are worried or scared about. These are great conversation starters, but also natural connections to turn to prayer. We often ask our kids if they want to pray (sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t). We also make sure they understand that prayers don’t need to be fancy or long (just read Matthew 6:7-8). Sometimes, a one-sentence prayer from the heart is a huge win for my kids.
• Leaving: When someone leaves the house for the day (which is usually me going to work), we pause and pray for the day. We pray that we can all grow more like Jesus throughout the day. We’ll also pray for safety or protection depending on what’s going on. Bill Allison of Cadre Ministries has a Disciple-maker’s prayer that's a great “on your way” prayer to start your day.

 

When your routine fails, pray anyway

     The reality of life, however, is that it isn’t always routine. Sometimes life smacks you over the head, and you have to do your best to stay afloat until it returns to normal. Modeling honest prayer during these stressful times is even more important than the routine times for prayer. Last fall my family went through a pretty stressful time surrounding a vehicle purchase. For two entire weeks, every prayer we said centered around God watching over our vehicle situation, restoring what was ours, and protecting us. Our kids learned that if a situation is causing you stress, you can bring it to God and ask for his help and peace. Your kids will notice if you turn to God when things are hard (and they'll also notice if you don't).

     "Any-moment" prayers are useful when your kids are stressed or upset. We might gloss over an upset child by labeling their issue as "just a kid-problem." We might tell them to "get over it" when a sibling is mean to them or they scrape their knee. But in these tough moments, we should show them how to pray for God’s help. We can pause and pray with our kids right then, whether we think they are being whiny or not (and trust me, I’m still working on this one).

     Prayer is both awesome and scandalous: We can approach the God of the universe with seemingly trivial requests or concerns. The best way to teach our kids to do that is to model it ourselves. 

“And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.”  Luke 11:9-11 (NLT)

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Peter Lindell is the Executive Director at Camp of Champions USA. You can read his bio on our Full-Time Staff page.