Sacred Parenting by Gary Thomas
Week 10: Chapter 9 — Family: The School of Sanctification
Read Chapter 9 of Sacred Parenting by Gary L. Thomas.
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Thomas steps back in this chapter to make his argument most directly: the family is not merely a social institution or a personal blessing — it is God's primary school for growing us up into maturity in Christ.
Discussion Questions
6 questions1.Thomas calls the family a 'school of sanctification.' What does he mean by that, and how does it differ from viewing the family primarily as a place of comfort or personal fulfillment?
2.He argues that the close, sustained, unavoidable proximity of family life is precisely what makes it such an effective laboratory for spiritual growth — we cannot hide our worst selves from the people we live with. How has your family seen you at your worst? What has that revelation been like?
3.Thomas suggests that the virtues most needed in family life — patience, humility, forgiveness, gentleness — are also the virtues most central to Christian character. Which of these is most consistently under pressure in your home right now?
a.What specific situation with your child most reliably exposes that weakness?
b.What would it look like to intentionally cooperate with God's sanctifying work in that area?
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