Three ways to teach your children a biblical worldview using the war in Ukraine

Kate Stevens • February 25, 2022

We are not born with a Biblical worldview. We are born with a sinful view. 


Example: If one child is given 4 toys and the other is given 6 toys, the former child will self-righteously declare, “That’s not fair! We didn’t get the same amount!” In this, he is completely blind to and ignoring the 4 toys he did receive. 


Sadly, this is not immune to the adult population. We can quickly look to the right and the left and take stock on what we haven’t been “blessed with.” We can survey our workload and a lack of grand possessions and draw the same conclusion of “unfairness.” 


On a carnal level these are perfectly rational, and even the worst math students take no issue with these word problems. But for the Christian this is deeply paradoxical, for the Lord teaches nowhere in Scripture about amassing wealth for ourselves alone. He teaches gratitude, contentment, humility, and self control. 


Shape their lenses

It follows, then, that we must develop a Biblical worldview for our children and maintain our own. A worldview has been likened to a pair of glasses. If we’re born with a view that is self-centered and bent toward our own comfort and (limited) logic and understanding, then we will all need work to put on lenses that love the things of the Lord and view His glory as supreme. 


I wrote a previous post titled, “The higher the walls, the taller the ladders: How to teach a Biblical worldview to your elementary-aged kids” which handles the fact that no matter what height of sky-scraping walls we construct around our children in order to insulate them from the evil in the world, someone will always build an even taller ladder in order to get over. 


One way we can shape their Biblical lens and equip them rather than attempt to (vainly) hide scary things is to expose them to current events—like this war in Ukraine. 


If you have kids with social media, they have already seen a barrage of opinions and details that need shaping and filtering, maybe even some undoing. If your kids are younger, like mine, then you will start at the ground and work your way up. 


Three ways to shape their worldview today


  1. Start with Truth
  • Remind them and yourself again and again that God’s Word is true. When it doesn’t make sense it is because of our limited knowledge and understanding, not because God is conflicting in nature. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8–9 ESV). 
  • Teach them that God is sovereign. He either ordains or allows, but He never misses. Kids will ultimately ask “why did God ______?” I still ask that, so I don’t question why my daughters do. Teaching them that God is always in control, even when we don’t feel like He is, is truly powerful worldview shaping. We tell our emotions to obey the Lord—we don’t obey our emotions. 
  • The 4th question of the New City Catechism is “How and why did God create us?” The answer: “God created us male and female in his own image to know him, love him, live with him, and glorify him. And it is right that we who were created by God should live to his glory.” We should return to this all the time. This is our chief end—glorifying God. We should let our children ask all the questions, but we should likewise always end with a plan of how we will glorify God in all our situations. 


  2. Provide the facts

  • Our girls are 10, 8, and 5, so we kept the facts of Russia and Ukraine very simple. First of all, we were all gathered around the table eating together. Hard conversations are a bit sweeter when there is good food and a stable and familiar environment. My husband used the analogy of a school bully to illustrate President Putin (of which, they couldn’t stop laughing at his name). Since our daughters started school we often tell them to have eyes for the lonely, be kind, be courageous, be selfless, and to remember Who they belong to. Well—Russia has done the opposite of all those things, and now they are picking on someone of much lesser power. 


One of our girls asked, “So this is like when a robber comes in to steal your stuff?” She’s always been scared of the idea of a robber, so this conversation allowed us to speak to God being sovereign in our home as well. I followed up with what the Bible says about anxiety, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:4–7).


  • This is the result of sin. Anytime we follow sin rather than the Lord, destruction will happen. President Putin’s sin of pride and selfishness and greed is catastrophic in our eyes. But the Lord hates all our sin, and so should we. If we are not turning to the Lord, seeking to glorify Him above all, then we are living in pride. We can show our kids all the men and women in the Bible who trusted in themselves rather than the Lord and they fell because of it (just throw a dart at 1 & 2 Kings and you will surely hit several). Our Bibles warn on repeat to stay low, humble, meek. “Love the LORD, all you his saints! The LORD preserves the faithful but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride. Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the LORD!” (Psalm 31:23–24).


