Your Child’s Profession of Faith (Dennis Gundersen)

Your Child’s Profession of Faith

If a small child tells us he thinks he is saved, do we take his words at face value? How do we test his profession, especially without seeming to doubt the child and discourage him?

Dennis Gundersen has given us a unique treatment of a rarely addressed subject in Your Child’s Profession of Faith. It can make the difference between parents who participate in their child’s deception and presumption, or parents who truly guide him or her to eternal life. 

Many have found this book the most useful guide ever written on the topic. This updated edition of Your Child’s Profession of Faith includes additional chapters on teaching children about baptism and tips for parents and pastors.

Endorsements

“A Christian parent would sooner die than make a mistake with the soul of his or her child. And yet, so often, it’s hard to distinguish the stirrings of the Spirit in the soul of a child from their natural curiosity about the things of God that they hear about at church and home. In other words, just because a child starts asking questions about God and the Bible doesn’t necessarily indicate he is close to salvation but may merely reflect the normal thoughtfulness of a growing child about what he’s learning at church and home. Still, we always want to encourage and nurture any such Godward interest as much as possible.

Dennis Gundersen’s book can help parents point a child to Christ and guide them in walking along a biblical path that avoids manipulation and false assurance, on the one hand, and presumption and neglect on the other.”

— Donald S. Whitney, Associate Professor of Biblical Spirituality, Senior Associate Dean of the School of Theology, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky

“Dennis Gundersen has given Christian parents and pastors a wonderful help in knowing how to discern the work of the grace of conversion in the hearts of children. He brings together and explains the portions of Scripture relevant to this topic, which is immensely helpful in understanding the unique challenges of the work of evangelizing children, and understanding if they have put true faith in the gospel. As a pastor, I recommend this to every Christian parent who desires to call their children to repentance and faith but does not wish to do so in an unbiblical way that secures them in a false profession. Thank you, Dennis, for your thoughtful analysis and practical suggestions!”

— Pastor Joshua Wagner, Berry Road Baptist Church, Norman, Oklahoma

About the Author

Dennis Gundersen has served as senior pastor of two Tulsa churches since 1984 and is the former president of Grace & Truth Books. Dennis is a frequent conference speaker and the author of Your Child’s Profession of Faith, Courtship & Dating: So, What’s the Difference?, and A Praying Church. He has been married to Naomi since 1976 and they have four adult sons.

Table of Contents

Preface
1. Putting The Issue on The Table
2. A Parent’s Greatest Concern
3. The Intellectual Immaturity of Children
4. The Changeableness and Instability of Children
5. The Likelihood of Deception in Children
6. Childhood – A Time for Patient Cultivation
7. The Manifestations of Faith
8. When Your Child Is Ready for Baptism
9. Some Concluding Counsels

Helpful suggested questions for Pastoral Interviews with Children About Baptism
Common Questions Parents May Ask Regarding the Baptism of Their Children

Valuable excerpts from Andrew Murray 

“Parental Weakness”
“Teaching the True God”
The Children’s Commandment”