MAY 31, 2026

Today is the last day of May. Where did the month go?

Now that the Church has completed the Easter cycle, we find ourselves looking forward to the long season of Trinity-tide. As we prepare for this coming Sunday, Trinity Sunday, we might recognize that unlike other Sundays of the year, this one is unique in that we commemorate a doctrine. By contrast, most Sundays of the church year are named in reference to Our Lord’s nativity, passion or resurrection; thus we have Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent and Easter. 

We often speak about the Doctrine of the Trinity as central to Christianity. However, as E.L. Mascall pointed out in his book, The Christian Universe, the Trinity is not a doctrine; the Trinity is God. The doctrine developed in the Church about the Trinity is in response to man’s experience of the Godhead, as recorded in Holy Scripture. The Father, the source of divinity, eternally begets the Son. By contrast, the Holy Ghost eternally proceeds from the Father; all of this taking place within the timelessness of eternity.

This is a profound mystery and can be known only through revelation. While there are indications of a community within the Godhead contained in the Hebrew scriptures, the Christian experience of the Incarnate Son and the Pentecostal outpouring of the Holy Ghost provided concrete and convincing evidence of additional Persons within the Divine Being.

The various controversies within the first several centuries of the Christian era provoked discussion and debate on the nature of God. As the Fathers reflected upon the scriptural evidence as well as their own experience, they understood that there were distinct Persons within the Godhead. God was not merely appearing in various modes in our experience of Him. Rather, each member of the Triune Godhead is distinct from each other, however, they are bound together in perfect and inexhaustible love and share a unity of will. Each Person of the the Triune God works together as One to accomplish the will of the one God, particularly where our salvation is concerned.

This community of divine Persons holds a deep meaning for man, as we are created in the image of God. This means that we are meant for community – not just with God but with each other. We understand and see ourselves more clearly in our relations to those around us.

Being created in the image of God also reveals that we are meant for love. In a very real sense, our telos is Love, agape. Love, in the divine sense, means desiring the absolute best for the other. We see this revealed in the relationships within the Godhead: each Person exhausting or emptying Himself completely for the sake of the Other.

We can also appreciate the recurring entreaty in the various Epistles that we be “of one mind.” If we are to emulate God in whose image we are created, we should strive to have a unity of vision and a unity of purpose as His people. Only in this way will we truly be the presence of the Triune God in this broken and fallen world.

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Parents, you’re failing God, your children — and America

BY:          Billy Hallowell, The Washington Times (May 22, 2026)

Americans’ spiritual understanding is dwindling to disturbing, subpar levels. Despite glimmers of revival that do show increases in intrigue and faith practices among young people, there are some troubling patterns observed among the general populace.

Researcher George Barna, director of research at the Cultural Research Center, found that just 4% of Americans hold a biblical worldview, with steep declines in recent years in people’s understanding of how Scripture calls them to live.

Amid these plummeting statistics, a new survey shows one key area where parents are failing on the spiritual formation front — and it involves prayer. The American Bible Society recently found that just 29% of American parents report praying with their children daily (16%) or often (13%).

These results, captured as part of the organization’s annual State of the Bible report, also indicated that an additional 21% pray with their kids sometimes, with 15% reporting they rarely do so and another 35% stating that they never invoke God with their children.

“Most American parents are open to the Bible, but behavior hasn’t kept pace with that openness,” John Farquhar Plake, chief innovation officer and editor-in-chief of the State of the Bible, said in a statement. “They’re curious but not deeply engaged.”

To say these statistics are alarming is an understatement, especially considering biblical proclamations addressing both prayer and parenthood. Ultimately, Scripture makes a number of realities clear when it comes to faith practices.

Primarily: Believers are called to pray, with invocations to God serving as a connective tissue that guide, sustain and provide solace to the human heart and mind. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (ESV) proclaims, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

Prayer is seen as so essential that people are called to engage in it no matter the circumstance and in a consistent and ongoing fashion. This is a key part of the faith experience.

Proverbs 22:6 (NKJV) delivers yet another proclamation to parents surrounding spiritual formation, imploring them to spiritually prepare and equip their children.

“Train up a child in the way he should go,” the verse reads. “And when he is old he will not depart from it.”

This commonsense call for parents to prepare their children to understand the importance of God and moral values is voiced throughout Scripture. How can children understand the value of faith — and the parameters around how to live — if they aren’t taught these values?

Prayer isn’t just a step people take or a box they check off. It’s a key part of the faith experience that helps individuals navigate life. Beyond that, it’s a baseline action that allows the human heart to align with (and under) the Creator.

It’s an admission that we are accountable to the Lord and have a way to seek His ultimate guidance. Outside of Scripture, prayer is the lifeblood of our faith as we seek God and also look to elevate others’ needs above our own.

With the Bible in mind, parents are also failing on another metric: reading Scripture with their kids. While 14% of parents said they read the Bible with their children daily (5%) or often (9%), 25% reported doing so sometimes — and a whopping 62% report rarely (46%) or never (16%) reading the Bible to their children.

