I’ve had Christian Smith’s and Amy Adamczyk’s book, Handing Down the Faith: How Parents Pass Their Religion on to the Next Generation, on my reading list for a while now. I’m glad I read it, but it is a very research and data focused book. It’s not a ‘how to’ manual, it’s a report on trends and practices in the US. A reoccurring theme in Smith’s research pops up again in this work, with the authors identifying that “the single, most powerful causal influence on the religious lives of American teenagers and young adults is the religious lives of their parents.” Over the last couple decades of study in the religious lives of families, this is a truth that has been affirmed over and over. Kids reflect the faith of their parents.
Smith and Adamczyk note that “Religion seems most effectively passed on to children by parents who are intentional, consistent, and actively engaged, but neither hands-off nor overbearing. Weak and sporadic religious socialization tends to produce benign apathy in children; whereas against relentless or overbearing religious socialization children tend to distance themselves or rebel against the family religion.”
It was fascinating seeing how this played out through the research in families of different religious faiths and the common themes that emerged in religious transmission. It’s also a powerful reminder to church’s that challenging and equipping parents to be the spiritual role models in their homes is perhaps one of the most important things we can do for the next generation. It’s easy to say, but hard to live out.
All in all, the research contained in the book is fascinating. It is a data heavy book, not a parenting manual by any means, although readers can come to conclusions about next steps based on the results contained in it. I definitely think it’s worth it for leaders to familiarize themselves with the research contained in it.
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