Reviewed by: Lynn MacKaben Brown, RN, columnist for SEG-Way News.

Introduction

Title: The Life Giving Parent

Author: Clay and Sally Clarkson

Publisher: Tyndale House

Publication Date: 2017

Format: Hardcover and softcover

Length: 248 pages

OVERVIEW

Intentional biblical parenting provides each child with a life worth living for Christ. It does not include a specific pattern, but rather allows for the individuality of each child. In this book biblical references are copious, appropriate, and correctly interpreted. Life examples are many. There is extra information at the back of the book.   

Organization is a major flaw in this book: both in general and audience-specific.

By chapter three, I found myself reading chapters back to front. I have never done that before. I discovered that the last section, “Starting the Heartbeat of Parental Lifegiving,” while pretentiously named, did contain the heart of the chapter. It should have been first in the book. Next I read the “Momoirs” because being a mom and grandmother helped me resonate with some of the suggestions. “Lifegiving Parenting Tips” should have provided more specific facts and insights, but it did provide some solid suggestions on coping with various stages of child development. Finally, the long passages of exposition in that chapter should be edited sharply to match the “Tips.” Today’s readers won’t wade through endless paragraphs of narrative.

ASSESSMENT

Rating (1 to 5)

3 stars

Suggested Audience

Parents of children 4-14 years old, since those ages are when the authors believe parents have greatest impact.

Christian Impact

Christian parents who rear children well have an impact not only on their family but society as well. In this society of broken families and dysfunctional children, Christian families can be a beacon of light and hope.

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