There is no shortage of books on the subject of being a better dad. Some are very practical, helpful, and biblical; many leave much to be desired in these areas. I have read my fair share of both varieties. So when I began John MacArthur’s Being A Dad Who Leads, it was with more than a little uncertainty.
John MacArthur brings his love for expository Bible teaching completely to bear on the subject of fatherhood. The passages he chooses are the usual suspects (Ephesians 6, Proverbs 7, Deuteronomy 11, etc.), but it’s the level of detail in exposition that stood out to me. In fact, there seemed to be so much exposition piled on, I found it hard to pinpoint the application in many cases. The practical leadership lessons were often lost in the mix.
Don’t get me wrong, these are some great passages and MacArthur is second to none in wringing out every drop of meaning in Bible study. All I’m saying is two chapters dedicated largely to one verse (Ephesians 6:4) can tend to get a little dry. This book is for those who like to go deep and only occasionally come up for a big picture view. I’m not sure how helpful it will be for those dads who are struggling to lead their families well, because they likely also struggle with turning their full attention to the Word. Do you feed a malnourished man a five course meal, or do you start him out with protein shake first?
In any case, MacArthur is spot-on in his treatment of scripture and gives an excellent treatise on the parable of the prodigal son near the end of the book. The chapter on Proverbs 7 is excellent as well. MacArthur very effectively captures the chilling life-and-death tone of this conversation between a father and a son. It’s hardly the “birds and the bees.”
This book isn’t for every dad out there, but I think there quite a few who could find it helpful. I certainly did.
The narration by Maurice England for the audiobook version was very well done, as usual.
Please Note: This audiobook was gifted as a part of the Christianaudio Reviewers Program in exchange for my unbiased review of this work. This has in no way influenced my opinion or review of this work. More information can be found about this and other Christian audiobooks at christianaudio.com.