Children's Spirituality: Christian Perspectives, Research, and Applications
Chapter Summaries
I. Definitions, Theologies, Theories and Methods of Research
This chapter introduces the
book with examples of children's spiritual experiences and a discussion of
attempts to define the topic. Walter Wangerin's description of children's
spiritual development, as well as a summary of one of his presentations at the
conference, are also included. The book is summarized as well.
Jerome Berryman,
author of Godly Play, suggests that two
crucial questions confront the church regarding children: “What
is the basic nature of children?” and “What is the basic nature of the
adults who teach children?” The relationship
between adult spirituality and that of
children needs to be considered carefully, as even a brief overview of church
history reflects a deep ambivalence regarding the nature of children, in contrast
with the high view of children held by Christ.
Through a critical retrieval
of insights from the Bible and the Christian tradition, Marcia
Bunge guides readers in forming a rich, complex view of children.
Such a biblically informed theological understanding of children has several
positive implications for strengthening religious education and spiritual
formation programs, deepening theological and
ethical reflection on children, and renewing
the church's commitment to serving and protecting all children.
Theologian/Christian
educator Klaus Issler considers the question,
“What does the Bible say about a child’s status before God and the
child’s relationship with God?” Key biblical passages indicate that children
are a special class before God; they are regarded as
within some kind of “safe” zone until they arrive at the age of discernment.
Yet children are similar to adults in that
they are persons created in the image of God and thus are to be welcomed
into a genuine relationship with God appropriate to their developmental
abilities.
Shelley Campagnola
highlights several other key biblical passages, particularly some of the Old
Testament texts and themes that speak to the
theological and biblical value of the child in the biblical community. These
texts form an important background to understanding Jesus’ profound statement
recorded in Matthew 18:3: “I tell you to the truth, unless you change and
become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” What
Jesus said here was not new theology but rather a profound and climatic summary
of what God revealed throughout the Old Testament era.
Well-known researcher and
theorist Rebecca Nye considers the research
of children’s religion, faith, and spirituality, which has an extensive
history. However, she points out that the spiritual
nature of the child has often been overlooked
for most of this history. Nye’s research of children and key constructs
that help develop an adequate definition of children’s spirituality are
highlighted, as well as the difficulty of helping children articulate their
spiritual experiences.
Wendy Haight emphasizes that
spiritual development is embedded within a
social and historical context, as children actively observe and
increasingly participate with others in the routine, everyday practices through
which culture is maintained and elaborated. The
author’s own study of children’s socialization
within an African American church focuses on the ways adults and
children co-construct spiritual stories during Sunday School. This illustrates
the importance of an expanded perspective on diverse
cultural groups to disentangle universal from
culturally variable aspects of spiritual development, as
well as bring to the fore questions that have not yet been adequately addressed
in a developmental literature focused on the
European-American middle-class.
Eugene Roehlkepartain of
Search Institute explores scientific and theological perspectives
on children’s spirituality. He asks questions such as, “What is known about
spiritual development from both scientific and theological perspectives?”
and “What are critical questions and issues for strengthening this
field of inquiry?” Search Institute has launched a major initiative—which is
interfaith and international in scope—to address
these questions, advance interdisciplinary
understanding, and improve spirit-nurturing practices in families, congregations,
and other settings.
This chapter highlights the
attention given to children by early Methodists and
examines Wesleyan theological perspectives on the child’s spirituality and
potential for relationship with God. Understandings
of spirituality during childhood are also
drawn from the broader Wesleyan theology by author Catherine
Stonehouse. Wesley’s views on the nurture and education of children are
explored for insights applicable in the nurture of 21st century children.
Scottie May and Donald
Ratcliff consider how brain development and
function relate to children’s spiritual experience. They ask, “Why
do children in settings that appear to evoke wonder and awe become slow-paced
and calm, producing a reflective mood?” and “What, if any, might be
the role of the limbic system of the brain in children’s responses to these
type of settings?” German theologian Rudolf Otto
described similar spiritual experiences as a
non-rational complement to the rational thought involved in theology.
The experience of the numinous—a term he adapted from Count Zinzendorf—includes
the world of the Holy, Otherness, and God, and is an important
topic for future study and research.
Chris Boyatizis and Babette
Newman argue that a comprehensive and valid
understanding of children’s spirituality requires a multi-method
approach that will provide insight on the multifaceted essence of
spirituality. Definitions of children’s spirituality are explored, as well as
a wide variety of research methods that can
be adapted for use with children. The chapter
concludes with a call for researchers to ensure high levels of methodological
rigor, increasing the visibility and acceptance of research on children’s
spirituality by a scholarly audience and providing maximum applied value
for families, congregations, schools, and communities.
II. Encouraging Children’s Spirituality in the Home
Chris Boyatzis returns to
consider the research literature on family
socialization processes that has characterized the child as a rather passive
recipient of parental “transmission” of religion
and spirituality. Boyatzis challenges that
venerable view of children with data from at-home conversations between
parents and children about religious and spiritual issues. The content and
structure of parent-child conversations were analyzed, leading to the conclusion
that children are active participants in family exploration of religion.
