The Christian Family: A Biblical Perspective

By Dr. Eugene Sherman

This book is an eclectic study of some dimensions of the Christian Family. It is a Bible based analysis. Th is family is a monogamous union with at least one child. Th e father (husband) loves his wife (Eph. 5:25); provides substance for his family (Lk.11:11-13), and trains the child (Pr. 22:6). Th e wife respects/submits herself unt

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliant Books Literary
• Release date: Nov 29, 2022
• ISBN: 9781641337502

Dr. Eugene Sherman

E. G. Sherman, Jr., Ph.D. has three earned doctorate degrees. He is Professor Emeritus of Sociology, History, and Philosophy from Albany State University (GA.), former Vice President of Academic Affairs at Bethany Divinity and Seminary, Dothan, Alabama, and Founding Pastor of Institutional First Baptist Church, Albany, GA. He is author of four religiously focused books and one academic Source along with numerous articles. Visit him online at: www.biblicalechoes.com.

Book preview

Contents

Dedication

Preface

Rationale for the Subject

Acknowledgment

Introduction

Chapter 1: The Christian family

Chapter 2: Statuses in the Christian family

Chapter 3: An Ordinary Praying Man

Chapter 4: The Good Father

Chapter 5: The Righteous Father

Chapter 6: The Biased Father

Chapter 7: The Grieving Yet Praying Father

Chapter 8: Father Knows Best

Chapter 9: The Dilemma of Motherhood

Chapter 10: The Praying Mother

Chapter 11: The Prevailing Mother

Chapter 12: The Overzealous Mother

Chapter 13: The Sacrificing Mother

Chapter 14: The Altruistic Mother

Chapter 15: Knowing Your Whereabouts

Chapter 16: The Young Dreamer

Chapter 17: The Haughty Son

Chapter 18: The Children of Light

Chapter 19: The Toils and Rewards of Study

Chapter 20: Obedience: Its Obligations and Rewards

Chapter 21: Benefits of Obedient Children

Chapter 22: The Frazzled Sister

Chapter 23: The spiritual values of grandparents

Chapter 24: Facing Life

Epilogue

Sources

About The Author

Dedication

This book is dedicated to memories of my late parents, Deacon Eugene Sherman, Sr. and Sister Mary Martin Sherman, along with my siblings: Frank (deceased), James (deceased), Larry, Eunice, and Nadine. Additionally, it includes my beloved wife, Dr. Dolores E Sherman, who departed to be with the Lord on December 15, 2008, after thirty-nine years if blissful marriage. Dolores and I had no children.

Preface

This book is a compilation of several lectures undergirded by the common theme of the Christian family. It makes no attempt to assert that Christianity is the only, or even best, form of family life. However, it is asserted that the Christian family’s format is consistent with the New Testament teachings on family life. The epilogue of this study contains expanded dimensions of the Christian Family. While this document on the Christian family is anchored by New Testament, it does recognize and utilize the Old Testament account of creation in which the term wife is recorded in Genesis 3:20— And Adam called his wife’s name Eve because she was the mother of all living. While there were some monogamous (one husband and one wife) units in Old Testament history, there were many examples of polygynous (one husband and more than one wife) during that historical era.

It must be noted, however, that firm teachings on family life were part of the Old Testament. An eclectic overview includes the following: Jacob obeyed his father and mother (Gen.28:7); Honor thy father and thy mother; that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord giveth thee (Ex.20:12); Train up the child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it (Pr.22:6); and Her children arise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her (Pr. 31:28).

In sum, this collection of sermons on the Christian family was name in keeping with the New Testament foundation used to undergird both the title and the sermons. Additionally, it is in the New Testament that Jesus obeyed his mother and worked in his foster father’s carpentry shop. Later in his ministry, Jesus was involved in solving medical problems with a family context, consoling Martha and Mary over the death of their brother, Lazarus. Within another setting, Jesus used the prodigal son to illustrate the readiness of the Father to receiving penitent sinner who returned to him. Lastly, He promised that He was going away to prepare a place where the believers could ever be with the Lord. Within this context, the New Testament presents Jesus as the ultimate groom and the Church as the bride for the eternal consummation in heaven—the ultimate Christian family.

