Part of the Family Package?
A serious problem is planted in the pastoral home when the children living there do not actually embrace the faith for themselves but simply fulfill a role. Their quiet conformity is mistaken for genuine commitment. But the pretending will not last forever. Chuck and Marge1, who served at an Evangelical Covenant Church, have finished raising their five children. Chuck is an articulate, ambitious man, the kind of person you'd expect to find in an advertising agency, which is where he started out after journalism school. Later on, he gave up his agnosticism at a Billy Graham crusade and, in 1963, entered seminary. His oldest child was thirteen, his youngest four when he became student pastor of a church in Illinois. His wife is much quieter, the daughter of Finnish immigrants, who tends to think a long time before speaking. She is a good ballast for her energetic husband. Both of them, however, plunged into the work of their parish with dedication and swept their children along in the tide. Sunday school, youth groups, and other church events were standard fixtures in the weekly schedule. Jason*, the second-born, left for college in 1970. Four years later, he had his degree but no plan of action; he spent a year drifting around the country. He finally landed back home with Mom and Dad, who had since moved to teach at a Christian college. Chuck writes about the night everything came unraveled: We were having supper on Christmas Eve. My wife and I were seated with four of our five children and my wife's father round the table. The table was decorated with festive candles. Red, blue, yellow, and green lights beamed on the family Christmas tree and piles of presents lay underneath.… The spicy smell of baked ham filled the house; all ...
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