No! That was the answer from most people interviewed. That finding comes from new research by the Barna Group in partnership with Orange, a division of the Rethink Group. The largest share of parents reported that having children did not influence their connection to a church. This perspective was most common among parents in the northeast and west as well as among college
graduates.
Among parents who are Christians, 47% said that having children didn’t impact their church involvement. About 17% of parents said that having a child helped them reconnect with church after a long period of not attending. This was especially true among lower income and Hispanic homes, another 20% of parents said they were already active but became more involved.
Political conservatives and republicans were among the parents most likely to describe an increased level of church activity after becoming parents. And 4% of parents said that having children actually decreased their involvement with the church. This was most common among parents who are single and never married. So, the majority of America’s new parents see no value in taking their children to church. This is a major problem for evangelizing America.
Research has shown that most people accept Christ before or soon after their 12th birthday. After that, the likelihood of a child or even an adult becoming a Christian is slim. But it isn’t an impossibility, especially if the family continues to attend church. I remember an elderly man in my church who became a Christian after his Christian wife had died. That’s why attending a good church is so important.
This is Carl Ramsey and that’s Another View of the News.
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