Alternatives to "No Greater Joy" and "To Train up a Child".....types of books and resources...

Once upon a time, there was a Christian fundamentalist group/couple that praised their work of parenting.  They were so insistent that THEY were THE ultimate resource when it comes to parenting and understanding of our universe that any digression and discussion about the "cousin marriages" of the bible would be forbidden topic.  Unfortunately, many people continue to follow THEIR lead, instead of CHRIST.

Essentially the rule of their book is this.  Take one bible verse and make a book out of it.  It is SO basic, to do that.  I can say it is NOT easy to create a book, but it is SO basic to create a book out of a bible verse.

THAT one bible verse is THE foundation of their ENTIRE building block of raising this particular child, assuming that THE BIOLOGICAL parents of the child, never dies in a car-accident or gets persecuted or gets "the ticket" to prison, or never ends up with cancer at the child's vital growing up years or any other number of bad things that happen to parents.

I have NOTHING against general "fundamental Christian values."  In fact, I think it is MORE enlightening and much less of a burdensome road to listen to "fundamentalist teachings"  The bible verse "Mat_11:30  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." has a LOT of meaning to the TRULY Christian bible-thumping fundamentalist.   Unfortunately, among the crowds of fundies, there are the ones who make "themselves" look like "the ultimate" resources for anything, from parenting to dealing with the "homosexual crowds" to dealing with "the druggies" and so forth.

I do agree with using a little rod of correction on a child, especially under the age of three and if used in a non-abusive way.  IT DOES WORK folks.  Unfortunately, a child is made of more than just a "rear end to spank".......They simply don't want to emphasize this among the "No Greater Joy" ministry.   A child is made of a mind, heart, hands, and feelings of love for family, friends and others.  They simply NEVER mention that grandparents, aunts, uncles and others will be involved with the child's life, EVEN if the parents have their weakness.  In some cases, it may be involvement with family up to 2nd cousins or more range.

When a person gets into the 2nd cousin range of thinking and that not all cousins are "raised alike,"  one would realize that the cousin that was raised under the roof of lawyer parents and then ended up at the ivy league, has a TOTALLY different outlook on life than the cousins that were raised on picking up sticks and throwing together random cob-brick ovens day in and day out.  Essentially, both children raised, even though cousins, were raised with differing conditions and values.  Both were raised in -THE WILDERNESS- so to speak.  One was raised to "read books" and "no TV" but still went to a small school.  The other was raised to "play piano" and "feed 20 calves" per night.

All in all, the discipline natures are different among children, raised in the wilderness, so to speak.  One who is raised to be disciplined to "read books" will have a different nature than the one who is raised to "feed calves" and "play a piano."  Essentially, the discipline aspect is THERE for both children, with the same heritage, though differently, but one succeeds in different ways than the other.  Was a rod of correction used on either of the family?  I don't know.  May-be-it-was and may-be-it-wasn't.  Yes, I have heard of people who went to the "ivy league" who WERE actually SPANKED by their parents!  Gasp!  Discipline was available and encouraged.

Every loving parent who actually WANT their child to succeed, MUST have a desire to DISCIPLINE!  Yes.  BUT that DOESN'T always involve a literal "rear end" madness at all times and places!  That is what the book fails to lead us to.

The path that the child is led to, should include something along the lines of

A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
(Psa 23:1-6)

These particular verses are NEVER, mentioned in the "No Greater Joy" ....."To Train up a Child" story book.  Not once.

They have OTHER qualities, in their book that are fine, like explaining why it is better for the child to pick up a hoe and help in a garden than to watch a dumb TV show.  Which I have not read the book for quite some time, but the essential element of PSALM 23, is eliminated like it is completely useless.....the plague of "Christianity" they say?

Sometimes a child's DNA heritage will not be "strong and fit."  Sometimes a parent's DNA heritage will be carrying the burdens of other relatives and inlaws of past generations.  Like Genocide problems in humanity.  

They never really mention those issues as a part of the problem with parenting a child's heart.

Instead, they assume that EVERY problem in parenting is linked to lack of using a "rod."  Which simply doesn't make sense, biblical, morally and ethically.  A rod is good.....but think more along the lines of discipline towards eliminating "hatred" in the heart.

Yes, a person should support the general "fundamental Christian element,"  but remember that the LORD is the GOOD SHEPHERD, for the child's heart, mind and strength.  NOT just the parents.  Mary and Joseph couldn't correct a young under-age-two child when there was a persecutor on the horizon that wanted to remove "the king" from Israel.  Think about that.  Re-read the book of Esther.....Esther HAD to trust in her redemption from on-high.....not upon

Furthermore, there may be an element of stereo-typing within the writing of "No Greater Joy" ministry, and assuming things about people from different cultures that simply are not true.  They go on auto-pilot and assume that the only Christians who ever suffered in this world were ......ahem.....white.

Re-read the book of Esther and point out in the bible WHERE this event took place and it is located, to this day...........Ummmmmmmm it doesn't take a lot of brains to figure it out but some who grew up around "arab cousins" would know better than to assume things about others.  So......ummmmm what happened in WW1 again????  ummmmm.

ummmm there are NUMEROUS other examples of "brown skin" people on the internet.....by the way......and there is the alternative of ACTUALLY reading ALL of the Psalms and Proverbs....instead of just hanging on one verse in child-raising.....that HELPS a lot in building and understanding GOOD CHARACTER.

Really, the "no greater joy" ministry is trying to make it look like they can control EVERY heart and mind......from the middle east and beyond.......EVERY move in every family......EVERY relative.......  That to me is a danger to elements of the scripture and its purpose in the HEART.

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