Raising Spiritual Champions: Nurturing Your Child\u2019s Heart<\/em><\/a> by George Barna.<\/p>\n\u201cAmerica\u2019s children are receiving an inadequate introduction to the Bible,\u201d a survey analysis said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Further, the analysis said, \u201cToday\u2019s children are not being raised in an environment in which the concept of absolute moral truth receives favorable treatment, and the widespread doubts about absolute truth are clearly affecting children.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, about one-fourth (27 percent) of preteens agree that the \u201cmain reason to live is to know, love and serve God, with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength.\u201d<\/p>\n
Barna said the data points to a spiritual and worldview crisis in America.<\/p>\n
\u201cChildren are intellectual and spiritual sponges in their preteen years. They are desperately trying to make sense of the world, their identity, their purpose, and how to live a meaningful and satisfying life,\u201d Barna explained. \u201cParents, in particular, have a duty to focus on and invest in the development of their child\u2019s worldview, which is simply their decision-making filter for life. If parents do not fill that vacuum, other sources — such as the media, the schools, and even the child\u2019s peers — will influence that worldview construction.\u201d<\/p>\n
Historical data shows a \u201cdecreasing percentage of Americans embracing a biblical worldview since we started tracking this in the early 1990s,\u201d Barna said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause of the strong correlation between biblical worldview and genuine Christian discipleship, we are on the precipice of Christian invisibility in this nation unless we get serious about this crisis and invest heavily in fixing what\u2019s broken,\u201d Barna said. \u201cThis is so much more significant than the endless, simple-minded arguments in church circles about attendance and musical preferences. The worldview development of children is the existential challenge facing the American Church today.\u201d<\/p>\n
Image credit: \u00a9Getty\/Anastasiia-Stiahailo<\/em><\/p>\n\nMichael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press,\u00a0<\/em>Christianity Today<\/em>, <\/em>The Christian Po<\/em>st, <\/em>the\u00a0<\/em>Leaf-Chronicle<\/em>,\u00a0<\/em>the Toronto Star<\/em> and\u00a0<\/em>the Knoxville News-Sentinel<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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