Narrative Education 2

Ford and Wong see narrative education as an important tool for faith building in children at school, church, and home. It's one way children learn about God, human beings, themselves. "This understanding develops from the children's experience of relationships...These relationships [I'd assume this to apply to all of a child's relationships not just among peers and with their instructor] are an integral component of faith education in children, for relationships provide 'the language by which we communicate the truth of God at work in history' as well as in the lives of humanity today. (Miller, 1956) " Narrative education "equips children with reason, embodied learning, and an empowered voice...it brings scripture to life." It "promotes the embodiment of empathy, the capacity to reason empathetically, and the skills to articulate one's story in an empowered voice."(CS p. 316)

They go on to emphasize it's importance at home. Over the last 150 years, focus on education has shifted from home to church/school to school. They say, "The professionalizing of both the public school and church was associated with a shift away from the home for spiritual education. Perhaps parents feel less capable of encouraging their children's faith, even though dozens of research studies clearly indicate that parental influence generally overshadows all other influences in this respect. (Hyde 1990) "(CS p. 317)

They see the role of the church "to teach the Bible and bring theology and theological reflection from the pulpit into all church ministries, including ministries that specifically encourage and support parental faith formation of their children... [and] affirming the historical doctrine and creeds that are bedrocks of Christian education. With a strong biblical foundation and philosophy taught and lived in the life of the church, parents can be equipped to teach their children how to view the world and live life from a Christian perspective. . . Strong theological and biblical teaching in the church will help prepare parents to teach these in the home. . .The relationship between parents and children is conducive to discipleship."(CS p. 317-318)

"In the Scriptures, it is clear that the historic Christian faith is rooted in a story-the story of God's relationship with his people. . .The story of God and his people continues to unfold in the lives of his people today. The Christian story becomes alive in children's minds and hearts by telling and retelling both the personal story of faith and the collective stories of God's activities to one's children. Children are inundated by alternative and often contradictory stories through the mass media and other sources, and thus the church and parents must be certain the Christian story is heard and owned by their youngsters." They talk about teaching the Biblical narrative as more than Biblical facts. They talk about lifelong learning - a requirement for discipleship. (CS p. 319)

"Unfortunately, parents do not always teach their children to think for themselves and internalize matters related to belief and ultimate truths, thus their faith may be vulnerable in the face of cultural and educational challenges [I'd add emotional challenges as well]. . . Critical thinking can be encouraged by asking children engaging questions, and encouraging them to discuss indeas deeply, and thereby evaluate contemporary thought and culture. Parents and teachers can help children develop skills of discernment in all areas of life by encouraging them to seek and arrive at God's truth in their own way." (CS p. 319)