How to Teach Your Children About Politics

Respect for earthly authority

Parents, have you ever had your children ask you about politics? What’s happening in the news? What happens on yard signs? Who does God tell us to obey and why should we obey them?

When we think about politics, we have to refer to the idea of ​​power. In fact, Romans 13 talks about how government is actually God’s servant. And one of the things God gives government is legal authority. And authority is not bad.

God gives different types of authority for different reasons. He gives us individually conscience as authority. He gives us parents as authority. And one of those other authorities that God gives is the law, the government. Therefore, it is in our interests to act as a guarantee that we can act intelligently in society.

When we go outside, when we get into a car, we must be able to reasonably believe that our interactions in society will be peaceful, and that it will be governed by the reality of law and government. If we don’t have government, the result will be what happened in the book of Judges: everyone did what was right in their own eyes, which was chaos, anarchy, relativism.

And there will always be reasonable debate about what laws the government should pass. We can have this debate, but we must affirm that the government is good. It exists for our well-being. Its purpose is to ensure that every person in society is protected by law, that criminals and evildoers are punished, and that all the different elements of society can cooperate and work together for the common good of society.

And when you talk to your kids about politics, you first need to make sure they understand that God is really in charge. He is responsible for everything that happens here on earth and in heaven. Ultimately he is the king and ruler. And while we are here on earth waiting for Him to return and create a new heaven and a new earth, He has given us a commission to obey our earthly rulers.

First, you must be a good example of how to speak of our earthly leaders with kindness and respect.

Government is actually a very good thing. It provides laws and policies that help protect its citizens. It helps people thrive. It helps to help our neighbors to be taken care of. This helps communities prosper, and this is all called the “common good.” And God commands us to love our neighbor. And so if we want to love our neighbor, we should care about these policies and laws and what the government does to help those around us. Therefore, we should take part in local government. We should care about what is happening in the communities around us.

If you are a parent, you should take your young children with you to vote. You have to let them watch what’s happening on TV. Talk about the yard signs you see. Help them get involved in what’s happening in your community. If you have an eighteen-year-old child, help them register to vote. Help them learn what is happening in the community around you. Help your children care about the politics going on in your world, and help them be kind to the leaders of our world today by speaking about them with respect, even if you don’t agree with their politics and their policies. First, you must be a good example of how to speak of our earthly leaders with kindness and respect.

Parents, be a good example by first participating in politics and respecting our leaders. And also be a good example by helping them get involved themselves. God wants us to honor government, so parents’ first responsibility is to be a good example at home.

Andrew T. Walker and Christian Walker – authors What should I say when. . . ?: A Parent’s Guide to Navigating Cultural Chaos for Children and Teens.

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