How to teach your kids about politics

Respect for earthly authority

Parents, have your children ever asked you about politics? What’s going on 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 start from this idea of ​​authority. In fact, Romans 13 talks about how government is actually a minister on behalf of God. And one of the things that God gives to government is legitimate authority. And authority is not bad.

God gives different kinds of authorities for different reasons. He gives us individually conscience as authority. He gives us parents as authority. And then one of those other authorities that God gives is the law, the government. Therefore, it is for our good to act as a guarantee for us to act reasonably in society.

When we step outside, when we get into a car, we must have reasonable confidence that our interactions in society will be peaceful, and that this will be managed through the realities of law and government. If we don’t have a government, the result is what happens in the book of Judges: everyone did what was right in their own eyes: chaos, anarchy, and relativism.

And there will always be prudential debates about what kinds of laws the government should pass. We can have those debates, but what we need to affirm is that government is good. It is there for our well-being. It exists to ensure that every individual in society is protected by the law, that criminals and evildoers are punished, and that all the different elements in society can work together and work together for the common good of society.

And when you talk to kids about politics, first make sure they understand that God is actually in charge of everything. He is in charge of everything that happens here on earth and in heaven. He is ultimately the king and ruler. And while we are here on earth, waiting for him to return and make a new heaven and a new earth, he has commanded us to obey our earthly rulers.

First, be a good example by speaking kindly and respectfully about our earthly leaders.

Actually, government is a very good thing. It provides laws and policies that help protect its citizens. It helps individuals thrive. It helps to ensure that our loved ones are taken care of. It helps communities thrive, and that’s all called “the common good.” And God tells us to love our neighbor. And so if we want to love our neighbor, we have to worry about those policies and these laws, and we have to worry about what the government is doing to help the people around us. So we need to get involved in our local government. We need to be concerned about what is happening in the communities around us.

If you are a parent, you should take your small children to vote. You should allow them to watch what is happening on television. Talk about the yard signs you see. Help them get involved in what’s happening in your neighborhood. If you have an eighteen-year-old child, help him/her register to vote. Help them know what is happening in the society around you. Help your children to care about the politics happening in your world, and help them to be kind to the leaders in our world today by talking about them respectfully, even if you disagree with their policies and politics. First, be a good example by speaking kindly and respectfully about our earthly leaders.

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

Andrew T. Walker and Christian Walker are the authors of What do I say when? . . ?: A parent’s guide to navigating cultural chaos for kids and teens.

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