By Hawi Abate
In today’s rapidly changing world, parents face numerous challenges in raising children with strong Christian values. The influences of secularization, societal perceptions of Christianity, school environments, and the demands of daily life all contribute to the complexity of Christian parenting. This reflection explores these challenges and offers insight into navigating them with faith and resilience.
Secularization of society: We live in a society that is becoming increasingly secular, focusing on materialism, individualism, and moral relativism. Our children are constantly exposed to ideas and messages promoting lifestyles and values contrary to Christian teachings. As parents, it is challenging to explain to young children why our values sometimes differ from those of others. This challenge is exacerbated by the easy access to technology, which brings an overwhelming amount of unwanted information and secular influences into our kids’ lives. The prevailing view that morality is subjective also conflicts with the absolute moral standards we teach our children as Christians.
Portrayal of Christianity: My children may not yet be aware of it, but we live in an era where Christian values are vilified, and Christianity is often associated with oppression, discrimination, and hate. This makes it uneasy to express our Christian identity, even as adults.
School environment: While exposure to other religious beliefs and worldviews is not bad in itself, I have found that schools do not give the same level of emphasis to Christianity. The curriculum often includes topics that conflict with Christian beliefs.
Parental challenges: Life is busy, and parents must juggle work, household responsibilities, and children’s extracurricular activities. This often makes it difficult to find quality time for meaningful family interactions, spiritual teaching, and family worship. Additionally, our own doubts, lack of spiritual discipline, and inconsistencies can make it challenging to model our faith effectively.
I am aware, however, that the challenges to Christian living and parenting have always been present and will continue to exist in various forms until our Lord returns. Being a Christian was never meant to be easy, and Christian parenting is just one aspect of this journey. As parents, we do what we are called to do and trust in the Lord to do His part.
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