How Carrie Underwood Will Raise Her Son as a Christian with a 'Loving Heart'

"Mike and I talk about teaching him how to approach everybody in a loving way, even if they're not the same," she tells PEOPLE in this week's cover story

Country star (and new mom!) Carrie Underwood opens up about body issues, breast-feeding struggles, and how she makes her marriage work. Subscribe now for exclusive family photos and an inside look into how she’s adjusting to motherhood, only in PEOPLE!

She is seven months into motherhood, and Carrie Underwood feels like she’s in a good groove when it comes to the day-to-day routine of diaper changes, bathtime and the nightly ritual of reading children’s Bible stories with her son Isaiah Michael and husband Mike Fisher.

Proud of her Christian faith — a decorative sign in her Tennessee cabin quotes Romans 3:25 (“Nothing But the Blood of Jesus”) — the “Jesus Take the Wheel” singer, 32, is also on the record as a supporter of gay marriage.

And although Isaiah is still little, she and Fisher have discussed what they plan to teach him on the subject.

Joe Pugliese for PEOPLE

The new parents want their 7-month-old son to “have a loving heart toward people who are different,” the Grammy winner, whose new album Storyteller is out Oct. 23, tells PEOPLE in this week’s cover story.

“Mike and I talk about teaching him how to approach everybody in a loving way, even if they’re not the same, and to try to say, ‘You know what? God loves them, so it should be my job to do my best to love them as well.’ ”

Heather Pohlman

Growing up in a conservative Christian home in Oklahoma, “there was a lot about church that was really scary to a child who can’t understand it all,” she says.

“We want to go to church, not just for lessons and learning, but also to have a community and be surrounded by people who are just trying to raise their kids up good. Keeping everything as loving as possible, you know?”

Joe Pugliese for PEOPLE

For much more of Carrie Underwood’s intimate interview and exclusive personal photos, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday.

— Michelle Tauber