Comments on: Is Easter Too Violent for Kids?

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[...]Moore to the Point – Is Easter Too Violent for Kids?[...]…

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kid games — Sat, 19 May 2012 13:56:18 +0000

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[...]Moore to the Point – Is Easter Too Violent for Kids?[...]…

By: Links I Liked 4.16.12 « The Heart of the Matter

Links I Liked 4.16.12 « The Heart of the Matter — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 21:55:45 +0000

[...] Family Ministry Today repost a post by Dr. Russell Moore asking the question is Easter to Violent for Kids? [...]

By: Applicable « oh, snix.

Applicable « oh, snix. — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 02:09:37 +0000

[...] this post: Our children need to hear the Gospel. They need to see Jesus. That means they need to see both [...]

By: Is Easter Too Violent for Kids? | Time For Discernment

Is Easter Too Violent for Kids? | Time For Discernment — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 14:30:16 +0000

[...] http://www.russellmoore.com/2012/04/02/is-easter-too-violent-for-kids/ Share this:TwitterFacebookLike this:LikeBe the first to like this post. This entry was posted in KFD. Bookmark the permalink. ← On the “Settled” Science of Darwinian Theory, Tennessee’s Evolution Lobby Is Simply Bluffing [...]

By: This and That 04-07-12 « The Thompsonian Times

This and That 04-07-12 « The Thompsonian Times — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 13:05:21 +0000

[...] Is Easter Too Violent for Kids? - We need to understand that this temptation isn’t just related to children, although we see it perhaps most explicitly there.The temptation that comes to all of us, in every era of the church, is to have Jesus, without seeing ourselves in the gore of his bloody cross and the glory of his empty grave. In the way that we speak of Him to our children, or to skeptics, or to seekers, we sometimes believe we’ll gain more of a hearing if we present Him as teacher but not as a former corpse. It is too disturbing, we think to ourselves, too weird. – Russell Moore [...]

By: Darrel Denham

Darrel Denham — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 02:29:55 +0000

@God’s Man, I too am against showing the Mel Gibson catholic oriented film, but for quite different reasons. Isaiah 52:14 says: “So His visage was marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men”. Even with the most active imagination of man and the 3-D graphics of hollywood’s best, no one can portray the suffering that the Lord Jesus went through on the cross (His suffering was not just physical). Whatever man can produce will always be inadequate. Two: why would you tell a pre-teen a watered down version of the Gospel (leaving out Christ’s true sufferings is NOT the Gospel) and leave yourself with the problem of later “correcting” your previous statements concerning Jesus’ death? Your credibility is shot! Which version is this young person to believe? Best just to speak the plain truth and all of it at that-which one of us is editor-in-chief of the Gospel? The Holy Spirit is fully capable of using the Word of God to save sinners.

By: Easter People in a Good Friday World… « Just As I Am…

Easter People in a Good Friday World… « Just As I Am… — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 15:32:51 +0000

[...] Some say that the crucifixion is too violent for children, that we should water down the message. My experience would argue the opposite. So would Russell Moore: [...]

By: Kidmin Thoughts » Blog Archive » Talking About the Cross With Young Kids

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 12:41:55 +0000

[...] Russell Moore had an excellent post this week called “Is Easter Too Violent for Kids?”. His point, which I agree with, was that we cannot avoid this essential part of the gospel even [...]

By: Friday’s Five to Live By | Biblical Counseling Coalition Blogs

Friday’s Five to Live By | Biblical Counseling Coalition Blogs — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 10:03:18 +0000

[...] Russell Moore asks and answers the question: Is Easter Too Violent for Kids? [...]

By: In Retrospect, It Was a Good Friday | The Church of No People

In Retrospect, It Was a Good Friday | The Church of No People — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 10:00:47 +0000

[...] Is Easter Too Violent for Children? – Russell Moore – When you’re done looking for pastel colored eggs, remember that the Easter story is about a gruesome, offensive execution, and a mangled corpse coming back to life. [...]

By: Thursday Encouragements – April 5, 2012 | The Sacred Calling

Thursday Encouragements – April 5, 2012 | The Sacred Calling — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 16:54:27 +0000

[...] Is Easter Too Violent for Children? Some churches are answering this question by saying, “Yes, Easter is too violent for children.” In response to this growing practice, Russell Moore walks through how churches and parents should discuss Easter with their children. [...]

By: Tiffany Casey

Tiffany Casey — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 17:23:29 +0000

Whether we like it or not, kids are being exposed to adult content and they always have been, just in different forms. Today’s forms are in the media. Glee was not appropriate for kids. Adult inuedo is appearing in more and more of they’re cartoons. My 7-year-old cousin has seen the Mummy movies, all of the Harry Potter movies, probably some of Twilight, and can sing songs by Rhianna. A 4-year-old once asked me if we could sing Lady Gaga during worship time. Kids are already seeing violence and evil in the world. We don’t need to sugar coat what Jesus did for them. I do think we need to be conscientious and appropriate in our approach. Some images are still too much for them to handle. I’m not going to show my kids The Passion of the Christ, but I have no problem telling them that Christ was beaten, made fun of, pierced, and bleeding - that He took the pain for them. They cannot understand how the good guy wins until they see the evil he has to overcome.

