Introduction
This chapter begins by showing why college is so consequential to Americans’ lives. It then describes how and why the US education system is stratified by social class. The road to college, especially a selective college, is much smoother for those who come from more affluent and educated families. The farther down on the socioeconomic ladder you go, the bumpier and steeper the climb to college becomes. Social class matters to children’s schooling because parents’ childrearing strategies continue to influence children even after they leave home. Yet the current narratives that we have about adolescents do not reflect their religious upbringing. The chapter introduces a new childrearing logic that cuts across social class groups and accounts for the role of religion: “religious restraint.” This chapter also describes the state of religion in America and explains why this book is primarily about “abiders”—Christians who display high degrees of religiosity.