Children's Spirituality: Christian Perspectives, Research, and Applications
Authors
(in the order in which they appear in the book)
Donald Ratcliff
is Professor of Psychology at Vanguard University in Costa Mesa, California, and
Adjunct Professor of Christian Education at Talbot School of Theology in La
Mirada, California. He holds the Ph.D., Ed.S., and M.A. degrees in educational
psychology from The University of Georgia and Michigan State University. He has
studied children’s spirituality and religious development for more than 25
years, and has edited several books related to these areas including Handbook of
Children’s Religious Education, Handbook of Preschool Religious Education and
Handbook of Family Religious Education. In addition he was the senior author of
The Complete Guide to Religious Education Volunteers, and coauthored several
books on psychology with psychiatrists Paul Meier and Frank Minirth. The author
of several dozen journal articles and book chapters, he also developed widely
cited web pages related to qualitative research. He serves as a volunteer with
inner city children’s ministry in Los Angeles, and was the assistant to the
director of the conference planning team.
Scottie May, after
receiving a MA in Educational Ministries from Wheaton College (IL) with a focus
on
ministry families, obtained a Ph.D. in Education with emphasis on children’s
faith experiences, at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (IL). Presently, she
serves
as Assistant Professor in the Department of Christian Formation and Ministry at
Wheaton
College. Along with Cathy Stonehouse, Beth Posterski, and Linda Cannell,
she
is co-authoring a textbook on children’s ministry to be published in 2005 by
Eerdmans. Scottie has also written several
articles published in academic journals on children’s ministry.
She has three children and seven grandchildren.
Jerome Berryman
is Executive Director of the Center for the Theology
of Childhood, but is best known for developing “Godly Play,” an approach to
children’s spiritual education and experience that encourages quiet reflection
on stories adapted from the Bible. Berryman has served as an adjunct professor
for The Houston Graduate School of Theology as well as Baylor College of
Medicine in relation to pediatric pastoral care. His degrees include a J.D. from
the University of Tulsa Law School, as well as a D.Min. and M.Div. from
Princeton Theological Seminary, and additional work at Oxford University and the
Center for Advanced Montessori Studies in Italy. An Episcopalian priest, Jerome
served as Canon Educator at Christ Church Cathedral in Houston for ten years,
and also as a hospital chaplain with seriously ill and dying children. He has
authored several books including Godly Play, Teaching Godly Play, and a series
of curriculum guides for Godly Play. He also wrote some 30 journal articles and
more than 10 chapters of edited books. In 1997 he received the Kilgore Creative
Ministry Award from Claremont School of Theology and in 2003 he was presented
with the Episcopal Communications Polly Bond Award of Excellence for the best
Theological Reflection. He presently serves on the national board of The
Association of Professors and Researchers in Religious Education.
Marcia Bunge is Professor of
Theology and Humanities, Christ College, Valparaiso University; editor of The
Child in Christian Thought (Eerdmans, 2001); co-chair of the “Childhood
Studies and Religion Consultation” of the American Academy of Religion; and
director of the Childhood Studies, Religion and Ethics Project. She is currently
working on a book on the vocation of parenting. Sections of this article appear
in her essay, “A more vibrant theology of children” in Christian Reflection:
A Series in Faith and Ethics (July, 2003). She has spoken widely on the
theological understanding of children and has written several articles on the
subject.
Klaus Issler is
Professor of Christian Education and Theology, at Talbot School of Theology,
Biola University, primarily teaching in the Ph.D. in Educational Studies
program. He earned a B.A. in Philosophy at California State University, Long
Beach; an M.A. in Education at the University of California, Riverside; a Th.M.
at Dallas Theological Seminary, Dallas, Texas; and a Ph.D. in Education at
Michigan State University. Dr. Issler authored Wasting Time with God: A
Christian Spirituality of Friendship with God, and co-authored Teaching for
Reconciliation: Foundations and Practice of Christian Educational Ministry and
How We Learn: A Christian Teacher’s Guide to Educational Psychology. He also
has published a handful of journal articles and book chapters. In 2004 he
received the faculty Award of Excellence in Scholarship at Biola University.
Shelley Campagnola has
a business degree from the University of Guelph and an M.T.S. degree from
Heritage Theological Seminary. She is an adjunct professor at Heritage Bible
College in Cambridge, Ontario, teaching courses in Children’s Ministries; a
pastor with the Mennonite Brethren Conference, and she is also Chair of the
Children’s Ministry Forum with the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. This
contribution is preliminary work toward a doctoral thesis.
