Passing Faith to the Next Generation

In the most recent Olympic games in Paris, the U.S. men’s 4×100 relay team was disqualified due to a poor baton passing that crossed over the lane and passed the transfer zone. This team individually had the speed and was highly expected to compete for a medal. Their potential was not due to a lack of speed but their poor discipline in transferring the baton. Sadly, this has become the norm for the U.S. men’s relay team. Since 1995, they have had 11 dropped batons or disqualifications as a team. How sad!

This illustrates the American church as well. We are failing and have failed for decades to transfer our faith from one generation to the next. The decline in moral values and the decline of the American church are undeniable. Search on your own, and you will discover ample research to validate this statement. Barna, Pew, and Lifeway are just some valid research groups that have studied these trends.

Stop passing off your faith.

Maybe the mistake has been the well-intended thought to pass on my faith to my kids. That seems great on the surface. Certainly, the intentions are good. If we explore the Bible, it is repeated that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is the theme. Rather than transferring our faith, we need to transfer the God of the Bible to our kids.

What is the best advice you can give?

This will require us to transparently reveal our failures and successes but ultimately point to the God of the Bible as the anchor of our souls and to Jesus as the one and only Way (John 14:6).

I urge you to analyze the example you set for the next generation and renew your commitment to boldly speak the truth and always back it up with the Bible. Teaching your kids to consider what the Bible says is the best advice you can give!