Sep 13
10
As we provide a strong emphasis on family worship it is important that we approach it with balance and self evaluation. Jason Helopoulos in his book, “A Neglected Grace – Family Worship in the Christian Home” cautions Christians against the worship of family instead of worshiping families.
In chapter six titled “What Family Worship Is Not” he writes, “there are undercurrents in the evangelical world right now that place too much emphasis upon the family. We can worship the family just as easily as we can worship wealth or Buddha. And they are equally idolatrous. As we practice family worship, we do not want our world to begin to revolve around our family. Another way of saying this is, we don’t want to worship the family, we want worshiping families. There is a big difference. A family that is truly worshiping God together will naturally find itself looking outward and engaging more and more with people beyond their home. This is an appropriate response of our growth in grace. As we grow more in love with God we grow more in love with people. Those two things cannot be separated. They are two sides of the same coin. ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself’ (Matt. 22:37, 39)” [1]
[1] Helopoulos, Jason (2007). A Neglected Grace – Family Worship in the Christian Home. Ross-shire, Scotland; Christian Focus Publications, Ltd.
