I was recently reminded how easy it is to be swayed from God's purpose in educating our children, as I read a feature article concerning "character building" in a recent issue of a popular homeschool magazine. The focus of the article was on the father's role and his responsibility for "forming character" in a child. The author suggested that we build character by setting limits allowing the child to expand to acceptable behavior and inhibiting them from growing in directions they shouldn't. He concluded that Christ was the image which we were to mold them into. To be sure Christ, God, and the Bible were mentioned, but merely as tools by the parent to accomplish "character building". 

Because I am seeing a trend among Christians, especially homeschoolers, toward "character training", I felt it was necessary to point out the distortion of truths and subtle lies that are filtrating into Christian homes.

"Character building" is never mentioned in the Bible. In fact, it was not the "character training" by the parents of  the shepherd boy, David, which gave him faith, courage, and the power to kill the giant, Goliath.  It was and is faith in God's Word and a God empowered life. Godly deeds manifested, then and now, were and are attributed to men and women who walk with God in the Spirit and by faith in His Word. Teaching our children how to walk with God in the Spirit by faith in His Word should be our emphasis in educating and training our children, not "character building".

The emphasis on "character building or training" should be seen as another form of behavior modification; which stresses, if we alter the surrounding environment and stimuli, the outcome will change. The only difference between so called "character building" programs today and psychology is that now we have baptized the philosophy with the image of Christ.

I believe this concept of "character building" attacks the very foundation of the gospel of Christ and builds an altar to the gods of humanism. Humanism is man's best effort to redeem man; and psychology is the religion of humanism in which God is not part of the solution. It is an evolutionary and godless view of mankind.

SPIRITUAL ADULTERY?

Even as Israel committed adultery with foreign gods, the so called church has intermingled with the false gods of psychology. This concept of "Christian Psychology" has been popularized by some very gifted men and women. Their teachings have challenged the traditional simplicity of the scriptural view of man and have won many victories. This intermarriage is so accepted that we don't even recognize it as being incongruent with the gospel.

However, the whole concept of "Christian Psychology" is a contradiction to the gospel of Christ once delivered unto us. Christianity and Psychology are laid on two opposing foundations. Christianity is laid on the foundation of the work of Christ. Psychology is founded on the basis of Darwin's evolutionary beliefs. Christianity sees mankind as an enemy of God, without hope apart from the redemption in Christ. Humanism sees man without a need for God or redemption. It states that man is basically good, whereas Christianity declares man as utterly sinful. Humanism sees man's problem as being the result of a bad social environment. Christianity reveals that man's problem is the result of God's judgment upon Adam's sin.

HUMANISM?

How then does "character building" align itself with humanism? Character building advocates assume that our children will change, if given the right environment. These environmental changes may include rules or boundaries which guide the children  to make good choices. Christian character building programs incorporate scripture memory and consequences or rewards determined by the child's behavior. They teach, that if we know God's will, then we will produce Godly character. Regardless of the variety of approaches, the ultimate aim is to recondition the nature of man. Webster states that recondition means, "to condition (as a person or his attitudes) anew." 

THE FAILURE OF HUMANISM:

The ultimate failure of this approach is that it ignores the proclamation of scripture which declares that, "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but [how] to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members." Romans 7:19-23. Can you identify with this conclusion? 

FAMILY TESTIMONY:

I am often reminded of this war between flesh and spirit that Paul describes by my five year old daughter, Hannah. When Hannah is disciplined for her sins, she will sometimes cry with utter frustration and declare, "Daddy, I don't have the power to be good." Hannah's confession bears witness to the true testimony which Romans 7 proclaims. What hope then is there for our children? It is the same hope which God has offered for all mankind. Paul after declaring man's inability to deliver himself concludes the following: " O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God- through Jesus Christ our Lord!" Romans 7:24-25. 

THE SOLUTION:

Note: See chapter on "Discipleship" in the SOW Curriculum for more specific ideas on how to train a child to walk in the Spirit.

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