The sta
tistics are alarming! Who could have ever imagined that our country would decline to such a sorry state. Consider these statistics:
90% of homeless and runaway children are from fatherless homes.
85% of children who show behavior disorders come from fatherless homes.
71% of all high school dropouts come from fatherless homes.
75% of all adolescent chemical abuse patients are from fatherless homes.
85% of all youths in prison come from fatherless homes.
The average amount of time that fathers spend in real contact with their
preschool youngsters is 37.7 seconds per day.
The average teen in our churches spends only 2 minutes a day in meaningful
dialogue with his or her father.
Just less than half of all babies born today are born into fatherless homes.
Fatherhood today seems to be suffering. Our high schools and colleges spend millions of dollars teaching our youth about social engineering, evolution, and sexual orientation, but how to be a decent and worthwhile parent is sadly overlooked.
This problem did not begin yesterday. Parenting has been around from the time that God gave the command to be fruitful and multiply. And we know how successful the very first parents were with their two oldest sons, don’t we?
Another example from the Bible of poor parenting is Eli, the judge, high priest, and even faithful servant of the Lord. He is the man who showed kindness to Hannah and Samuel. Yet he had one terrible flaw. He was a failure as a father!
Raising his two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, was a challenge. Having also been placed into the priestly office, these young men desecrated the offerings to the Lord and committed shameful sins in the house of God. “The sin of the young men was very great in the Lord’s sight, for they were treating the Lord’s offering with contempt” (1 Samuel 2:17). As a result, the Lord gave stern warning to Eli to discipline his sons. Eli’s reaction to the Lord’s command was disappointing: “So he said to them, ‘Why do you do such things? I hear from all the people about these wicked deeds of yours. No, my sons, it is not a good report that I hear spreading among the Lord’s people” (23,24). Is it any wonder that his simple slap on the wrist did little to persuade his sons to act otherwise: “His sons, however, did not listen to their father’s rebuke” (2:25). The Lord’s judgment on that father and his two wicked sons was swift and final. All three died on the very same day. The line of Eli had ended!
Today the responsibilities of fatherhood are no easier to carry out than in Bible times. The erosion of today’s family due to sinful sexuality and disregard for God’s Law has certainly played a part in the erosion of fatherhood. But what can be done?
First and foremost, the church must emphasize that fathers are to be role models for their children. We are to teach fathers to be willing to take responsibility for their calling and refuse to abandon their leadership in the home. Fathers must realize that their time and their hobbies must take second place to the needs of their children. They must learn to pray regularly for their children and consider the Christian training of their children as a full-time, never-ending responsibility. That responsibility is to be exercised daily and lived moment by moment with the Bible as their guide.
One more statistic to think about: when a father is an active Christian, there is a 75% likelihood that his children will follow in his steps. Successful parenting begins with passing on one’s faith to the next generation!
Oh, blest the house where faith ye find
And all within have set their mind
To trust their God and serve Him still
And do in all His holy will!
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