Social - cultural context pt. 2

Remember that in each chapter of Children's Spirituality there's more treasure to be had than just the things I'm blogging about.

"...[C]hildren's religious beliefs affect and are affected by their families, religious background and other aspects of the sociocultural context...These conceptualizations of children's spiritual development as profoundly social are consistent with recent sociocultural theory and research in developmental psychology, which emphasizes that children are born into relationships, families, and communities that shape and are shaped by his/her development." (CS p. 110) . Sometimes "social" in worship or religious ed is considered disruptive. How can we make this work for us, not against us?

Children are also born into a cultural, "social, and historical context" (CS p. 111) She says that "religion and spirituality may illuminate the mysterious quality of 'resilience (Garmezy, 1985)" Historically, African-American faith has made them a "resilient" people, a people "able to find meaning in their lives even in the face of extraordinary hardship." Other people groups are also wonderful examples of this. (CS p. 109) What is the historic/cultural/social context that your children have been born into? Why is it significant?

She concludes saying "Even in early childhood, youngsters combine fragments of stories and images given by their cultures into their own interpretations of God and the sacred. The question of how children develop their spirituality 'in conversation' with others - both adults and children, during everyday routines and special activies deserves serious consideration from Christian educators, parents, and scholars." (CS p. 117) Another intriguing question. Remember that passage in Deuteronomy "as you rise up and as you sit down and as you walk along the way" ?