 3. Chase everything with prayer

So now we pray for Ukraine. We pray for Russia. We pray for the whole world and the days ahead. At meals, before bedtime—this is a part of mine and Clint’s prayers, so it becomes a part of their prayers. This develops the part of their Biblical worldview where they are not so focused on themselves but consider others and their suffering. 


One of our girls asked yesterday, “are there little kids in Ukraine?” Oof—that one brought me to tears very quickly. “Yes, there are many children there. We must pray for them as well.” But we aren’t just praying for delivery. We’re praying that the Lord strengthens them for this battle, this affliction. We’re praying that the people of Russia and Ukraine and everyone watching it all unfold would glorify God because of this, for this is the purpose of man. 


Every nation will bow

Ultimately we can point to the fact that every proud man and woman will be brought low. God is storing up wrath for the coming judgment. And all nations will bow before the King in humility.


We must orient ourselves in repentance and humility in our own ordinary walk, lead others to do the same, and pray for justice. 


“May all kings fall down before him, all nations serve him!
For he delivers the needy when he calls, the poor and him who has no helper.
He has pity on the weak and the needy, and saves the lives of the needy.
From oppression and violence he redeems their life, and precious is their blood in his sight.
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things.
Blessed be his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory!
Amen and Amen!” (Psalm 72:11–14, 18–19).


This article was originally published on Crosspoint staff member Kate Stevens' blog, Hem-ology. Follow along there!

Everything We Need

July 29, 2025
Notes from Ky Martin's sermon on Sunday, July 27, 2025. Sermon text: 2 Peter 1:3-4 We have everything we need for a godly life. Sentence has: 68 words 9 prepositional phrases 5 dependent clauses God called us. “By His divine power” The word here is summon Like Lazarus, come forth. English readers are apt to understand calling in terms of an invitation that can be accepted or rejected. Peter has something deeper in mind. Christ’s call is effective, awakening and creating faith. -Thomas R. Schreiner 1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. By revealing Christ to us. “Through the knowledge of Him” Side note, ambiguity: The ambiguity in the text indicates that Peter does not clearly distinguish between God and Christ, which indicates that God and Christ were venerated equally. - Thomas R. Schreiner Excuses are Eliminated We need to note that this comes to us by grace, but also that we have a part to play here. Effort is not a 4 letter word. You have no excuse for: Pornography- You have everything you need. Substance Abuse- You have everything you need. Pride- You have everything you need Laziness- You have everything you need Anger- You have everything you need. Prayer and Scripture Reading- You have everything you need. Evangelism- You have everything you need. He’ll go on to mention supplementing He has given us what we need for godliness now, and He promises us even greater things to come. We will share in Christ’s Divine Nature 2 Pe 1:4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature Unusual word… The “divine nature” (Theos) appears only here and in Acts where Paul addresses the Areopagus an odd work choice and would have appealed to his pagan readers. Acts 17:29 Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. Redefining what it means to become like God. Christ shared in our nature that we might share in His. 1 John 3:2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. In 1:3, it’s through the knowledge of Christ that we are called to Him. Here, we see that a fuller revelation of Christ will conform us even more fully into His likeness. How so? Purity Immortality Restoration to Eden Christians also share in God’s immortality. They are not trapped in this world. Though ‘perishable’ now, Christians will be raised ‘imperishable’ -Paul Gardner Glory John 17:22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, We have everything we need for a godly life. English readers are apt to understand calling in terms of an invitation that can be accepted or rejected. Peter has something deeper in mind. Christ’s call is effective, awakening and creating faith. -Thomas R. Schreiner 1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. The ambiguity in the text indicates that Peter does not clearly distinguish between God and Christ, which indicates that God and Christ were venerated equally. - Thomas R. Schreiner Excuses are Eliminated We will share in Christ’s Divine Nature Acts 17:29 Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. 1 John 3:2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. Purity Immortality Christians also share in God’s immortality. They are not trapped in this world. Though ‘perishable’ now, Christians will be raised ‘imperishable.’ -Paul Gardner Glory John 17:22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one. Discipleship Questions: 2 Peter 1:3 says we’ve been given everything we need for life and godliness… Do you find that verse encouraging, challenging or both? Are there any areas of your walk where you struggle to believe that you already have everything you need for success? Do you ever make excuses to yourself or others for a lack of godliness? If yes, explain. How much work does it take to live as a Christian? What does it mean that we will be “partakers in the divine nature”?

