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propose in this book to promote any particular paradigm
for family ministry. He briefly mentions familyintegrated
ministry in the book’s opening pages, sets
the issue aside, and plows forward without looking back
(12-13). He aims to present “transcendent truths that
govern Christian fatherhood” with the goal of preparing
Christian men for their God-ordained responsibility to
lead families (11, 13).
Particularly in the first chapter, Baucham draws heavily
from Old Testament precepts as he develops biblical
foundations for family discipleship. He brushes
aside any concerns related to this approach by attributing
such concerns to a “dispensational” bent or to an
overemphasis on “discontinuity between Old and New
Covenants” (20). To be fair, Baucham has done the
necessary exegetical work to develop a hermeneutically
sound framework for his use of the Old Testament in
almost every instance. Still, in a work that includes so
many references to the Old Testament, it might have
been helpful to include a section to help laypeople
understand how and why his applications of Old Covenant
texts to New Covenant realities are warranted.
The second chapter of Family Shepherds develops
a “three-pronged” approach to family discipleship
through exegesis of Paul’s letter to Titus, while chapter
three compares the biblical expectations with the lifestyle
of a fictitious “typical churchgoing” family (39).
Chapter four, “Heralding the Gospel at Home,” is
Baucham at his best. This chapter serves as a launching
pad for the remainder of the book and grounds the husband’s
priestly and prophetic roles in the gospel. (The
chapter also includes a true story from a family trip that
involves a bidet. Any time you can include a bidet in a
book for the church market, you know it’s been a good
writing day.) Baucham explains what the gospel is not
before proceeding to define what the gospel is (55),
then explains what the gospel requires and produces
(59). His understanding of the gospel as eschatological
becomes the foundation for seeing the family as a Godordained
means (rather than an end in itself ) and for
showing patience and grace toward one’s wife and children.
The next two chapters demonstrate that catechesis
(63) and family worship (73) are effective means for the
communication of the gospel in families.
Baucham emphasizes the “primacy” of marriage among
human relationships (91). According to Baucham, the
husband’s career relationships exist to serve his family,
not the other way around. Children are the fruit of the
marriage relationship, not the foundation. Baucham’s
point of prioritizing marriage (97) strengthens his previous
assertion that the goal is not merely to develop a
healthy family but to rehearse the gospel together as a
family (13). As a living picture of Christ’s relationship
with the church, marriage must take precedence over
careers and children (98). When children see a husband
love his wife as Christ loved the church, they see the gospel
lived out in flesh and blood. Baucham’s final words
on male headship in the home are brief and straightforward
(101), providing a substantive primer on navigating
secular and Christian feminism.
It did seem that one additional question might have
been addressed in this section: How specifically should
husbands disciple their wives? Baucham rightly declares
that a husband must prioritize his wife. Yet beyond leading
in catechesis and family worship (which seem to
focus more on the man’s children than on his wife), how
does a husband lead his wife spiritually? I suspect that
most men have no idea how to answer that question. A
handful of practical suggestions might have strengthened
this section.
Baucham draws a clear contrast between a biblical perspective
on parenting and behaviorist approaches. To
illustrate this contrast, he broadens the definition of
Pelagianism to include a range of contemporary perspectives
that treat children’s nature as neutral rather
than corrupted (115-117). To exemplify parental Pelagianism
in action, Baucham appeals to a self-published
book by Michael and Debi Pearl, To Train Up a Child.
Perhaps it would have been helpful to address a more
popular book on Christian parenting—and there
are many from which to choose!—that exemplifies a
Pelagian approach. That said, Baucham’s central point
regarding contemporary Pelagianism is presented clearly
and memorably.
Baucham helpfully distinguishes between formative
discipline and corrective discipline. The chapter on
formative discipline summarizes and paraphrases Cotton
Mather’s A Family Well Ordered for contempo-
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