Rebecca Nye conducted
ground-breaking research for her doctoral dissertation in England, which later
was published in the book The Spirit of the Child (1998), coauthored with David
Hay. Dr. Nye is now coordinating a children’s spirituality research initiative
at Cambridge University, and is the research coordinator for the Godly Play
approach to children’s spirituality. She is in great demand as a conference
speaker, and also speaks regularly in churches about the implications of her
research and the importance of nurturing the child’s spirituality. She has
authored several major journal articles on children’s spirituality, in
addition to several book chapters on related topics.
Wendy Haight received
her PhD from the University of Chicago where she studied developmental and
cultural psychology. She is an associate professor and PhD program director at
the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign in the School of Social Work. She
is the author or co-author of four books: Pretending at Home: Development in
Sociocultural Context, American Children at Church: A Sociocultural Perspective,
Raise Up a Child: Human Development in an African-American Family and
Reflections on Human Behavior in the Social Environment: A
Developmental-Ecological Framework for Social Work Practice. She is the author
or co-author of 20 journal articles and numerous book chapters on development in
sociocultural contexts.
Eugene C. Roehlkepartain
is senior advisor to the president at Search
Institute, a Minneapolis-based nonprofit organization that provides leadership,
knowledge, and resources to promote healthy children, youth, and communities.
Roehlkepartain serves as project manager for the institute’s initiative on
spiritual development. He is author of The Teaching Church (1993) and an editor
of two forthcoming books on children’s spirituality.
Catherine Stonehouse
received her MRE from Asbury Theological Seminary and
her PhD in Education from Michigan State University. She has served as a
Director of Christian Education in local churches, in curriculum development and
in denominational Christian education leadership positions within the Free
Methodist Church. Currently she is Orlean Bullard Beeson Professor of Christian
Education at Asbury Theological Seminary. Stonehouse is the author of Patterns
in Moral Development, and Joining Children of the Spiritual Journey: Nurturing a
Life of Faith. She also has contributed chapters for three books, essays in
Christian Education dictionaries, and has published several scholarly journal
articles.
Chris Boyatzis
is Associate Professor of Psychology at Bucknell University. He received
his
Ph.D. and M.A. degrees from Brandeis University and B.A. from Boston University. Boyatzis has organized and edited several
special issues devoted to religious and spiritual
development,
and has written chapters on the topic for many major handbooks. In
addition,
he has published about 40 articles and chapters in academic journals and
books.
In 2001, he organized the first pre-conference at the biennial meetings of the
Society
for Research in Child Development on religious and spiritual development.
This
pre-conference will have its third meeting in 2005. Boyatzis is married to an
Episcopal priest, has two daughters, conducts
parenting programs at churches in many denominations,
and is active at a local and national level in religious education.
Babette T. Newman
received her Bachelors degree in Psychology from Thiel
College and her Masters degree in Clinical Psychology from West Virginia
University. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Child Development at Virginia
Polytechnic Institute and State University where she is an adjunct instructor.
Her primary research interest is the spiritual development of children and
adolescents. She has worked as a psychologist in community mental health and in
physical rehabilitation, as well as a neuropsychometrist with children and
adults. She is also married and the mother of two young men.
Joyce E. Bellous
is Associate Professor of Lay Empowerment and
Discipleship at McMaster Divinity College where she has taught since 1993. She
has published over 30 essays on education, ethics and culture as book chapters
and journal articles. Her current research is focused on children and
spirituality and she was a Conference Respondent at the fifth annual
International Conference on Children’s Spirituality in Lincoln England. Her
Ph.D. is in the Philosophy of Education from the University of Alberta, her M.A.
is in Policy Studies and Multicultural Education while her B.Ed is in Education,
both from The University of Calgary, and her B.A. is in Psychology and
Philosophy from the University of Alberta.
Simone A. de Roos
obtained her Ph.D. at the Catholic University in
Nijmegen in the Netherlands in Developmental Psychology. She is currently a
researcher in Religious Education at the Department of Philosophy and History of
Education at the Free University Amsterdam. She is also an internal school
consultant at the Christian elementary school Johan Weststeijn in the
Netherlands. She has published several journal articles and has two chapters
published in books written in German.
William Summey
has an M.Div. and Ph.D. in Religion from Vanderbilt
University. He is Editor in chief of the parenting magazines ParentLife and
BabyLife as well as several children’s devotional magazines, all produced by
LifeWay Christian Resources. He is also adjunct professor of religion at Belmont
University.
Timothy A. Sisemore,
Ph.D., is Professor and Dean of Clinical Activities at the Psychological Studies
Institute in Chattanooga and Atlanta, specializing in counseling children and
adolescents. He received his M.A. in theology and Ph.D. in clinical psychology
from Fuller Theological Seminary. Dr. Sisemore is author of I Bet...I Won’t
Fret, a guide for children with anxiety disorders, Of Such is the Kingdom:
Nurturing Children in the Light of Scripture, and numerous journal articles. He
is also a husband and father.
