The Obedient Child

The apostle Paul in the Book of Ephesians emphasized the importance of children respecting and obeying their parents. He wrote: “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first com- mandment with promise;) that it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.” (Ephesians 6:1-3) Paul offered two solid reasons for what he said: First, It is the right thing to do; and Second, it is best for you.

The correctness and wisdom of Paul’s teaching is confirmed by history and in particularly American history in the last half of the twentieth century. I know. I lived through it. When I grew up children were taught to respect authority. The whole gen- eral social atmosphere was one of respect for au- thority. And it began in the home with “Children obey your parents.” Then in the 1960s attitudes began to change. The new prevailing attitude was concisely expressed in a bumper sticker which read: “Question Authority.” Many of the problems in our society today grows out of a general atti- tude of disrespect for authority.

Claude