Winds of Change pt 1

Back on the serious side... This post comes in 3 parts.

Based on her interviews with children, Rebecca Nye* defines children's spirituality as "relational consciousness." She says, "[it is] an unusual level of consciousness or perceptiveness relative to other passages for that child. . . this was often in the context of how the child related to things, especially people including themselves and God." (CS p. 9) It seems that the church, in general, has doubted a child's spiritual capacity.

She says, "My passionate concern at present is about preventing Christian nurture and education from suffering from . . . developing "parts" of a child's faith - her biblical knowledge here, her moral values there, plus a measure or two of supportive community ... Overlooking the primacy of spirituality develops, in effect a potentially life-long impression that faith involves just parts of the person, but doesn't really touch who people really are, and are continually becoming."(CS p. 91)

It seems that generically speaking "modern" thinking tends more to compartmentalize and "postmodern" thinking is tending to go more holistic. From what I've read, traditional Hebrew thinking seems to be more holistic.

"Ideally, spirituality has a relationship with religion, but in practice 'effective' religious education programs can develop religious characteristics that are disconnected from spirituality." (CS p. 92) ... a critical observation.

"It turns out that children, partly by virtue of their distinctive psychological characteristics, have an intriguingly rich capacity for spirituality, for a kind of religious knowing and being which is neither contingent on their religious knowledge nor moral accountability." (CS p. 93) Another critical observation.

We're discovering without question that there are overwealming challenges involved when we try to include our children in whatever ways we can in all the expressions of our walk with God in Christ for their formation and instruction. But at the same time, this particular researcher's observations about the nature of children and this kind of thinking supports our desire to do this.

I think that to minister to kids and families in a way that really grabs hold of what she's saying, looking for opportunities to help the whole child grow in each of us, we as adults have to see our own spirituality as the core of who we are not one of many compartments. I think that if we explore the implications, we'll find that thinking like this is more far-reaching than just finding ways to keep kids engaged during a single worship service or finding ways for them to participate. It's more far-reaching than providing separate age appropriate kid activities while adults are doing their thing. We're still seeing through a glass dimly here, but maybe the smoke is clearing.

The more I read, the more convinced I am that there are winds of change that are just beginning to blow that will shake Children's Ministry to it's core. I'm not saying that there aren't pockets of people thinking like this and I expect that the shift in paradigms is still a long ways off. I hope I live long enough to see it happen.

*Rebecca Nye is doing "ground breaking research" as a social scientist looking through a "Christian lens" at children's spirituality. She co-authored Spirit of the Child with David Hay, she is the research coordinator for the Godly play approach. She's coordinating a research intiative at Cambridge University. (CS p. 90)