Written by Yeow Chin Kiong
Offsprings are a Divine heritage and reward, whose parents “will not be put to shame” (Psalm 127:3-5), but only if sons and daughters have been chastened (i.e. disciplined) by their parents (Hebrews 12:7-11). Truly, the scriptural objective of parenting is to yield “the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” (Hebrews 12:11). And the “fruit of righteousness” is for our children to “receive the end of (their) faith – the salvation of (their) souls” (1 Peter 1:9).
The goal of Christian parenting is to bring up their children to “fear God and keep His commandments (for) this is man’s all” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14). And we are to prepare them to do so of their own accord and because they want to,- not merely because they are afraid of their parents or want to please us.
In any age, parenting in ways which are allowed by the Lord’s authority (Colossians 3:17) and which brings glory to God (1 Corinthians 10:31) is difficult enough. In the digital age, encumbered by a plethora of information sources readily accessible at any time to our children at the tip of their fingers, parenting demands that parents be “wise as serpents and harmless as doves” (Matthew 10:16) because parents and their children are truly “sheep in the midst of wolves.” Without our scriptural guidance, our children will not grow up to be sheep but, rather, wolves themselves!
Parents learn,- very fast and to their dismay,- that apron strings stretch only so far. As our children mingle with their friends “out there,” it becomes impossible to control their access to harmful media. In any case, most sophisticated content filters for Information Technology (IT) communication devices can be tampered with, although cheap, disposible “burner phones” and Virtual Private Network allow cheap net surfing on public Wi-Fi without being tracked. In the digital age, children are learning, very early in life, that “where there’s a will, there’s a way.”
On the eve of his execution, American serial killer Ted Bundy related that his exposure to pornography began when he chanced upon a stash of lurid magazines in a neighbour’s trash bin. Today, with no thanks to IT, the whole world is a trash bin accessible 24/7 for our children to scavenge from with a mobile communication device!
At a time when online traffic surveillance methods can be compromised very soon after they enter the market, parents’ only recourse is to apply Hebrews 5:12-14. From a very young age, children have to be inculcated with a knowledge of right and wrong and a discernment of good and evil based on scripture. Biblical values cannot be learnt in impersonal settings; like their parents, kids must be exhorted to do good works within the in-person assemblies of the church (Hebrews 10:24-25). Children need to be taught from an early age (Proverbs 22:6) the dangers of the digital world alongside its benefits, and why the former should be avoided and the latter persued. If our offsprings are not persuaded of the pros and cons of the virtual environment, and cannot discern between good and evil in all their dimensions to choose the former and reject the latter, we are heading towards a time when humanity is characterised by Genesis 6:5-6, 11-12.
Much more about what God’s word says concerning this topic will be presented by brother Jason Moore during the YEAR-END SEMINAR 2025 to be held from 1.30 pm to 5.30 pm on Saturday, 15 November 2025 at the premises of Klang church of Christ, 11 Jalan Teluk Pulai, 41100 Klang, Selangor. All are encouraged to attend this spiritual feast about contemporary issues on the theme, “Challenges Of The Information Technology Generation.”