Mary DeMuth signing Authentic Parenting in a Postmodern Culture at the International Christian Retail Show

Get it autographed! You can purchase Authentic Parenting in a Postmodern Culture directly from Mary and have it autographed.

Mary DeMuth’s Authentic Parenting in a Postmodern Culture not only provides parents with practical ways to steer their children towards God, but she challenges readers to embrace a life of obedience. How refreshing to hear someone write about the “cost” of following Christ. This is not a popular message in Christendom, especially in our postmodern world. Mary states:

“Jesus calls us—whether we like the way His Kingdom works or not—to die, to become slaves. His kingdom is about His rule over our lives and our willingness to truly say, pray, and mean “Thy kingdom come.” . . . . If I were to summarize the way most of us parent our children, I would have to say this: We primarily parent—and dare say live our lives—to reduce pain and increase prosperity. We protect our children from the radical call of Christ because, to be honest, truly following after His kingdom messes with our plans. It’s difficult. Painful. . . .We live as if entering the kingdom were no more difficult than standing in line at the grocery store, when in reality it is life-altering and sometimes bewildering. It costs.” (Page 192)

Thank you, Mary for these honest words. Raising our kids in the “modern world” where the search for prosperity ran rapid in the church, we were ridiculed for teaching our children that the “way of sacrificial living” (I love that phrase, Mary.) is attractive. How often we hear, “But we’re children of the King and we deserve so much.”

Sure we are, but does that mean we’re exempt from suffering? (Romans 8:17) Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

The secret to finding life is losing our lives. Thanks, Mary for reminding us of this. One of the themes in our family’s ministry has been that it’s okay to be a loser. We even trademarked a Loser for Jesus logo and had t-shirts printed. My son Joshua wrote a song title “Loser for Jesus.” When we die we live.

I would also recommend Mary's book Building the Christian Family You Never Had.