George Barna, Senior Research Fellow for the Center for Biblical Worldview at Family Research Council, has released a new book titled “Raising Spiritual Champions: Nurturing Your Child’s Heart, Mind and Soul.” Barna is also a professor at Arizona Christian University, where he serves as Director of Research at the Cultural Research Center.
The book addresses how parents can guide their children to develop a strong biblical worldview. According to Barna, a child’s worldview is largely formed by the age of 13, shaping their core beliefs, morals, values, desires, and lifestyle.
Barna explains that the goal for Christian parents is to help their children “embody the characteristics of Christ, the Son of God, sent to demonstrate His desire for us.” He asks, “But how can you realistically help your child imitate the life of Jesus Christ?” In his book, Barna provides research-based insights into effective ways parents can support this development.
He states that raising a child is both an opportunity and a challenge: “Raising your child is an exciting opportunity to influence a life, but it is also a daunting assignment.” The book combines scripture with sociological insights to guide parents in leading their children to establish their identity, set priorities, understand truth, adopt an eternal perspective, define success appropriately, and find meaning and purpose.
Barna outlines several key areas for parental guidance:
– Establishing God-given identity
– Developing appropriate life priorities
– Grasping the source and significance of truth
– Embracing an eternal perspective
– Properly defining life success
– Finding compelling meaning and purpose
“Raising Spiritual Champions” is available for purchase on Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Raising-Spiritual-Champions-Nurturing-Childs-ebook/dp/B0CCK5238Z?ref_=ast_author_dp). A video of Barna’s speech at the Pray Vote Stand Summit can be viewed on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUX_85SBch4).
