News

If You’re a Christian, You Should Probably Thank Your Mom

A majority of American Protestants were raised by devout mothers, a study finds.

Shaun Menary / Lightstock / Edits by CT

The vast majority of American Christians were raised in the faith—and most can point to the influence of their moms.

In a 2023 study, the American Bible Society found that a majority of believers remain in the same religious tradition as their mothers. This agrees with a large body of mainstream social science research dating back to the 1970s that says the active faith of mothers is a strong predictor of religious transmission.

Some of this may be attributed to the natural bond children have with their mothers. But there is also research that shows that moms take a more active role in faith formation in America.

A 2019 Barna Group survey found that Christian teenagers who say their faith is very important to them are 20 points more likely to talk to their moms about religion than their dads. More than 70 percent of Christian teenagers read the Bible, 70 percent talk about God, and 63 percent pray with their moms.

Also in this issue

One of our aims for the May/June issue is to help you engage with those hidden in plain sight. We also hope our cover story from Mark R. Fairchild and Jordan K. Monson gives you a new angle on the apostle Paul and helps you read his letters in a new way. Elsewhere, Ericka Andersen brings a feature on the state of women and alcoholism. There are likely women in your church who have drinking struggles but don’t know how to ask for help—and perhaps feel shame at the prospect. Also, read one woman’s account of navigating church conflict and a report that helps us to think through how we might engage Christians with ADHD. God’s plan for the world is to be accomplished through the church of Jesus Christ. We pray our work here through these stories can be used by him to continue building it.

Cover Story

Was Paul a Slave?

In a Divided World, Practice Patient Persuasion

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Creating Christian College Presidents for the Future

Unpacking Community

Stories We Are Made to Tell

Against the ‘Audience Capture’ of the Church

Be Still and Come Out of Your Shell

Yes, Charisma Has a Place in the Pulpit

How to Pray with ADHD

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Exploited South African Miners Turn to Churches for Help

Charisma and Its Companions

The Struggle to Hold It Together When a Church Falls Apart

Readers Send Mixed Messages about the Israel-Hamas War

New & Noteworthy Fiction

Pakistani Christians Accused of Blasphemy Found Not Guilty

Testimony

I Cried Out to the Name Demons Fear Most

Bible Figures Never Say ‘I’m Sorry’

The Secret Sin of ‘Mommy Juice’

Review

Criticizing Critical Race Theory—and Its Critics

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Can a Secularizing Nation Have a Christian Soul?

5 Underrated Books on Spiritual Formation

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