I recently went back and read through the first book I wrote way back in 1988, Ministry To Families With Teenagers. I had written these words: “Moral and faith development are influenced first and foremost by the family. Inevitably, those clumsy 12-year-olds in the middle school youth group blossom into mature adults who are strikingly like their parents.” I believed that then, and I believe it even more now. In recent years, sociologist Dr. Christian Smith has served to provide youth workers and parents with practical research-based suggestions that affirm this reality and which, when heeded, foster greater effectiveness in our parenting and youth ministries. And that’s what Christian Smith will be sharing as we talk to him about his new book, Handing Down The Faith, on this episode of Youth Culture Matters.