Parents of preteens in ‘spiritual state of distress’ as adherence to biblical Christianity fades: study By Leonardo Blair, Senior Features Reporter for The Christian Post
Parents of preteens, children younger than 13, “are in a state of spiritual distress” as American adherence to biblical Christianity fades even in churches, and a “tragic crash” is coming as a result of the situation, according to new data from the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University and the American Worldview Inventory 2022.
“While the warning signs are identifiable and unmistakable, it appears that parents, as well as their support system (i.e., churches, extended family, and parachurch ministries), are too distracted or disinterested to acknowledge and address the parenting crisis. It seems that a tragic crash is in store,” said George Barna, director of research at the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian, in a release earlier this month.
“Parents, to whom the Bible assigns the primary responsibility for shaping the worldview of their children, are called to equip youngsters to grow up in relationship with and service to God. That requires the intentional and consistent development of a biblical worldview in the minds and hearts of children, since every person’s worldview begins developing before their second birthday,” Barna explained.
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“Yet parents are not devoted to biblical worldview development in their children partly because they do not possess a biblical worldview to pass on to their progeny. The CRC research reveals that a paltry 2% of the parents of preteens — children in the worldview development window — has a biblical worldview.”
A big reason for the lack of a biblical worldview in parents today is syncretism. This ideology is described as “the worldview that merges otherwise incompatible philosophies of life into a made-to-order worldview that incorporates enough biblical elements to be minimally Christian in nature.”
Under the sway of syncretism, according to Barna, the American Church has failed to contend earnestly for the Christian faith.
“The American Church has lowered the entry bar so much that it is difficult to identify any beliefs that disqualify one from claiming to be Christian. The parents of children under the age of 13 are a stellar example of this Christian nominalism that is widely accepted as spiritually normal and healthy,” he said.