Rationale for the Subject

An historical concern about the nature of human social organization led to some consensus that there are five majors’ components, especially in Western society. The components were labeled as social institutions and placed into five categories that included the following: religion, family, education, economy, and government. This classification continues to be viable in this twenty-first century; however, additional units have been identified, two of which are the military complex and the scientific establishment.

While each of these institutions—a term that denotes a concept and a structure—performs a network of functions necessary for societal welfare. One of them, the family, is the focus of this book. This institution personifies innumerable functions essential for the maintenance and existence of humankind. Two of the critical ones are procreation of children and stabilization of adult personality. The family, as an institution, is found throughout the world although its structure may vary by factors that include the following: number of spouse(s) permitted, source of authority, residency of the newlywed, and faith group/denomination of the couple. Of special emphasis for this book is the religious anchor known as Christianity; hence, the title is The Christian Family. This anchor avoids any assessment of other religious perspectives and concentrates on the Christian family as depicted in the Holy Bible.

Acknowledgment

Words of appreciation are extended to innumerable persons, including my professors of sociology, history, and gerontology in undergraduate and graduate schools; my seminary professors; the students in my classes during a thirty-five-year tenure at Albany State University (GA) and Bethany Theological Seminary in Dothan, AL; the members of Institutional First Baptist Church in Albany, GA, where I am foundering pastor (1971–Present); and the readers of sermons/lectures on www.biblicalechoes.com.

Introduction

Both biblical and secular accounts concur that some form of human arrangement existed for making and/or reproduction. The Bible traces this form of interaction back to the period of creation. It is recorded in Genesis—took a rib from Adam, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man (Gen.2:22). Adam, according the Bible, called his wife’s name’s Eve, because she was the mother of all living (Gen.3:20). After this union between Adam and Eve was blessed with the son, Cain, later, a second son was born; his name was Abel. The birth of Abel created a social union known as the family because it consisted of parents and at least one child. This configuration later became accepted as the definition of the traditional family. Later in this introduction, the concepts of family types and functions will be discussed. At the present, however, attention will be focused on some anthropological research that warrant concluding that both primitive mankind and the lower animal world evolved methods of mating—some for short periods and others for long duration—for reproduction. Westermarck, a Finnish sociologists and philosopher, wrote extensively on the evolution. Noting the practice of female animals and birds to attract the attention of their male counterpart, Westermarck concluded that the behavior of primitive man followed a similar pattern. Since he observed that the male tended to establish some permanency with the female after the birth of offspring. Westermarck asserted that the first family was patriarchal, or father controlled.

In sharp contrast to Westermarck, the Swedish anthropologist Bachofen asserted that the female bird, animal, and human all possessed subtle methods for attracting their male counterpart, but they never yielded to being controlled by the male. Bachofen’s view is presented in his book Das Mutterrecht. He, therefore, concluded that the original human family structure was a matriarch, or mother controlled.

An examination of the research on family power structure clearly shows the preponderance of patriarchal family form throughout the evolution of humanity. The lone exception was the period of slavery in America from the 1619-1863. Within the context of the system, an array of practices emerged, to name but a few: marriage between slaves were seldom encouraged, and slave women were bred with a slave stallion to produce a herculean offspring who would eventually be a good plantation worker or an ideal person for sale at the slave market. Added to this plantation-controlled sexuality of the female slaves were the frequent instances in which the plantation owner, his son, or hired white worker would have sexual encounters with slave women irrespective of their desires. There was another type of sexual arrangement involving a slave man and a slave woman; it was the semblance of marriage. The event required permission from the plantation owner who would conduct the so-called wedding ceremony by having the two individuals to hold hands together and jump over a broomstick. Admittedly, such arrangement was fragile, for they could be ended by a decision to sell the male or female. Another ever present was the female’s freedom to report marital problems to the plantation owner. Some residues of that mentality continue to exist in contemporary twenty-first-century America, especially in the rural South.

Having to provide an eclectic account of the evolution of family life, the focus will now be directed to another facet of family life. It is that of a multiplicity of concepts and practices centered on and/or impacting family life.

Family structure by marital status—this category includes single, married, widowed, divorced, and separated.