{"id":300,"date":"2026-05-22T22:37:37","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T22:37:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=300"},"modified":"2026-05-22T22:37:37","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T22:37:37","slug":"parents-youre-failing-god-your-children-and-america","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=300","title":{"rendered":"Parents, you\u2019re failing God, your children \u2014 and America"},"content":{"rendered":"
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OPINION:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Americans\u2019 spiritual understanding is dwindling to disturbing, subpar levels. Despite glimmers of revival that do show increases in intrigue and faith practices among young people, there are some troubling patterns observed among the general populace.<\/p>\n

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Researcher George Barna, director of research at the Cultural Research Center, found that just 4% of Americans hold a biblical worldview, with steep declines in recent years in people\u2019s understanding of how Scripture calls them to live.<\/p>\n

Amid these plummeting statistics, a new survey shows one key area where parents are failing on the spiritual formation front \u2014 and it involves prayer. The American Bible Society recently found just 29% of American parents report praying with their children daily (16%) or often (13%).<\/p>\n

These results, captured as part of the organization\u2019s annual State of the Bible report, also indicated that an additional 21% pray with their kids sometimes, with 15% reporting they rarely do so and another 35% stating that they never invoke God with their children.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost American parents are open to the Bible, but behavior hasn\u2019t kept pace with that openness,\u201d John Farquhar Plake, chief innovation officer and editor-in-chief of the State of the Bible, said in a statement. \u201cThey\u2019re curious but not deeply engaged.\u201d<\/p>\n

To say these statistics are alarming is an understatement, especially considering biblical proclamations addressing both prayer and parenthood. Ultimately, Scripture makes a number of realities clear when it comes to faith practices.<\/p>\n

Primarily: Believers are called to pray, with invocations to God serving as a connective tissue that guide, sustain and provide solace to the human heart and mind. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (ESV) proclaims, \u201cRejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Prayer is seen as so essential that people are called to engage in it no matter the circumstance and in a consistent and ongoing fashion. This is a key part of the faith experience.<\/p>\n

Proverbs 22:6 (NKJV) delivers yet another proclamation to parents surrounding spiritual formation, imploring them to spiritually prepare and equip their children.<\/p>\n

\u201cTrain up a child in the way he should go,\u201d the verse reads. \u201cAnd when he is old he will not depart from it.\u201d<\/p>\n

This commonsense call for parents to prepare their children to understand the importance of God and moral values is voiced throughout Scripture. How can children understand the value of faith \u2014 and the parameters around how to live \u2014 if they aren\u2019t taught these values?<\/p>\n

Prayer isn\u2019t just a step people take or a box they check off. It\u2019s a key part of the faith experience that helps individuals navigate life. Beyond that, it\u2019s a baseline action that allows the human heart to align with (and under) the Creator.<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s an admission that we are accountable to the Lord and have a way to seek His ultimate guidance. Outside of Scripture, prayer is the lifeblood of our faith as we seek God and also look to elevate others\u2019 needs above our own.<\/p>\n

With the Bible in mind, parents are also failing on another metric: reading Scripture with their kids. While 14% of parents said they read the Bible with their children daily (5%) or often (9%), 25% reported doing so sometimes \u2014 and a whopping 62% report rarely (46%) or never (16%) reading the Bible to their children.<\/p>\n

Of course, these numbers are for the general American population, but even among practicing Christians the percentage of daily or frequent Bible reading was tragically low at just 45%.<\/p>\n

The Bible isn\u2019t just a collection of fables or stories. It\u2019s the centerpiece of the Christian faith and a guidebook for how humanity can properly live \u2014 and thrive. 2 Timothy 3:16 (NIV) provides a framework through which humans can understand the Bible in its entirety and fullness.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll Scripture is God-breathed,\u201d the verse reads. \u201cAnd is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.\u201d<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, failing to pray with our children and read Scripture with them is creating a vacuum. In fact. I\u2019d argue it\u2019s the single greatest reason our culture has seen and experienced so much moral chaos and degradation.<\/p>\n

The failure to read the Bible and pray \u2014 and, in particular, parents\u2019 reluctance to bring these practices into our children\u2019s lives \u2014 is akin to going on a cross-country voyage with no GPS, no map, no compass and absolutely zero clue how to get to our final destination.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s especially tragic when we consider the pain, suffering, loneliness and chaos so many young people face today. The Bible offers a path forward and a map to guide us where the Lord wants us.<\/p>\n

Rather than ignore these truths, it\u2019s time for parents to step up to the plate and to pray and read the Word of God with our children. It\u2019s the very solution we need to the problems that individually and corporately plague us.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Billy Hallowell is a digital TV host and interviewer for Faithwire and CBN News and the co-host of CBN\u2019s \u201cQuick Start Podcast.\u201d Mr. Hallowell is also the author of four books.<\/em><\/p>\n

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A new survey shows one key area where parents are failing on the spiritual formation front — and it involves prayer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":299,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31,30],"tags":[252,251],"class_list":["post-300","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-commentary","category-opinion","tag-american-bible-society","tag-george-barna"],"yoast_head":"\nParents, you\u2019re failing God, your children \u2014 and America - Home Buyer Relocation<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=300\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Parents, you\u2019re failing God, your children \u2014 and America - 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