According to this article in Christian Today, half of American Christians think that casual sex is ‘sometimes or always’ morally acceptable.

More than half of American white evangelicals say that cohabitation is acceptable if the couple plan to marry.  And almost half of evangelical Protestants aged 15-22 who were not currently cohabiting or married said they would probably or definitely cohabit in the future.  (But Christian commitment did make a big difference: those young people who attended church at least twice a month were least likely to approve of cohabitation).

What can be done about this slide into cultural assimilation?

Apparently, recent research has shown that descendants of immigrants to the US typically lost the ability to speak their mother tongue by the 3rd generation.  But a big factor was whether or not that tongue was spoken at home, and thus passed on from parent to child.

There is a simple but important lesson here.

Christian beliefs and practices need to be passed on from parents to children.

John Stonestreet and Shane Morris conclude:

‘The word for passing on moral values and behavior through regular instruction in the faith by parents and pastors is catechesis. The kind of catechesis necessary for this cultural moment not only involves the “what” of biblical morality, but the “why” and the living out of the “how.”‘