According to recent data from the Pew Research Center, a minority (35%) of parents emphasize passing their faith on to children. At 70%, the number is significantly higher among evangelicals, but even so, Abraham Hamilton III of "The Hamilton Corner" on AFR says that still means 30% of Christian parents are ignoring a clear directive from the Bible.
"Scripture mandates the necessity of having a multi-generational view of faithfulness to God, endeavoring to rear children and to disciple them sufficiently so that they cannot only be committed to the Lord, but they will be committed to rearing their children and, Lord willing, eventually their grandchildren to be followers of the way of Christ as well," he says.
Hamilton believes many Christians think the whole reason they are instructed to "be fruitful and multiply" (Genesis 1:28) is to enrich their marriage, populate the earth, and carry on their family name.
"I think it is fair to say that lots of Christians don't understand the Lord's purposes in giving us the privilege to bear children and to rear them," the attorney submits. "Malachi 2:15 says it. What was the one God seeking? The preservation of godly seed. That's not a suggestion. That's a command from God. But this study is revealing that a lot of people are disobeying God's command in rearing and nurturing our children in the fear and admonition of the Lord."
So while he laments the fact, Hamilton says it is no wonder why the culture is in decline and why younger generations are leaving the faith.
"When people complain and lament the secularization of our society, it's sad to say that maybe the same people don't recognize that the secularization has occurred because we have failed to pass our faith on to our children," he concludes.
Data for Parenting in America Today came from some 3,757 U.S. parents with children younger than 18, which was collected as part of a larger survey conducted from Sept. 20 to Oct. 2, 2022, to better understand how American parents approach parenting.
