Every Parent Is a Theologian
It happens quite often. One of my kids will ask a question that doesn’t necessarily sound theological on the surface, but the way I respond reveals what I really believe about God. That’s the truth for all of us. Parenting is full of these moments, whether we realize it or not, when our words and actions are shaping our children’s theology.
R.C. Sproul once wrote:
“No Christian can avoid theology. Every Christian is a theologian. Perhaps not a theologian in the technical or professional sense, but a theologian nonetheless. The issue for Christians is not whether we are going to be theologians, but whether we are going to be good theologians or bad ones.”[1]
Sproul’s point is clear: theology is unavoidable. Whether we realize it or not, every person holds beliefs about God; beliefs that shape how they think, speak, and live. The question is not if we are theologians, but what kind of theologians we will be.
This reality takes on heightened significance in the home. Every parent is a theologian. With every prayer at bedtime, every conversation in the car, and every decision about how we spend our time, parents are shaping what their children believe about God.
The question, then, is not whether you are shaping your children’s view of God, but what view of God you are shaping.
Theology in the Everyday
When Moses gave instructions to Israel, he didn’t limit theology to the Sabbath or to only certain spheres of life. In fact, his Spirit-inspired words to the Israelite parents were all-encompassing:
“You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up” (Deut 6:7).
That’s the language of daily life. Sitting. Walking. Lying down. Rising up. Parents are always teaching theology, whether they mean to or not.
Theology is being taught when a mother thanks God for a meal. It’s being taught when a father shows patience instead of anger in a moment of frustration. It’s being taught when a parent confesses sin and asks forgiveness from a child. Each of these ordinary moments tells the truth, or a lie, about who God is.
Theology You Can See
This brings us to another reality about theology. Children don’t just listen to what we say. They watch how we live. Paul could tell the Corinthians, “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ” (1 Cor 11:1). In this way, parents need to remember that theology is often caught, not just taught.
For example, if parents say God is gracious but refuse to forgive, what theology are their children learning? If we say God is sovereign but crumble in despair at every difficulty, what picture of God are we painting?
On the other hand, when children see joy in the middle of trials, humility when sin is confessed, or compassion in moments of stress, they are being given a living theology lesson—one that will shape their hearts for years to come.
Theology That Protects
At the same time, we must always keep in mind that the world is not neutral. As much as we try to protect our children, they don’t live in a vacuum. False ideas bombard them daily through media, peers, and culture. That’s why Paul’s words to the Colossians matter for parents: “See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception” (Col 2:8).
In one sense, every parent is a gatekeeper. What comes into the home, and what is allowed to shape a child’s thinking, reveals the parent’s theology. Saying “no” to harmful influences isn’t about being strict; it’s about being faithful. And more than that, parents are called not just to shield but to equip—to help children see how God’s truth answers the lies of the world.
Parents who open the Bible, who discuss what is true, and who point their children back to Christ in everyday questions are giving their kids something precious: a theology that protects.
Theology in Practice
The calling to be a theologian in the home is weighty, but it is also wonderfully practical. Here are a few simple ways parents can begin living out this responsibility day by day:
Teach Your Children, Verse by Verse
There’s no better way to establish your children in the truth than to teach them the whole counsel of God’s Word.
Speak God’s Word Often
Let Scripture be part of normal conversation, not just family devotions.
Model the Gospel, Often
Be quick to repent, eager to forgive, and consistent in joy.
Guard the Home
Pay attention to what voices shape your children and make sure God’s Word is the loudest.
Pray Aloud
Let your children hear you express dependence on God for wisdom, strength, and daily needs.
Theology to Doxology
Sproul reminds us that everyone is a theologian, parents included. So here’s some encouragement: faithfulness in this calling does not require a seminary degree. What it requires is parents who take God at His Word, who embody that Word in daily life, and who direct their children’s gaze to Christ.
True theology was never meant to sit idle in the mind. When rightly grasped, it presses downward into the heart and outward into the life. Sound doctrine produces living doxology. Parents who teach their children who God is are not merely transferring information; they are stirring affections. They are showing that truth is not dry but living, that God is not distant but near, and that worship is the natural response to seeing Him clearly.
This is why theology in the home matters so deeply. The daily choices you make—how you speak, how you pray, how you respond to difficulty—either magnify the worth of God or shrink Him before your children’s eyes. A faithful theologian in the home does not only explain the character of God but also demonstrates it in the cadence of life.
So, parents, when you gather at the table, when you pray before bed, when you discipline with love, remember this: you are drawing connections between theology and doxology. You are showing that God’s truth is not abstract but alive. And in doing so, you invite your children not simply to know about God, but to worship Him with reverence and joy.
References:
[1] R.C. Sproul, Everyone’s a Theologian: An Introduction to Systematic Theology (Sanford, FL: Reformation Trust, 2014).