Today I came across an interesting article called “Helping Your Kids Own Their Faith” by Jim Liebelt.  Below is an excerpt from the article.  Click the title above if you’d like to read the entire article.

Many of today’s churched youth grew up going to church. From their tender years as toddlers, they have been indoctrinated with the beliefs of their community of faith. This is a good thing—and is called being “brought up in the instruction of the Lord,” (Ephesians 6:4). Many of these kids, (I know, as I was one of them) enter into their adolescent years being able to spout memory verses without end, give correct explanations of Christian doctrine, know how to refute errant views, and generally make their parents proud as punch. Nice Johnny. Good Johnny. Christian Johnny. But, take Johnny away from the church walls, away from home, put him into his school situation, or with friends, and a different side of Johnny may appear: a Johnny who is little different behaviorally than his non-Christian peers. Consequently, the important question becomes, why is it all too common for “church kids” to grow up knowing a lot about Christianity, and yet seem so dull spiritually? Where is the “real faith” that will see kids through their adult lives? I believe that the answer in many of these cases is that teenagers never make a successful transition from having an “unowned” faith to having an “owned” faith.