Dana Kennamer Hood
received her Ph.D. from the University of Texas
in Austin. She currently serves as Associate Professor of Education at Abilene
Christian University. In addition to several journal articles and book chapters,
Dana has published the book Beautiful in God’s Eyes, a study of women in the
Bible for young teenage girls. She has done extensive work in curriculum
development with David C. Cook Publishing Company and presents at national
conferences on various topics including childhood spiritual formation and
childhood brain development.
Joyce Ann Mercer
is Associate Professor of Practical Theology and
Christian Education at San Francisco Theological Seminary. She has a Ph.D. from
Emory University, a D.Min. from McCormick Theological Seminary, an M.S.W. from
the University of Connecticut Graduate School of Social Work, and an M.Div. from
Yale Divinity School. An ordained minister with the Presbyterian Church (USA),
she is also a licensed independent clinical social worker. She has written 18
journal articles and is the author of a forthcoming book on theology and
childhood to be published by Chalice Press.
Deborah L. Matthews
holds an M.Div. and a Diploma in Spiritual Formation
Studies from San Francisco Theological Seminary, as well as an M.A. in Christian
Spirituality from the Graduate Theological Union. She is a candidate for
ordination in the Presbyterian Church (USA), and has published one journal
article.
Scott Walz has
an M.A. in Early Childhood Education from Concordia University in River Forest,
Illinois and an M.Div. from Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary in Berkeley,
California. He is currently working on an M.A. in Liturgical Studies at the
Graduate Theological Union and Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary. Scott is
ordained in the United Church of Christ.
Holly Catterton Allen
is an associate professor at John Brown University and the Director of the
Children and Family Ministry program in the Biblical Studies Division at JBU.
Her Ph.D. in Christian Education is from Talbot School of Theology. She has also
studied at Abilene Christian University, received an M.A. from The University of
Iowa, and a B.A. from Harding University. Dr. Allen’s areas of specialty are
children’s spirituality and intergenerational issues. She speaks regularly at
conferences and churches concerning these issues, and has written about them for
several journals and other Christian publications. She also wrote a chapter in
Children of Promise (by McAlpine and Russell, World Vision, 2003). She has
served as an adjunct professor in Hong Kong and for Talbot School of Theology.
She is the co-chair of the planning team for the second national Children’s
Spirituality Conference: Christian Perspectives to be held in June of 2006.
Karen Crozier is
a doctoral student at Claremont School of Theology in the Theology and
Personality program in the Religious Education option. She received her B.A. in
psychology from UCLA, and her M.A. in Early Childhood Education from California
State University, Fresno. She has published two other articles, both of them on
public education.
Elizabeth Conde-Frazier
is Associate Professor of Religious Education at the Claremont School of
Theology and adjunct professor at the Latin American Bible Institute. She
received a B.A. degree from Brooklyn College of the City University of New York,
an M.Div. from Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary and a Ph.D in theology and
religious education from Boston College. Her publications include the
forthcoming book Hispanic Bible Institutes: Communities Doing Theology, the
co-authored book A Many Colored Kingdom: Multicultural Dynamics for Spiritual
Formation, an edited book titled Multicultural Models of Religious Education, a
chapter in the book Christian Scholarship for What? and several journal articles
on the spirituality of the scholar, multiculturalism, theology, and education.
Victoria M. Ford
holds a BA in Anthropology, with a minor in
Peace Studies, from McMaster University (2001). She also holds a Masters in
Religious Education (MRE) from McMaster Divinity College (2003). Victoria’s
graduate studies focused on the roles narratives play (or could play) in the
education of children. She learned of the value of narratives as an educational
tool, and designed a methodology for narrative education based in a Christian
context. In 2002, Victoria ran a “Children’s Ministry Consultation,” at
McMaster Divinity College, and in 2003 Victoria presented a paper titled
“Narrative Education and the Spiritual and Moral Development of Children” at
a Baptist Women of Ontario and Quebec, Toronto Association, conference. Her
masters thesis, “Telling Tales: The Role of Narratives in the Education of
Children,” was published by McMaster University Press in 2003. She continues
to research the role of narratives in education and working on the further
development and possible implementation of her methodology of narrative
education in both the Christian and public educational spheres. Victoria lives
in Dundas, Ontario, Canada, with her husband and is expecting their first child
in November 2004.
Esther Wong holds a BS from
Michigan State University and has taught Bible classes for children, youths, and
adults for over 20 years. She was the associate director at Fuller Seminary’s
Doctor of Ministry program where she developed educational strategies to equip
pastors and church leaders to respond effectively to contemporary ministry
challenges in the US and abroad. Prior to her work at Fuller, Esther was a
project manager for World Vision and was involved in the development of
communication strategies and in the coordination of program coalitions. Esther
is currently working on program initiatives to implement Christian Education for
the 21st Century in churches and homes. She is also associated with Lifespring
Ministry where the focus of her work is on educating and mobilizing the
community of faith to respond to urban ministry challenges in Aurora, Illinois.
