My research shows that a person’s worldview is essentially formed by the age of 13, making the preteen years (ages 8 to 12) the critical window for helping children build a faith that will last a lifetime The beliefs and values put into place during these years will define them for the rest of their lives.
But how are we doing when it comes to discipling today’s preteens?
I’m releasing new research today with staggering findings that highlight the critical need to refocus efforts on training children to have a biblical worldview.
The bottom line? My research shows that the foundational beliefs of 8- to 12-year-olds today puts them on a track to abandon biblical Christianity in record numbers. In fact, preteens are rejecting five beliefs central to the Christian faith:
- Viewing the Bible as the true, reliable words of God and a guide for life
- Recognizing the existence of absolute truth (based on Scripture)
- Acknowledging Jesus Christ as the means to salvation
- Finding life purpose by serving God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength
- Defining success as consistently obeying God’s principles and commands
Even more stunning, my research shows that the most important influencers in the lives of young people—parents and children’s ministry leaders—are rejecting these five basic principles at similar levels. Only 2% of today’s parents and just one out of eight (12%) children’s pastors have a biblical worldview. And tragically, this void in worldview development is being filled by the single, most influential input into the hearts and minds of children—media content.
Today’s Children and Five Key Biblical Beliefs
Five beliefs central to the Christian faith are being widely rejected by children ages 8 to 12:
- The Bible: America’s children are receiving an inadequate introduction to the Bible. Currently, only 60% have read even part of it. Just half say it contains information about how to lead a good life. A mere one out of four (26%) consistently consult the Bible when trying to determine right from wrong. Even fewer (21%) believe turning to the Bible is the best way to distinguish right from wrong.
- Absolute Truth: Today’s children are not being raised in an environment in which the concept of absolute moral truth receives favorable treatment, and the widespread doubts about absolute truth are clearly affecting children. While a robust 97% of 8- to 12-year-olds believe that there is an identifiable difference between right and wrong, a paltry one out of five (21%) believes that absolute moral truth exists.
- Means to Salvation: One out of three 8- to 12-year-olds (36%) believes that the means to eternal salvation is by confessing their sins and asking Jesus Christ to save them from the consequences of their sin. That is the same proportion as found among adults (35%). The fact that preteens display a higher likelihood of acknowledging Jesus Christ as the only means to eternal life than do teenagers (21%) raises the probability that the current percentage will decline as today’s preteens age, unless there is a concerted effort to prevent such a drop.
- Life Purpose: Although nine out of 10 preteens believe that they have an important reason for living, only one-quarter of preteens (27%) identified knowing, loving, and serving God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength as their chief purpose in life. The most common life purpose listed by preteens was making the world a better place, while the other popular description related to facilitating their own happiness.
- Success: Only one out of six (17%) preteens consider the most accurate definition of life success to be consistent obedience to God.
Levels of adopting these five basic beliefs are also low among the most significant influencers in children’s lives—parents and children’s ministry leaders.
- Bible: A minority of parents (44%) believe the Bible is the true words of God and provides a guide for knowing right and wrong and living a good life. Six out of 10 (62%) of children’s pastors have this view of the Bible.
- Absolute Truth: Slightly more than a quarter (28%) of parents and one third of children’s pastors (36%) believe that absolute truth exists.
- Means to Salvation: Only 34% of parents and 54% of children’s pastors believe Jesus is the only way to experience eternal salvation.
- Life Purpose: The biblical view of the purpose of life is to know, love, and serve God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Just 33% of parents and 56% of children’s pastors hold this view.
- Success: Only 19% of parents and 42% of children’s pastors believe that real success in life is consistently obeying God.
These statistics are daunting. Because of the strong correlation between biblical worldview and genuine Christian discipleship, we are on the precipice of Christian invisibility in this nation unless we get serious about this crisis and invest heavily in fixing what’s broken.
Read my full report, “Survey Reveals Most Preteen Children Reject Basic Bible Views,” here.
Children are intellectual and spiritual sponges in their preteen years. They are desperately trying to make sense of the world, their identity, their purpose, and how to live a meaningful life. Unfortunately, as the research I share today shows, American kids are not being discipled to think and live like Jesus.
The worldview development of children is the existential challenge facing the American Church today.
We have a lot of work to do—but be encouraged! My latest book, Raising Spiritual Champions: Nurturing the Heart, Mind and Soul of Your Child, digs deep into the current spiritual landscape among our nation’s children—and offers a pathway to effectively help them develop a biblical worldview during those critical early years.