According to Focus on the Family, the University of Washington did a new study on children and found that church, family and school help protect children from engaging in brutal street behavior, which indicates how God and a good two-parent family bring positive influences in a child’s life.

In order to conduct the research, 154 Seattle young teenagers who were known to be extremely aggressive by the local school system were chosen. Out of those 154 students, 35 percent had engaged in violent behavior by the time they reached 18. However it was found that only 11 percent of black teenagers whose parents practiced "good family-management skills (such) as actively providing supervision, setting clear rules and expectations for behavior and reinforcing good work habits" became violent by the time they reached18 whereas 45 percent of teenagers who grew without good parental support became delinquent.

Mychal Massie, spokesman for the Project 21 Campaign, said the survey results are surprising.

"Here is your empowerment through God, through Christ, to overcome your hostile environment," he said.

Robert Knight, director of the Culture and Family Institute at Concerned Women for America, said it is important for children to be accountable to their parents and to God.

"(Teens) need accountability to their parents, and when they have accountability to God, that's their greatest protection of all," he explained. "When they keep a close relationship with their parents, with their church, with people who will influence them in a positive way, you get good outcomes.

"It's those . . . kids who don't have those connections that we see getting into trouble, getting into teen pregnancy, drugs, sex, crime, you name it."