One of my greatest desires in life is to be the best dad that I can be. With six kids, that can be a heavy responsibility. Knowing that, I try to find as many excellent resources to help me be a better dad.

Roland C. Warren, former President of the National Fatherhood Initiative, has added another great resource to my shelf. His book, Bad Dads Of The Bible, gives some excellent input into how to be a better father to your kids. Subtitled 8 Mistakes Every Good Dad Can Avoid, this book is full of simple, yet helpful information that can improve your dadhood abilities.

Most of the time, books for dads are written from the perspective of what a dad should do. In this case, Warren has written his book from the perspective of what not to do. Looking at several lives from the Bible that made colossal parenting blunders, we can learn from those mistakes and avoid some dangerous pitfalls.

Warren takes a brief look at the lives of eight men from the Bible, and examines the mistakes they each made with their children. From there, Warren encourages us to avoid those kinds of mistakes, and gives some positive actions to take to help. Each chapter holds a contemporary example of the mistake, as well as the biblical example. Finally, each chapter concludes with the positive side of the coin, and gives some excellent input as to how you can implement safeguards that will help you prevent falling into the bad dad traps.

The eight lives Warren examines are both well known and more obscure. Some are stories we are familiar with and others aren’t. And some of them you may find surprising. Here are the eight dads, and their mistakes, with each contemporary example, and the good dad promise for each bad dad mistake.

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• David – He was paralyzed by his past failures. This chapter includes a personal experience of Roland C. Warren, from his youth. Good Dad Promise: I will not be paralyzed by my past failures.
• Laban – He made his children compete for his affection. This chapter takes a look at the story behind and the impact of John Mayer’s song, “Daughters.” Good Dad Promise: I will not make my children compete for my affection.
• Jacob – He turned a blind eye to sibling rivalry. This chapter examines some family friends of Warren who had two sons that constantly argued, with troubling consequences. Good Dad Promise: I will not turn a blind eye to sibling rivalry.
• Saul – He made it difficult for his children to honor him. In this chapter, Warren looks at the life of Bernie Madoff, and his sons. Good Dad Promise: I will not make it difficult for my children to honor me.
• Abraham – He abandoned his child. Looking at two different mass murderers in this chapter, the “DC Beltway” sniper and the Norwegian killer, Anders Breivik, Warren examines the impact of being fatherless. Good Dad Promise: I will not abandon my children.
• Eli – He failed to discipline his children. This chapter looks at the permissive relationship between Amy Winehouse and her dad. Good Dad Promise: I won’t miss the mark by failing to lovingly discipline my children.
• Manoah – He failed to tame his child’s talents. In this chapter, Warren turns from real life examples to the movies, and looks at X-men characters, Professor Xavier and Magneto, and how each used his talents for good or evil. Good Dad Promise: I will tame my child’s talents.
• Lot – He pitched his family’s tent near temptation. This final vignette looks at the life of Hugh Hefner and his example to his children. Good Dad Promise: I will not pitch my family’s tent near temptation.

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Each of these men demonstrate well a lesson that we all need to learn in order to be the best dads we can be. If we can learn from their mistakes, we can avoid making them ourselves. To facilitate that end, each chapter of Bad Dads Of The Bible concludes with a set of actions and reflections, along with a promise to implement to your kids, your wife, and to God.

Finally, Warren’s last chapter is geared to be more positive. In this chapter, he looks at six things a dad must do to be a good father. These include affirming your children, being physically present, being emotionally available, being spiritually involved, loving and pursuing your children, and reaching out to the fatherless.

Though at times Warren’s writing seems a bit simplistic, and his examinations of these lives are too brief, Bad Dads Of The Bible is a resource that can help a lot of dads. These are eight areas that each of us needs to step up and implement into our lives. I would encourage you to grab a copy of Warren’s book and read it. You’ll be glad you, and your dadhood skills will improve if you can avoid these blunders.

Do any of the mistakes examined in this book sound familiar? How have you avoided making blunders like these? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

I highly recommend that you read Bad Dads Of The Bible, 8 Mistakes Every Good Dad Can Avoid, by Roland C. Warren.  You can purchase it at Amazon.com in print or for Kindle.

Disclosure of Material Connection:
I received this book free from Harper Collins Christian Publishing as part of their BookLook Bloggers review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Also, some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links”. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.“