Things we wish we had said

Dads & lads

THINGS WE WISH WE HAD SAID
Reflections of a father and son
By Tony and Bart Campolo
Authentic Media. 194 pages. £7.99
ISBN 1 86024 567 1

This unusual book is a most enjoyable and stimulating read. It is an interaction between US preacher Tony Campolo and his son Bart. It was first published over 20 years ago, when Bart was in his mid-20s, but Authentic have done us a service by making it available again.

Each of the chapters deals with a different aspect of parenting and growing up, written by one or other of the authors, with an honest, open reply from the other. Subjects covered include sharing your faith with your children, the pains of growing up, trying to encourage or limit the influence of others on your youngsters, talking to a child about issues like relationships and careers, and sustaining the relationship through times of pressure, rebellion and college life. A huge variety of subjects are touched on, from coping with generational differences and making time and space for each other, to the impact of parental greed on youngsters, being a family for God, and facing issues like masturbation!

Readers will not agree with everything they find. I was disappointed with places that seemed to express a limited understanding of the sovereignty of God in salvation, or put too much value on self-esteem. However, it is a wonderfully honest book, which sheds light on the demanding business of parenting and growing up in a Christian home. It made me think more carefully than before about quite a few issues involved in being a dad.

It showed me plenty of things to work on in my relationships with my five grown-up children (now numbered among my very best and most precious friends) and my supportive, long-suffering and delightful wife. The real question now is: ‘Do I have the bottle to lend it to my older son, who lives just five minutes’ walk from me, and invite him to discuss it with me?’

Graham Heaps,
Dewsbury Evangelical Church

© Evangelicals Now - March 2007
Please consider supporting this ministry by subscribing.

• Request Free Sample

Main Articles

• Broken Communion
• The Commentary
  Brace yourselves?
• Divide & multiply
  Report on the South East Gospel Partnership day conference
• The goofiness of yoofiness
  Bernard Dweeb questions the church's ability to grow up
• Slaves no more
  As we celebrate the 200th anniversary of the abolition of slavery in the UK, Kevin Belmonte remembers William Wilberforce
• Pierced for our transgressions
  Reaffirming the biblical teaching on penal substitution
• From Pole to Pole
• Lovewise
  A Christian initiative in sex education
• Planting a new congregation
  A Scottish church shares its experience
• Monthly arts column
  Celebrity Big Brother: setting the world on fire
• Monthly youth leaders column
  Blue Sky thinking
• Letter from America
  An evangelical civil disobedience
• The Music Exchange
  How to please everybody?
• Shelf Life
  Looking at secular books
• The Third Degree
  Lane Craig to debate atheists in UK tour
• Why are fewer young men becoming Christian leaders?
  A major new report sheds light

Other articles

• Rocky Balboa
• Lifesong
• Watching the web
• The Word became fresh
• Can we rock the gospel? - Rock music's impact on worship and evangelism
• Dr Martin Luther King Jr - A historical perspective (DVD)
• Evil and the justice of God
• CY - Leader's & User Guides - Christianity Explored Youth Edition
• A door for the Word - 36 new hymns written between 2002 & 2005
• The thinker - Thoughts from the heart of an evangelist
• Things we wish we had said - Reflections of a father and son
• For the glory of God - How monotheism led to reformations, science, witch-hunts and the end of slavery
• Jonathan Edwards - The Holy Spirit in revival
• Facing the challenge of television - An eight-week study booklet for small groups
• Proverbs
• Sarah and Paul go back to school
• Sarah and Paul go to the museum