A FATHER’S LEGACY
Ken Hemphill tells the story of what took place at his church when he was pastor of FBC of Norfolk. He was out on the sidewalk welcoming people as they got out of their cars. About 3rd in line was a father & his teenage son. The father had a golf shirt on, and he evidently was dropping his son off at church while he went to play golf. The pastor could hear the teenage boy complaining and asking why he had to go to church. He replied, “When I was growing up my daddy took me to church every Sunday, and you are going to church as well.” Then the boy replied, “Well, it doesn’t look like it did you any good for you, did it?”
Research has established that parents can have a significant impact on the religious beliefs and practices of their children. In one recent study it was found that fathers who frequently attend church (over three times per month), discuss religion at home, and are committed to their religion have sons who follow the same pattern concerning religious values and behavior. Interestingly, fathers who did not do these three things had an inconsistent pattern of influence over their son’s religious responses.
(Dr. Michael Green, Kindred Spirit, Autumn, 1989. From a sermon by Gerald Flury, What Makes a Good Father? 6/19/2012)