Dr. Dan Barbrow |
The Barna study sought to identify parenting styles and how that played out in the lives of their children. Three general types of child rearing included the following:
- “parenting by default,” in which the parent seeks to keep everyone happy;
- “trial-and-error parenting,” in which parents experiment and see if that method “works” at the moment;
- and, least common, “revolutionary parenting,” in which parents faithfully and consistently based their parenting on a basic, unvarnished understanding of God’s Word.
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Barna’s researchers found what that pastor had identified: parenting styles matter, and we must deliberately, carefully, and consistently apply Scripture in parenting. This priority for the parent’s time and energy is a daily responsibility that must be focused on the long-term, the goal of encouraging Christlikeness in each child, that Christ would “be the firstborn among many brethren” (Romans 8:29).