The Husband of But One Wife?

The other day I stumbled across a video on YouTube, published by National Geographic. It had ten million views and was of a young boy, four years of age, “preaching.“ The audience was cheering, and I can see how it’s entertaining. He’s certainly dramatic. I just had a few problems with it.

First, leading, and shepherding a church is a responsibility no one should take lightly. The Bible doesn’t. There are qualifications for elders laid out in Scripture. To list a few from 1 Timothy 3, an elder candidate should be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, and not a lover of money.

Hopefully this four-year-old hasn’t been given to drunkenness. But temperate? Self-controlled? How many four-year-olds do you know who’d fit this description? And don’t tell me this little man is the husband of but one wife.

Though in all seriousness, my concern is that such a display cheapens what should be a sacred office. This is not to say pastors or elders are somehow “super Christians“ but rather that there’s a standard. Besides that, those who teach will be judged more strictly (Jas. 3:1). Could we be thrusting this boy into a position we’ll later regret for the sake of entertaining adults?

Children play to make sense of their world. They imitate what they see in adults, often moms and dads, to explore themselves and make sense of their environment. When I watch this video from a perspective like this, I feel compassion. I hate to think this was some kind of act. Let him preach, if he’s speaking or reciting the words of God, and if he wants to, but within the safety of home.

There is an order God has given to His creation and a certain way we’re designed. As human beings, we’re all equals, men and women, children and adults, governor and the governed. There is not an order in value, but there is an order in accountability.

As an example, man was made first, then woman. Implications of this include that though a woman’s desire will be “for her husband,“ he will rule over her (Gen. 3:16). A wife is to submit not to every man but to her husband (Eph. 5:22-24, Col. 3:18, 1 Pet. 3:1). Neither is a woman to teach or “assume authority“ over a man in the context of the church (1 Tim. 2:12).

Likewise in Scripture we see children are to obey their parents (Col. 3:20). Children have much to teach us. Even Jesus uses them to teach His disciples about faith, humility, and reliance on God (Lk. 18). But just like women are not to have “authority“ in this specific area, I question whether children, who are likewise supposed to submit, should be given such authority.

And yet, something tells me this isn’t about authority, which brings me to perhaps the greatest point of contention. I’m inclined to think this was a stunt more for the entertainment of the church than its edification.

In the words of Hebrews 10:24-25, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.“ Why do we gather? To spur one another on. To encourage each other. Not to be entertained by children’s performances.

While we should all be quick to listen and slow to speak, this applies specifically to children. We are to listen first, then speak. This message pervades Proverbs. The wise listen and add to their learning (Prov. 1:5). And many invitations are geared toward the son (“Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction...“ Prov. 1:8).

Children can teach us many things, and God can use anyone. But listening comes before teaching. I think of a quote from columnist Doug Larson: “Wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you’d have preferred to talk.“ Start with listening, and glean wisdom.

If a child wants to practice preaching, he can preach to stuffed animals. Giving a four-year-old a VeggieTales Bible isn’t the worst idea, but letting him “preach“ to a congregation from it for any reason is unbiblical.

May I offer a warning to those who are allowing if not encouraging this: “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea“ (Matt. 18:6).

This doesn’t apply just to children, but it should sober us into the reality that one day we’ll all give an account of ourselves to God (Rom. 14:12). How we care for children—or abuse them—matters. It is not entertaining to God to exploit their vulnerabilities and inexperience, and a situation like this could easily be traumatizing.

In addition, I’d like to point out that what’s happening is not preaching but performing. The “teaching“ clearly has a charismatic flavor, and the young “preacher“ is not unfamiliar with Pentecostal Christian jargon, but it’s not instructional. It’s not building up the body of Christ.

I don’t blame the boy but am disappointed and saddened that we are entertained at the expense of a child attempting to make sense of what he sees. Perhaps the best takeaway for us is knowing that there’s always someone watching, and we have a God-given responsibility to watch and guard those in our care.

Children are impressionable and can be great examples of faith. We should help even young children learn to tell their stories, but they too have a God-given place. Rather than be entertained by children at their expense, let’s encourage them as they figure out what it means to imitate us as we follow Christ (1 Cor. 11:1).

I was debating whether or not to include the original video of Kanon Tipton, as I didn’t want to be complicit in spreading something that wasn’t right. However, I thought you should know what I’m reacting to.