Why Christian Kids Rebel: Trading Heartache for Hope

by Tim Kimmel

Book Overview

Author of Grace-Based Parenting and the best-selling Little House on the Freeway, Dr. Tim Kimmel helps Christian parents avoid the potential problems their well-meaning parenting styles could create. This book offers a new way to look at the "ideal" Christian home and shows why "cocoon-style" Christian homes don't always work.

Many parents have "done it all" when it comes to the checklist of good Christian parenting, only to see their son...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0849918308
• ISBN13: 9780849918308
• Release Date: October 2004
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson
• Length: 255 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.2" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

A must have book for every Christian family !!!

I picked up this book looking for answers as to why my teen was walking away from her faith and what to do about it. This book offers some fresh insights as to why some kids do rebel when we have done everything possible to prevent it and that is exactly where the problem may be. It offers hope and humor and has ministered to us in more ways than we can say. This book will also help you look at your own faith as a Christian and ask some hard questions including what makes your faith passionate to you and would make your kids want to take it on as their own. We have evaluated this as a family and now are looking for ways we can serve and minister to others in need, not just living selfishly and in our own little bubble. Thank you so much Dr.Kimmel for the comfort your book has been to us and to our church body!!!!!!!

Excellent book for every Christian parent

As a Christian parent I often feel intimidated by the task of passing my faith on to my children. I picked up this book from our church book table and am so glad that I did. It was not so much about rebellion, as about how to raise your children to NOT see rebellion as an attractive option. What a weight was lifted off my shoulders as for the first time i really caught a vision of what path to follow to help my children grow up knowing and loving Christ. The book has a message of truth and hope - not condemnation - though the author has strong things to say about what environments tend to breed rebellion. I highly recommend this book along with Grace Based Parenting by Tim Kimmel.

Biblical Parenting

Dr. Kimmel's book helped me understand a great deal of my own teenage rebellion years ago. I know that I am ultimately responsible. However, it comforted me to know why I was frustrated as a teenager and why I rebelled against my Christian faith for several years. This book covers the different styles of parenting that breeds rebellion. It is a great read for students, adults, parents, and parents who no longer have children living at home. I taught through this book in a parenting class. It proved to be very helpful to them. Some parents shied away from it because of the title. They didn't believe their kids were rebellious or ever would be. As Dr. Kimmel will state in his book, not every child rebels the same way. Their rebellion may come later when they are out of your house. This book is for everyone. Even for those parents who believe themselves to be the model parents who do not need a lesson on biblical parenting. As for the student on the front of the book. I have been in youth ministry for many years now. I have also taught in Public and Private Schools. Is this what many teenagers "look" like. Yes it is. But the question is, "Should it be?" Whether you are a teenager or an adult... you should give a great deal of thought as to what it means to be in the world but not of it. If you are a Christian... I believe the real issue is not clothes, hairstyle, piercings, etc. The real issue is Christ-likeness, holiness, being aliens and strangers in our modern day Babylon. Real Christians will understand this. The world will scoff at it. If Christian teenagers desire to look like the world... you know there is rebellion lurking in their hearts. Man's sinful nature says, "Express yourself!" The world seeks to throw off all forms of authority. Trust me... I remember why I got an ear ring when I was a teenager. I remember why I rebelled against my parents and the faith. I didn't see biblical Christianity matching up to what was modeled to me. I was tired of fighting against the grain of culture. "If you can't beat them, join them." This was my thinking. I did what I did out of pure human "free will" rebellion! Of course, if the parents are dressing like the world, acting like the world, and are not modeling Christ in every way... the rebellion lurking in the child's heart may be a learned thing. Most of the time... this is the case. Although, you will occasionally have children who rebel despite their parents loving guidance. All mankind is born rebellious. Man ultimately wants to do his own thing. This is not just a problem for teenagers, but for adults too. Every child should be given the opportunity to choose their own way when they reach a certain age. If the parent is confident in the way they have raised their child, they will have no problem releasing them to make their own decisions when they reach the time to leave the nest. I have seen two extremes among parents: some let their children do whatev

Raising spiritually strong kids, not spiritually safe kids

Having read this book (unlike another reviewer), I found it to be convicting to me as a Christian parent as well as inspiring. He gives the 8 reasons that kids rebel and does talk about rebellion but a large part of his focus is on the Christian parent. His 5 chapters on flawed Christianity (Compulsory Christianity, Cliche Christianity, Comfortable Christianity, Cocoon Christianity, and Compromised Christianity) will help each parent evaluate their own Christian life and hopefully spur them to want to live as God would want us to which will in turn inspire our children to do the same. He also gives great helps for reaching out to a rebellious child. I like a quote by Mini Louise Haskin that he ends his chapter on Cocoon Christianity with: "I said to the man at the gate of the year, "Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown." And he replied, "Go into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than the known way." This book is great for all Christian parents, those whose kids are in active rebellion and those who are not. For those parents whose children are not in rebellion currently, this book really gives you insight in how to handle rebellion when children do (which as he states in this book may need to be part of their spiritual pilgrimage) His focus is on raising spiritually strong kids, not spiritually safe kids. I highly recommed this book to all Christian parents.