Commentary Well-known Christian pastor and author Chuck Swindoll has written (pdf), “Wise is the parent who understands, ‘I need to spend time with my child. I need to observe. I need to dialogue so that my child grows up knowing his or her unique, God-given design.’” Recently, I came across a study by Jesse Smith, a doctoral candidate at the University of Pennsylvania, which illustrates the importance of Swindoll’s message. In the process of examining the continued decline of religious faith among young people, he noticed one particular pattern: religious conservative parents are more successful at passing on their faith than other parents who are less conservative in their faith. These findings make a lot of sense. Children look to parents for guidance. If children see parents who take their faith seriously, who don’t waver in their beliefs, and spend time investing in their relationships with them, it’s logical that …