Parenting in the Baptist Tradition: Understanding the Influence of Faith on Family Dynamics
Michael Ampofo 
, Victor Selorme Gedzi & John Kwaku Opoku
Issue: Vol.6 No.10 Article 28 pp.2619 -2635
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.202561028 | Published online 29th September, 2025
© 2025 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
This study investigated the impact of Baptist Christianity on parenting styles and children’s morality in the Sakumono zone, focusing on discipline, nurturing, guidance, and moral decision-making. Through purposive sampling and interviews with 20 participants from different Baptist churches in Sakumono, a suburb of Accra, the research revealed how Baptist beliefs shaped parenting practices, emphasizing doctrinal teachings, discipline, and moral integrity. The study highlighted the significance of prayer and Bible reading in fostering children’s spiritual growth and encouraging independent moral choices, with family dynamics reflecting a strong faith where children actively corrected parents if their actions contradicted scripture, promoting forgiveness, love, and loyalty. These findings contribute to understanding Moral Development Theory within the Baptist tradition and offer practical guidance for professionals working with Baptist families, recommending policy interventions to integrate religious education and support family-based initiatives. Acknowledging limitations such as sample size and potential biases, the study suggested future research to broaden its scope and enhance understanding across diverse religious denominations and geographical areas, fostering interfaith dialogue and collaboration to enrich discussions on religion, parenting, and morality.
Keywords: Baptist, Parenting, Morality, Christianity
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Michael Ampofo is currently pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy in the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi. His research focuses on Religion/Human Values And Development, Human Right And Morality And Ethics. He is a professional counselling Psychologist. Had his training from the University of Cape Coast. Currently, he is a member of Ghana Psychology Council- GPC, which is the governing council that has the constitutional mandate to License Counsellors and Psychologists in Ghana.
Prof. Victor Selorme Gedzi is a Professor (Associate) in Religion/Culture and Development in the Department of Religious Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana. His area of specialization is Religion and Development. He holds a PhD in Development Studies from the International Institute of Social Studies of Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Hague, the Netherlands. Internationally, Prof. Gedzi is a Nuffic Fellow; member of African Association for the Study of Religions (AASR); a Cambridge Publishing Editorial Advisory Board Member; a member of the European Centre for Research Training and Development (ECRT) UK.
Prof. John Kwaku Opoku is a Catholic Priest in the Catholic Archdiocese of Kumasi. He is an Associate Professor at the Department of Religious Studies – Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST). He has a B.A. in the study of Religion and Sociology (Legon, Ghana), an M.A. in Intercultural Theology (Radboud Universiteit-Nijmegen), a Master of Bioethics (Medical Colleges of Radboud Universiteit-Nijmegen, Catholic University of Leuven-Belgium, the Universities of Basel and Padova -Switzerland and Italy respectively) and a Ph.D. in Theology and Health (Radboud Universiteit-Nijmegen). His areas of specialization are Pastoral Theology, Bioethics, and Religion and Health.
Ampofo, Michael, Victor Selorme Gedzi and John Kwaku Opoku.“ Parenting in the Baptist Tradition: Understanding the Influence of Faith on Family Dynamics,” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 6, no. 10 (2025): 2605 – 2618, https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.202561028
© 2025 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Journals. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
