Has the family become an idol?
You hear a lot of talk about families in the church today–there are calls for family values to be reflected in society, for stronger families to form the cornerstone of the church.
Few Christians would disagree that stronger families are a good thing. But in a recent article in Every Thought Captive, Jay Barfield cautions us to remember that strong families are a means to an end–they are not the end in themselves. While it’s important that we focus on strengthening marriages, raising children, and cultivating healthy families, we mustn’t forget the reason we are called to do such things. When our priorities get mixed up,
Our family (or worse yet, the family-integrated ministry model) becomes a sort of idol. Idolatry is when we substitute or place a created thing in the rightful place of the Creator. When we get ourselves backwards and pursue as our primary goal the family-integrated thing, the homeschooling thing, the patriarchy thing, the breeding thing, the modesty/home-baked bread thing, or the “making sure our boys are tough warriors and not wimpy” thing, instead of God’s glory, idolatry is just around the corner. Don’t get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with any of these things I have just mentioned. But they are means, not ends.
It’s a good reminder to give careful thought to what God would have us do through our families, and to be wary of talking about family ministry as if it’s just another buzzword. Read the full article for Barfield’s thoughts.