Relevant psychoanalytic and
developmental psychologies are reviewed to draw implications for the development
of the child’s concept of God and sense of
relatedness to God. This chapter by authors Bellous, Summey, and
de Roos, is an exercise in practical theology, a key intersection of academic,
church, and public life. While Ana-Maria Rizzuto’s
work is of central concern, additional
understandings from the work of Bowlby, Stern, Erikson, Kohut, Cohler,
Galatzer-Levy and Orthodox theology are addressed, as well as a recent research
study by one of the authors.
Timothy Sisemore examines
the development of the doctrine of original
sin, with emphasis upon how it was expressed in Puritan writings. He
considers how this doctrine worked out in the practice of these believers,
and the implications for modern ministry to children
and parents.
This chapter portrays six
children seeking God, and highlights the context of spiritual development. While child development theories have been
very influential in the study of religious
and faith development, they tend to emphasize
universal stages that may obscure the importance of family, religious, and
social contexts. Author Dana Hood studied six kindergarten children, their
families, and their Sunday school teachers,
emphasizing the interactive, multifaceted
nature of children’s spiritual development.
III. Encouraging Children’s Spirituality in the Church
Chapter 16 explores
congregational practices that nurture the faith of children,
reporting on preliminary analysis from the Children in Congregations Project.
The research team for this project—including authors Mercer, Matthews, and
Walz—was involved in a year-long ethnographic study of three Protestant
congregations and their practices with children.
Common features across the three
congregations’ practices that nurture the faith lives of children are summarized.
Holly Catterton Allen
examines intergenerational Christian experiences empirically, theoretically, practically, educationally, and
theologically. Specific intergenerational Christian experiences that can
promote children’s spirituality are
surveyed. Biblical and theological evidence and empirical support for
the benefits of this approach are provided.
This chapter summarizes the
spirituality of African American and Latino children
and cultures, presented by authors Crozier and Conde-Frazier, with attention
to the role narrative inquiry can play in doing research on children’s spirituality
and Christian education. The study of a three and a half year old African
American female is discussed which focus on several key themes: 1. spiritual
gifts, 2. the role of prayer, 3. the position and presence of Jesus, and 4.
the power of Jesus and God. The spiritual characteristics of Latino children
are also considered in this chapter.
IV. Encouraging Children’s Spirituality in the School and Other
Contexts
Narrative education is an
effective process by which the moral formation of
children can be advanced by Ford and Wong claims. Narrative education
involves the integration of traditional methods of teaching with the shared
experiences of students, and promotes sharing their experiences. The value
of the narrative approach to Christian education in facilitating the spiritual
development of children is also considered.
James Estep and Lillian
Breckenridge state that while the social
contexts of spiritual formation in childhood have often been emphasized by
Christian educators, there is much to be gained by adding the often overlooked
insights of Urie Bronfenbrenner and Lev Vygotsky. Spiritual direction
during the childhood years should be primarily based upon life span development
and the social-cultural environment.
The stages of faith
development in children are considered by
Joyce Ruppell, with an exploration of the ways teachers and caregivers can
implement appropriate practices in their work with
children in relation to spiritual and moral
growth. Faith should be integrated into the total curriculum, with
an emphasis upon faith, hope and love within a healthy environment that nurtures
faith.
Chapter 22 considers
spiritual influences in helping children cope with life stressors.
A summary of existing theory and research is presented by authors Pendleton,
Benore, Jonas, Norwood, and Herrmann, who then summarize their
own three original research studies representing the their own perspectives
as psychologists, medical doctors, and a missionary
studying missionary children. Throughout the
chapter the story of little Sarah and her struggle with cancer exemplifies
the common means children use to cope with the tragedies and hardships
of life.
Gary Newton examines the
components of effective programs for
unchurched, at-risk children in urban contexts, components that contribute
to the goals of long-term spiritual growth and the
establishment of stable families, churches,
and communities. Leaders from 14 highly effective inner city
children’s programs in the United States and Canada were interviewed in
the United States and Canada, who provided valuable
insights in helping urban children, families,
and communities.
V. Reflecting on the Past and Looking to the Future
Kevin Lawson—the director
of the conference planning team and coordinator of
the entire effort—reflects on the
conference and anticipates the next conference currently scheduled for 2006.
He summarizes how the “Children’s Spirituality Conference: Christian Perspectives”
came to be, what came out of the conference, some signs of children’s
ministry renewal in the church, and plans for the future conference.
This appendix provides a
summary of 14 models of children’s ministry
presented at the conference.
This second appendix is an
article that first appeared in a 1892 journal founded one year earlier
by the famous psychologist G. Stanley Hall. A wide variety of California children
were studied to examine their understandings of key religious concepts. This
research report may well be the first systematic research of children’s
spiritual/religious development.