Ten Points to Consider: T or F
1. Adults carry out the belief system they embraced when they were young, particularly before they reached the teenage years.
2. The reason why Christians are so similar in their attitudes, values and lifestyles to non-Christians is that they were not sufficiently challenged to think and behave differently based on core spiritual perspectives when they were children.
3. A person’s moral foundations are generally in place before they reach age 9. Fundamental perspectives on truth, integrity, meaning, justice, morality, and ethics are formed quite early in life.
4. A person’s response to the meaning and personal value of Jesus Christ’s life, death, and resurrection is usually determined before a person reaches 18.
5. While many individuals do go through life-changing experiences in which their beliefs are altered, most people’s minds are made up well before that—in fact, by age 13.
6. The focus in absorbing religious teaching after age 13 is to gain reassurance and confirmation of their existing belief system rather than to gain new insights that will redefine their foundations.
7. Research underscores the importance of families, not churches, taking the lead in the spiritual development of children.
8. Studies have concluded that churches experiencing great influence in children’s lives were motivated by the realization that children are of special significance to God.
9. According to The Barna Group, children are the single most important population group for the church to focus on.
10. Statistics gathered among a national sample of pastors, church staff and lay leaders by Barna researchers showed that more than 4 out of 5 of them had consistently been exposed to Christian teaching when they were youngsters under the age of 13.
*Answers: All True.
Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. (Prov 22:6 NIV)
Has not the LORD made them one? In flesh and spirit they are his. And why one? Because he was seeking godly offspring. (Mal 2:15 NIV)
I'm indebted to the article, "Research Shows That Spiritual Maturity Process Should Start a Young Age" from The Barna Group. The Research data described in this article are detailed in the book, Transforming Children Into Spiritual Champions by George Barna.
GodTube: Children Teaching Children
The ABC's of Salvation
Related
- Family Life: Susannah Wesley's 16 Rules
- Join the good folk at the Carnival of Homeschooling and Courtney's Wednesday blog hop at Women Living Well.
Photo: Jason & Alyssa Derusha (Flickr)
Coming Soon—Personal Life: Your Emotions Unwrapped
If you have children, are you satisfied with the level of Christian education they’re receiving?
2 Comments:
have 2 daughters, 17 and 12 and YES...I am very satisfied NOW as to their Christian education but that is because we moved to a new church about 6 years ago for this very reason. They are in vibrant, active, BIble-based youth groups with a full time youth pastor, and many volunteers plus mentors. They are both in a small group of peers with an adult or senior high leader (senior high leaders for the junior high kids). And my husband and I are doing "deeper" conversations with them now that they are older. the one thing we regret is that we didn't make praying TOGETHER AS A FAMILY more of a priority when they were little. We both pray with each girl but FAMILY prayer time has not always been a priority with us....sigh...but...we learn as we go I guess....
Faith: From reading your blog, it sounds like you are model Christian parents. I know your girls will be influencers for Jesus in their adult lives. Can't wait to see them blossom into young women as they enter their 20s.
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