Esther lives in Naperville, Illinois with her husband and three children where
she also chairs the curriculum committee of the Parent Diversity Advisory
Council in her school district.
James Riley Estep, Jr.
is Professor of Christian Education at Lincoln
Christian Seminary. He earned a bachelor’s degree at Cincinnati Bible College,
then an MA in Near East Studies, an MA in New Testament Studies (1988), and an
M.Div. in Apologetics (1989) from Cincinnati Bible Seminary. He completed his
D.Min. in Christian Education from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and
his Ph.D. in Educational Studies from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Dr.
Estep was the co-editor and contributor to two books: C.E.: The Heritage of
Christian Education and Management Essentials for Christian Ministry, as well as
publishing several chapters and articles.
Lillian Breckenridge
possesses a Ph.D. in Religious Education from Southwestern Baptist Theological
Seminary, an M.A.L.S. degree in sociology from the University of Valparaiso, and
an M.R.E. in Religious Education from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
She coauthored What Color is Your God? Multicultural Education in the Church
with James Breckenridge. She has contributed several topics to Magill’s
Encyclopedia of Social Science: Psychology as well as writing a number of
entrees in Baker Dictionary of Christian Education.
Joyce C. Ruppell
has an M.Ed in Early Childhood Education from Rhode
Island College. She has served as a director and teacher in faith based early
childhood programs throughout the state of Rhode Island since 1978. She
currently holds the position of Project Coordinator for the Keys to Quality
Project which provides support, training and technical assistance to school
districts in Rhode Island. Joyce is a member of the Ecumenical Childcare Network
and the National Association for the Education of Young Children.
Sara Pendleton
received her M.D. degree from the University of
Michigan and is currently Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Wayne State
Medical School and the Children’s Hospital of Michigan. She also completed the
Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program training at the University of
Michigan. The recipient of numerous honors and awards in medicine, she has
served as a consultant and speaker for the National Institute for Healthcare
Research, the International Center for the Integration of Health and
Spirituality, and speaks on Spirituality in Medicine for the Templeton
Foundation. She serves on several regional and university boards as well. Her
current research includes both qualitative and quantitative research on religion
and spirituality in pediatric medicine. She has developed a religious-spiritual
coping model for children with chronic illness.
Ethan Benore recently
received his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Bowling Green State University.
He is currently completing a post-doctoral fellowship in Pediatric Psychology at
the Cleveland Clinic. Ethan co-authored articles and chapters on bereavement and
religious/spiritual coping in adults, pursued empirical research on
sanctification theory and religious coping in children, and conducted several
studies in the psychology of religion with a research team located at Bowling
Green State University.
Wendy Norwood graduated
magna cum laude from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga with her
Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology. She then went on to obtain her Master
of Arts degree in Professional Counseling from Psychological Studies Institute
in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Katherine A. Jonas
holds a M.A. in Professional Counseling from
Psychological Studies Institute, received an M.A.T. from Columbia International
University, and a B.A. from King College. She is counselor at The Guidance
Center in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
Carol Herrmann received
her Ph.D. from Northwestern University, an M.A. from Wheaton College, an M.S. in
education from Northern Illinois University, and a B.S. in education. She has
conducted several research studies of missionaries and their children, served as
a missionary seminary professor in the Philippines for nearly a quarter of a
century, and was the Missionary Scholar in Residence and Resident Scholar at the
Billy Graham Center in Wheaton. She is currently an independent researcher.
Gary Newton received
his PhD in Educational Studies from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.
Presently he serves as Director of the Educational Ministries Program and
Professor of Educational Ministries at the Graduate School of Christian
Ministries at Huntington College. He has written Growing Towards Spiritual
Maturity and nineteen book chapters or journal articles. He also volunteers as
Director of the Huntington Kids Club, a ministry to unchurched, at-risk
children, and is Pastor of Spiritual Formation at a new church planted in
downtown Huntington.
Kevin E. Lawson,
(Ed.D., University of Maine), serves as Director of the Ph.D. and Ed.D. programs
in Educational Studies at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University. He also
serves as Editor of the Christian Education Journal. Dr. Lawson is the author of
How to Thrive in Associate Staff Ministry (Alban Institute, 2000), Theology and
Christian Education in the 20th Century: An Annotated Bibliography (NAPCE,
2001), and a variety of articles on the history and theology of Christian
education, Evangelical Christian education foundations, associate staff ministry
research and on theological reflection for Christian education practice. He
served as a Minister of Christian Education in local churches for eleven years
and was heavily involved with ministries with children.