The Genuine Gospel

July 21, 2025
Notes from Lance Shumake's sermon on Sunday, July 20, 2025. Sermon text: 2 Peter 1:1-2  Peter is warning us about counterfeit teaching and false teachers The genuine gospel came from Jesus through His apostles —servant (humility and honor) —apostle (called, unique, sent) The genuine gospel is just as precious to us today —received and believed “How does someone become a Christian? One person might say, ‘Because I believe,’ and another, ‘Because God chose me.’ According to Peter, both ways of stating it are correct. On the one hand, we believe. It is a fundamental definition of a Christian that he or she is a ‘believe-er’; that he or she ‘has faith’ But Peter also knows that it is not our feeble faith that holds us close to God. It is God who does all the holding, and that is the reality behind the word received.” —R. C. Lucas and Christopher Green, The Message of 2 Peter & Jude The genuine gospel is centered on the person and work of Jesus —God —Savior —Christ —Lord “This fourfold description of Jesus is important because it puts him at the focal point of human history. As God, he guarantees that his words and his works cannot be replaced or revoked; as Christ, he fulfills all the Old Testament promises; as Savior, he died on the cross for our salvation in the past, present and future; and as Lord he claims the right to our individual love and obedience—notice how Peter calls him our Lord.” —R. C. Lucas and Christopher Green, The Message of 2 Peter & Jude The genuine gospel transforms us as we grow in knowledge of Jesus —grace and peace multiplied Discipleship Questions: Why is false teaching so dangerous? How does remembering and focusing on the true gospel help us stand against false teaching? In what ways is the gospel just as precious to us as it was to the apostles? How do you relate to Jesus as God, Savior, Christ, and Lord? What is the difference between knowing about Jesus and knowing Him?

The God of All Grace

July 16, 2025
Notes from Zach Snow's sermon on Sunday, July 13, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 5:8-14 Why is the lion roaring? Wouldn’t it be a better strategy to be quiet…subtle…sneaky, in an attempt to “devour” Christians? I think that Peter, led by the Holy Spirit, was very intentional with his description here of the devil being a roaring lion. Went into a rabbit hole on a lion's roar…there are some spiritual applications to these: Can reach up to 114 decibels…almost as loud as a jet engine taking off They roar for social reasons (territory, create bonds, locate other members of their pride) as well as for purposes of intimidation. One of the primary purposes of the lion's roar is to strike fear in the heart of their prey. The lion will always start with a psychological advantage Fear, anxiety, depression, anger, hatred - these things can absolutely paralyse you spiritually The lion is not necessarily trying to kill you, but to destroy your faith Prayer: Be sober-minded - Have a clear and self disciplined mind - Titus 2 Exercise self control in thoughts, words, and action this is the 3rd time Peter has said this to us in 1 Peter - 1:13, 4:7 - it’s a call to remain alert and focused Being sober-minded means waging war against the things that are detrimental to the mind: fear, hatred, anxiety, depression, anger I believe these are specific things the enemy uses to derail our mental health and cause us to take our guard down Be watchful - this is the same word that Jesus used in the garden before he was arrested and crucified - this is a call to pray Prayers for others - Eph. 6:18 - Ephesians 6:18 - [18] praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, Prayers for yourself - James 1:5 - 5 j If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. So here’s the question… Do you believe in prayer? How much do you trust that God can do the things that you are not able to do? Do you trust God with the big stuff AND the small stuff? Discipleship Questions: 1.) In your personal life, what does being sober minded and watchful look like to you? 2.) Who are the people who help you stand firm in your faith the most? 3.) As a CG look at each of the points of the Theology of Suffering and find Scripture to support each one of those statements: God is ALWAYS good God is ALWAYS enough God will ALWAYS love you 4.) Discuss ways that the God of all grace has restored, confirmed, strengthened, and established you.
Show More