Of course, these numbers are for the general American population, but even among practicing Christians, the percentage of daily or frequent Bible reading was tragically lowat just 45%.

The Bible isn’t just a collection of fables or stories. It’s the centerpiece of the Christian faith and a guidebook for how humanity can properly live — and thrive. 2 Timothy 3:16 (NIV) provides a framework through which humans can understand the Bible in its entirety and fullness.

“All Scripture is God-breathed,” the verse reads. “And is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.”

Unfortunately, failing to pray with our children and read Scripture with them is creating a vacuum. In fact. I’d argue it’s the single greatest reason our culture has seen and experienced so much moral chaos and degradation.

The failure to read the Bible and pray — and, in particular, parents’ reluctance to bring these practices into our children’s lives — is akin to going on a cross-country voyage with no GPS, no map, no compass and absolutely zero clue how to get to our final destination.

It’s especially tragic when we consider the pain, suffering, loneliness and chaos so many young people face today. The Bible offers a path forward and a map to guide us where the Lord wants us.

Rather than ignore these truths, it’s time for parents to step up to the plate and to pray and read the Word of God with our children. It’s the very solution we need to the problems that individually and corporately plague us.

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A marriage crisis? Stunning stats raise concerns, hopes

BY:          Billy Hallowell, The Washington Times (May 15, 2026)

Marriage is the bedrock of a society, but what happens when America’s young people delay marriage or shift their perspectives on child rearing?

It seems our society is about to find out, as survey data shows that Generation Z — those born between 1999 and 2015 — holds views that have led them to deviate from past generations when it comes to marriage and family.

From a 30,000-foot view, people are now waiting longer to get married. In fact, the average age of Americans’ first marriage has ticked up eight years since the 1950s, now standing at age 30 for men and 28 for women.

But what do young people actually believe about marriage itself? Two statistics in particular from Barna’s new study, The State of Today’s Family, stand out. First, just 67% of

Gen Z respondents believe marriage is essential for raising children in a stable environment. This is the lowest percentage for any generation.

And 74% said they believe they can lead fulfilling lives without children. While this latter statistic is certainly true, as it’s possible to enjoy life and find fulfillment without having children, the sheer volume of Gen Z agreeing with this sentiment is troubling.

Some of the factors underpinning these numbers showcase fractures and issues in society and culture that seem to be causing anxiety and worry among Gen Z — emotions that are making these young people less likely to see the value of marrying young and child-rearing.

See, it’s not necessarily that young Americans don’t want or value marriage. According to Barna, 78% of Gen Z and 73% of millennials desire to get married someday; they’re just taking longer to walk down the aisle.

So, what’s driving the slower move toward marriage? Barna offers some data-driven theories.

“Rather than moving quickly toward marriage, many seem to be placing greater weight on emotional readiness, financial stability and the long-term viability of a relationship before deciding to marry,” the organization explained. “Based on Barna’s broader research on Gen Z, young adults today report high levels of anxiety, uncertainty and emotional complexity in their daily lives — factors that may shape how they approach long-term decisions like marriage.”

These fears and anxieties are unfortunate, though not shocking, given the costs of basic needs such as housing, food and other essentials. Add in education loans and the pressures that come with simply making it in a chaotic culture, and it’s unsurprising so many younger people feel such intense pressure.

This dynamic, in turn, makes a commitment such as marriage harder to fathom for some or, at the least, more of a distant goal achievable once emotions and circumstances temper.

While this is understandable — and even fixable as economic factors and social structures ease — the more troubling pattern surrounds Gen Z’s perspective on child-rearing. With just 67% agreeing that “marriage is important for raising children,” it seems there’s an erosion with which we must contend.

Not only is this the lowest percentage for any generation, but, according to Barna, it “signals a growing openness to different family structures and a loosening of the once-assumed link between marriage and parenting.”

And let’s not forget the 74% who believe they’ll find fulfillment without children. Parenting is deeply enriching and teaches people a great deal about themselves — and life. For Gen Z, as Barna noted, marriage is “no longer seen as the defining framework for family life in the way it once was.”

So what does all this mean? In some ways, we’re exploring the implications in real time. For one, the delay in marriage entails costs and benefits.

While marrying young is an incredible way to explore how to die to self and live for others during a formative time in our lives, there’s also something to be said for making sure we are economically and emotionally ready to take on such a massive responsibility.

Consider that Barna found 42% of millennials are now married and have just a 5% divorce rate. This is the lowest for any generation being tracked, prompting some to wonder whether the delay in marriage can yield more positive outcomes.

Regardless, culture more broadly must take a deeper look at the pressures that are delaying marriage to identify where policies and structural changes can help relieve unneeded burdens. Churches and faith leaders also must take an active role.

Younger generations are spending more time living single before finding a permanent partner. These institutions should intentionally pour into these people to help them form the emotional capabilities and skills needed — the selflessness, love of God and understanding of family structures — to create and foster positive and fulfilling marriages.

And churches should find ways to drive home the importance of a selflessness that sees children not as a burden but as a heritage that helps strengthen individuals, families and culture. The future state of our families — and nation — depends on it.

GFK