How to Nullify the Effects of Family-Integrated Church

Family worship. It’s the talk of the town these days. I just finished an article on the The Nature, Warrant, and History of Family Worship by Dr. J.W. Alexander, and immediately began to think of the transformative nature of family worship. How could Churches admonish their congregations in this practice? How could Churches build fathers into the spiritual leaders their families desperately need?

Stop It
I suggest that we stop trying. Well, at least stop operating under the illusion that families don’t practice family worship. The reality of the situation is that families are already indeed worshipping together. The key question is not if they are worshipping, but what they are worshipping. Are they worshipping football games, television, video games, twitter, vacations, and any number of other idols that the father has erected or has allowed to exist in his home? Churches need to admonish families to repent of their idolatrous objects of worship, and direct all that time and effort into worshipping the one true God. In Chapter 11 of Calvin’s Institutes, he writes, “The human heart is a factory of idols...Everyone of us is, from his mother’s womb, expert in inventing idols.”

A Ration for Fools
A father that believes in keeping his children with him on Sunday, but fills his family with idols throughout the week breeds inconsistency in his children. A man would not feed his children food on Sunday, and starve them during the work week. Family Integrated Church on Sunday may be nourishing, but a child will spiritually starve if that practice is not carried out throughout the week.

Some Good Advice
So, if want to work against the effectiveness of family integrated church, fathers, keep up the charade. Stand next to your children’s emaciated souls on Sunday morning and think you’ve done your duty. Keep thinking that Deuteronomy 6 is just a general suggestion, not a serious command.

A Dose of Reality
I wonder. I wonder if we could see our children’s souls as we do their bodies, if things would change. Would fathers wait to see ribs poking through their skin, belly distended and totally famished? Would the flies hovering over their dying souls move us to action? Would we finally tear down our idols and lift up the one true God day by day with our children?

Fred Wolfe trained for Ministry at Johnson University and preached as an Emergent Church pastor for ten years before submitting to reformed theology and a true gospel. Fred is also a former youth minister, published poet, writer, and blogger. He is the father of five children and has been married for 15 years.