Old schools always have an air of mystery and authority about them, like the University of Sto. Tomas. While new schools are always exciting to see. But I'm not talking about them. I'm referring to schools of thought or various perspectives coming from various persuasions often colliding against each other in a battle for supremacy, which is a waste of time.
Like "old school," which means the traditional way of thinking, as opposed to the other thought which they say is "new school" or the current way of thinking--and which is supposed to be better. Most old folks used to old ways claim old school is superior. But the quality of a thought system is really never about its oldness or newness but its effectiveness, practicality and conformity to God's Word in the bible, to me that is.
Like in teaching. A new school of thought believes in being so informal and intimate with pupils or students so that teachers act like their peers. Classroom management is simplified into a "barkadahan" system, and it seems effective because the kids really open up and express themselves fully without inhibitions. They say old-school formalities serve only to restrain kids' free self expression.
But discipline goes out the window in a system like that.
Yeah, the kids love the teacher dearly as an intimate friend, but that culture brings some adverse effects at home. Kids begin to treat their parents similarly--almost like their equals--to the extent that sometimes parents bargain or compromise with them to get them to obey. Parents end up explaining (or justifying) everything before the kids obey, the rule becoming that if something could not be justified to the child, it becomes null and void.
Biblical parenting to me is exactly how the bible says it is--and which often makes it sound like old school. That (strangely) is what makes it new school--simply because God's Word never grows old or obsolete. Like his steadfast love, his Word is "new every morning." And God's love is always parental, never peer-like. Even if HE is our Friend, HE is never just our peer. He loves as a Father to His children. That love comes new each morning.
Remember, the bible says we ought to imitate God. So parenting to me is parental, not peer-to-peer. Kind-of old school. So should school teaching be. An element of friendship is good but never as peers.
As far as God's Word is concerned, proper parenting is never peer-friend treatment or "barkadahan." It is always an authority-figure-to-his-or-her-child relationship, with love and discipline as the driving force between them, the thing that makes it work. Because teachers are our kids' second parents, the same should go inside the classroom.
Once discipline and respect are taken out, all hell breaks lose, no matter how good things look in the beginning. Most people go by looks. It looks good and effective but they never foresee the end result. Peer-friend treatment gradually raises up a disrespectful generation, almost unnoticeable, until it becomes too late for any remedy. Parents (or teachers) should always be seen as authority figures.
And sometimes the authority should be a bit despotic. Not too much, but just a little bit. Like when kids must obey orders even if they do not understand why. Parents should not bargain or beg to be obeyed. Neither should they explain things first before they are obeyed. Isaac, at 13, didn't ask why Abraham put him on an altar as burnt offering. You can see here how Isaac was brought up. He didn't refuse or protest even when everything seemed to be going wrong.
And Jesus. He willingly accepted being sent by the Father as a sacrifice for our sins--emptying himself of heavenly privileges as King--even if it was none of his fault. It's an "old school" Kingdom principle--children obey your parents "in everything" for this pleases the Lord, says Colossians 3.20. Kids are not to reason out and justify their reluctance to obey or insist on having things adequately explained to them before they'd comply.
The prodigal son got things his own way but his older brother "enslaved" himself to his father, "and never disobeyed your orders," [Luke 15 29]. Yeah, he may have missed the point a bit when his father gave his younger brother a chance, but he was easy to deal with. He was quick to comply. He was an ideal son. Yes, he was quite keen about fairness and reasoned about it, but he also easily gave in to the workings of mercy and grace to those who erred. God put this detail in the story to show us how proper parenting is--what is genuine new-school parenting in His Kingdom.
Okay I admit. Applying "enslaving" obedience in parenting can be easily abused by some parents, but the bible is balanced with "fathers do not provoke (or embitter) your children so they won't be discouraged." We cannot rate God's way of parenting simply as "too prone to abuse," and dismiss it as thus. God will never prescribe anything harmful. It only becomes harmful when we don't use it with God's heart and mind.
Preachers mostly tend to highlight the prodigal son and the grace given him for a second chance. It's a given, of course, but we must never overlook the enabling grace given the older son, which is equally important, if not more. Church has been highlighting the grace of being forgiven and muffling the enabling grace that makes us radically and unquestioningly obedient to God. This is why we see a weak and pampered generation of young people in our midst, easily lured back to the meat and spices of Egypt.
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