5 Recommended Resources on Parenting
Parenting can be both rewarding and overwhelming, and there seems to be no shortage of opinions regarding how fathers and mothers should raise their children. With so much conflicting and often unbiblical advice, how can parents orient themselves to God’s desires and purposes for their children? The following resources, curated by the Ligonier editorial team, can provide both a biblical framework as well as practical advice to parents seeking to raise their children to the glory of God.
Parenting by God’s Promises: How to Raise Children in the Covenant of Grace by Joel Beeke
This book unpacks the scriptural mandate for parents to raise their children “in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4) by exploring what that looks like in daily life. Practical wisdom is offered on topics including leading family worship, modeling Christian living, and exercising discipline, all while encouraging parents to look to the Lord and trust in Him as they raise their children.
Shepherding a Child’s Heart by Tedd Tripp
God’s Word makes clear that human actions, words, and attitudes flow from our hearts (Luke 6:45). This book seeks to help parents better understand how to engage and guide their children’s hearts into the paths of life by clarifying parenting goals and teaching parents how to communicate with their children in fruitful ways.
Teach Them to Work: Building Positive Work Ethic in Our Children by Mary Beeke
This book can provide helpful guidance for parents in how to teach their children to be faithful stewards. Parenting principles and their practical applications are discussed with the goal of helping parents bring clarity to God’s design for fruitful labor in society and the home.
The Duties of Parents by J.C. Ryle
In this brief booklet written in the nineteenth century, Ryle describes the goal of parenting according to Scripture, training children to walk with God. This book can help fathers and mothers evaluate their own parenting goals and practices and examine how they line up with God’s character according to His Word.
Like Our Father: How God Parents Us and Why That Matters for Our Parenting by Christina Fox
This book focuses on studying the character of God to give readers a clearer picture of who He is and help them see how His character gives shape to their own parenting as image bearers. Some of the truths covered include that God is our adoptive Father, God provides boundaries, God disciplines us, and God gives us what we need.
This article is part of the Recommended Resources collection.