Parenting as Worship

There is a wonderful blog called "Till It Was All Leavened," and the author's thoughts on theology's place in parenting is worth reading. Here's an excerpt:

(The following is taken from: http://leavened.blogspot.com/2006/11/is-this-parenting-blog.html)


Why so much theology?
Parenting necessarily begs the question of meaning. And if we're too tired from waking up in the middle of the night with the new little one, by the time that little one reaches 2, she or he forces the question: "Why?" For this reason, new parents often become more religious. I use that word to refer to constructing, or ascribing to, a system of meaning. For many parents, it includes going back to mosque, synagogue, or church after a long absence, although that is certainly not the path that all take. Yet every parent has an answer (ill-considered or well-considered) to the question, "What matters most?" It comes out in the way that we live. Like it or not, we live by our values. Our children are often the most astute observers of what matters most to us. They watch us carefully and imitate us vociferously, and so we often see in them little mirrors of ourselves and what we value. So parenting not only begs the question of meaning, it forces the question.

Every person has a way of understanding the world and its meaning, which Lesslie Newbigin calls a "plausibility structure." It is a statement of what we believe about reality, and what is valuable within that reality. The pervasive story in Western culture says that what can be known by scientific inquiry is that which is real, and that what is truly valuable is not intrinsic to reality, but a matter of personal opinion. Some value golf above all, others power and influence, others fame, others family, and so on. But it is without exception that we all value many things, and that there is an order to those values.

So the long answer to "Why so much theology?" is: It is the answer to the question of meaning. God created and sustains all things, and has designed all of human history to display His beauty in mercy, and to bring all things in subjection to Jesus Christ. That is why theology is central to parenting.