I’m concerned how young women are dressing these days, especially Christian young women. What’s going on?

Modesty is not a characteristic of women in our culture (and even in our churches!) And, it’s not just an issue for young women, although that is a time when women often develop their habits and lifestyles. Unfortunately, there are so many moms and even grandmas who don’t seem to have a grasp on the issue. The sad thing is that according to Titus 2:3-5, one of the things the older women are to teach the younger women is how to be pure (or chaste) so that the word of God will not be blasphemed. And 1 ...

I don’t understand your portrayal in The Ishbane Conspiracy of the Harry Potter series

Question from a reader:

My husband and I have long been readers of your fiction, ever since we were introduced to your work through Deadline. We went on to read Dominion aloud together, and since have used your books to begin our own discussions on faith together.

How do I relate to my daughter who moved in with her boyfriend?

How do I relate to my daughter when I see her now that she has chosen to move in with her boyfriend instead of abiding by our house rules?

My heart goes out to you and the pain you are experiencing. You are grieving a loss right now and I’m sure you have many mixed emotions. There is no better answer than to wait on the Lord and be immersed in His word and His promises to you.

It would be good if you could sit down with your daughter and her boyfriend and lay everything out on the ...

How do we teach our children about money?

Question from a reader:

I am leading a class of young families at my church and we are presently talking about how to teach your children about money. What are your answers to the following questions?

Answers from Randy Alcorn’s book Money, Possessions and Eternity:

1. What age is an appropriate age to teach children about money?

This is really a family decision that you should ask God to give you wisdom about. Ages may vary.

Randy gave his two daughters the three jars bank when they were 7 and 5 years of age.

2. What is the balance ...

How do you enjoy your family and the ministry?

Question from a reader:

I’m a full-time youth pastor with four beautiful kids and an incredibly supportive wife. It is so hard to juggle ministry and family and do it well. As someone who has reached the other side, and now with grandkids, does it get easier? How did you find the energy and time to really enjoy the kids AND the ministry?

Answer from Randy Alcorn:

It did get easier as the kids got older, and more when they launched out into the world on their own, and most of all, of course, when they got married. Yet ...

How can I prepare myself to have a biblical worldview in college?

We should come to God’s Word with “great eagerness.” If we’re more eager to watch a sitcom or the evening news than to read God’s Word, inevitably our worldview will be more influenced by sitcoms and the evening news than by God.

Confidential Insurance Coverage for Teenage Abortions

How would you feel if your 13-year-old daughter went to visit the doctor, was referred to Lovejoy Surgicenter for an abortion, and your insurance company paid for it without you ever knowing?

According to an agent of Kaiser Permanente, Kaiser sends patients seeking abortions to Lovejoy and Kaiser covers the cost. At the age of 13 a child is recognized as having a confidential doctor/patient relationship at Kaiser, essentially treating a 13-year-old the same as you would an adult. A Kaiser employee verified the reason the parents wouldn’t receive notification of an insurance claim is based not so much on a written policy as it is just the way their system works. They promote having little or no paperwork for treatment received. If a co-pay is made, there is no reason to send out anything.

Colleges, Censorship And Truth

Dr. Mark Draper is a former college professor who is now the director of Accuracy in Academia. Here are some thoughts he shared in a recent letter:

Angry criticism of our schools is reaching a crescendo. As a teacher and parent, I am deeply troubled by what has happened to our schools, but what worries me even more is what our schools will be like when today’s students become tomorrow’s teachers and professors.

I have three children under ten years old and another on the way. Where can I send them safely to college? Seeing your kids go ...

Children: Three Views

When one of my students in an ethics class at Multnomah Bible College paraphrased Scripture on the subject of children, it inspired me to do the same. One of these statements is from God (Psalm 128:3-5), the others from a godless world. Can you choose which?

Parent Game: Playing for Keeps

Parents have to balance their responsibility to govern their children’s lives with their teenagers’ need to develop independence and freedom. Parents have to maintain that tension.