Mickey Mouse theology

For many years we have intentionally and purposefully trained our boys to be on the lookout for theology within movies and TV shows. Arguably one of the most prominent themes, especially within the Disney franchise, is the idea that the greatest thing we can do is believe in ourselves and follow our hearts. We have taught our boys to reject this idea outright and as Christian parents, you should too.

Now before anyone gets defensive, let me clarify what I mean. I'm not saying that I don't want my boys to have any confidence. Nor am I saying that I don't want my sons to follow their passions. While the above statements could be interpreted to mean simply that, I'm afraid that their meanings go far deeper and have far greater implications.

Here is why I teach my children to reject this type of Mickey Mouse theology:

FOLLOW YOUR HEART:  
The Bible says "the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can understand it?" (Jeremiah 17:9).  Left to ourselves and uninfluenced by the grace of God, our hearts will eventually take us down a path of selfishness and destruction.  "Out of the human heart come thoughts of hatred, murder, envy, pride and lust." I'm not saying that all people act this way or that my sons act this way, but if left unchecked our hearts can certainly take us to that place.

You may be thinking, "What about when our hearts lead us to do good things?"  The reality is our heart is a vessel. While our physical heart is full of blood for our body, our spiritual "heart" is full of whatever we fill it with. The Bible reminds us that from "out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks." So when we find ourselves doing "good" things (showing kindness, helping, giving, being compassionate, etc.) it is because we are responding to the grace of God that is overflowing in our hearts.

So it is a dangerous thing to simply say "follow your heart", because at any given moment it is impossible to know what someone's heart is full of. It would be better to tell them to follow God, or follow the Holy Spirit, or follow Jesus. When God the Father through Jesus by the Holy Spirit has filled a person's heart and they can follow one by following the other, it's a beautiful thing.

BELIEVE IN YOURSELF
In a previous blog article here I shared about believing a lie that says that we don't need anything, but the truth is we need God for strength and for salvation. When this lie is believed to its fullest extent it is concluded that we don't need God, we just need ourselves. We don't need to trust in God or believe in God, we just need to believe in ourselves.

Listen, I want my boys to have confidence, but I don't want them to have an unfounded confidence.  I don't want them to have a "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" [see explanation here] kind of confidence.  I want my boys to be the most confident kids in their class.  I don't want them to be afraid of failure. I don't want them to be afraid to try new things. I want them to be confident enough to step up and do what's right. But that doesn't come from you just being you. It comes from a Christ centered understanding of who God has made you to be. It is a confidence founded on the truth that "His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence" (2 Peter 1:3).  It is a confidence that comes from knowing that God "has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light and delivered you from the domain of darkness and transferred you to the Kingdom of the Son He loves." It is a confidence that comes from knowing "that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

I have to be honest, at times I have second-guessed myself for being so "technical" with my boys and teaching them the difference between having a "Christ centered confidence in who God has made them to be" and "believing in themselves". I've thought, "maybe I'm just splitting hairs, maybe I making too big of a deal out of this." My concerns were quickly put to rest when I came across this:

and this:

That is certainly not what I want to be teaching or reinforcing to my kids. So I think I'll continue to be on the lookout for Mickey Mouse theology.