By: Sabine Leppanen

Sabine Leppanen — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 08:08:37 +0000

@God’s Man, if my church were showing clips from the movie, *I* wouldn’t attend on Easter Sunday! I certainly wouldn’t want my grandchildren (who know about the crucifixion) to be there! I haven’t seen the movie and will never go and see it. I know it would be too much for me from what I’ve heard and read. I think it would be more appropriate for a Good Friday service, with clear warning that clips were to be shown so that people could leave their children at home. On Easter Sunday I want to be joyful about the Resurrection of the Christ!

More on topic: I do agree that children need to know about the crucifixion but *not* with a lot of detail. It was horrible enough to me as a child to know that Jesus was nailed to a cross (when the thought of just a nail going through my hand was almost too much to bear) and the horror of it grew as I got older and learned more details.

By: A La Carte (4.3.12) | familylifeatccc

A La Carte (4.3.12) | familylifeatccc — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 20:29:16 +0000

[...] Is Easter Too Violent for Kids? A good question, with a simple answer…No. Here’s an excerpt: “Our children need to hear the Gospel. They need to see Jesus. That means they need to see both sides of skull place. That’s graphic, sure. It’s confusing, of course. And not just for kids. But it is the only message that saves. It’s the only message that prepares one for salvation. It is, as Paul says, that which is ‘of first importance,’ the message he received from Jesus Himself (1 Cor 15:3-4). The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus is the Gospel. That’s the first word. If we cannot speak of that, we would be better off not speaking of Jesus at all, rather than presenting another Christ, one who meditates but does not mediate, who counsels but is not crucified, who is accessible but not triumphant over sin and death.” [...]

By: Bex

Bex — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 16:57:36 +0000

@God’s Man,
There is a need for discernment between being gory and denying the cross. I believe what Dr. Moore is speaking against is the dumbing down of the gospel into a veggie-tale. There is a way of explaining the crucifixion without inducing nightmares and making people lose their lunch. Personally, I found the Passion too gory…

By: Deitra Brunner

Deitra Brunner — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 15:31:26 +0000

@God’s Man, Were there any children who walked through the Red Sea and turned and saw the overthrow of the Egyptian army? Were there any children in the wilderness when the earth opened up and swallowed a whole family? Were there any children during any of the plagues in the wilderness? Were there any children who saw their playmates being killed by the sword during satan’s attempt to kill Jesus after His birth?
God said for us to teach our children and what is it that we are supposed to teach our children? The truth. If we don’t teach the truth, you can best believe satan has no problem teaching them the lie…and he has been quite successful. It is time for us to stop sitting around waiting; waiting for that better time, waiting for our children to get older, waiting…Being disobedient is the reason the children had to wander in the wilderness in the first place. I don’t know about you, but I’m no longer waiting on “man’s” permission to teach the truth, God already commanded it.

By: God's Man

God's Man — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 14:00:49 +0000

I agree that in order to preach the gospel we have to go from His life to His Death and then to His Resurrection.

Here is a situation that I am trying to navigate right now. What do you think about about showing clips from the Passion of Christ during your Easter services? That is a debate that we are having right now. I lean on the side of not showing it. My argument has been largely on the fact that showing this might be too much for the younger children in the sanctuary.

What do you folks think?

By: Is Easter Too Violent for Children? « chriskidd.co.uk

Is Easter Too Violent for Children? « chriskidd.co.uk — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 07:04:58 +0000

[...] Russell Moore: Our children need to hear the Gospel. They need to see Jesus. That means they need to see both sides of skull place. That’s graphic, sure. It’s confusing, of course. And not just for kids. But it is the only message that saves. It’s the only message that prepares one for salvation. It is, as Paul says, that which is “of first importance,” the message he received from Jesus Himself (1 Cor 15:3-4). [...]

By: Luke Johnson

Luke Johnson — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 01:18:22 +0000

Thanks so much! I pray for more biblical teaching at all age levels, especially a clear presentation of the gospel. It’s the power of God for salvation to all ages.

By: Mike Hall

Mike Hall — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 19:53:15 +0000

This is exactly what I have been saying for several years. It is really unbiblical to claim to be teaching children the gospel when you omit the crucifixion. I hear what pastors and church leaders heavily influenced by secular psychologists say when they claim it is harmful to children. You must, however, choose which is more harmful, being truthful with children about Christ’s death or placing their eternal souls in jeopardy by omission. Thanks for reminding us to be faithful to the cross in a culture that would just as soon focus on Jesus as “my homeboy”.

By: Bruce H.

Bruce H. — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 15:57:57 +0000

I agree that the full message needs to be taught from preschoolers on up. Graphics are not necessary since we have a mind that has experiential graphics to recall that would be used to identify the shedding of blood, death, burial and resurrection on a child’s level.

Our church has “Upward Soccer”. Upward.org is a sport activity for churches that has the games and presents the gospel, too. I gave a short devotion during half-time about playing to win. I said there has to be a loser and we have to know how to lose the right way, too. After the game the kids were told there were no winners or losers. It seems we try to protect the little hearts in everything we do now days, even church.

Kids really need lessons in reality and where else to start but the cross.