Reading: Train Up a Child (Slides)

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. (Proverbs 22:6)

• What situation does this address?
• Is this a promise, a sure guarantee?
• Are there background assumptions?

Train up a child

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. (Proverbs 22:6)

• Situation: Encouraging parents of young children to train them well.
• Generalization: Good childhood training tends to produce a good adult.
• Assumptions: Child is teachable, not a fool. Bad influences don’t get control.

Probable, not certain

It is much more likely that a child will be a responsible adult if trained in the right path. However, there is also the possibility that the child might come under the influence of peers or be led astray in some other way. The point is that this proverb encourages parents to train their children, but does not guarantee that if they do so their children will never stray. (Tremper Longman III)

Measuring Impact

What are the main factors measured in teens that are linked with higher religiousness when they become young adults? Consider findings of the largest sociological study of teens and young adults, led by sociologist Christian Smith. (Souls in Transition: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of Emerging Adults.)

• Strong parental commitment and church attendance
• Frequent prayer & Bible reading
• Importance of faith for daily life
• Few doubts during teen years
• Commitment to God as child and spiritual experiences

Strong combination

A teen in the top 25% in four factors has 85% chance of being in the highest category of religion as an emerging adult. (0.4% with none of the four)

• Parental religion
• Prayer
• Scripture reading
• Importance of faith for daily life

Some impact

• Many supportive religious adults
• Believed in miracles as teen
• Sexual chastity as teen
• Made fun of by peers for faith
• Parent-connected youth groups

Little impact

• Number of religious activities
• Mission trips during teen years
• Attending religious high school
• Expecting as teen to want to attend a similar church at 25

Myths

• Parents of teens are irrelevant.
• Going to college undermines faith.
• Inner spiritual life still thrives apart from outward religious practices.

Child commitment

• The vast majority of young adults who have committed their lives to God did so before age 14.
• 89 percent of people leaving the faith were not strongly committed as a child.

Most important pastor

Parents are huge, absolutely huge, nearly a necessary condition… without question, the most important pastor a child will ever have in their life is a parent. (Christian Smith)