More from Children's Spirituality. Chapter 20. "The Ecology and Social Dynamics of Childhood Spirituality" by James Riley Estep, Jr. and Lillian Breckenridge. I'll try to keep it short. Bits and pieces from the first part from An Ecological Perspective-Lillian Breckenridge. I hope this makes sense:
The author says we must understand the spiritual growth or "spiritual formation" of children not only in terms of what is going on inside that child but the individual child in the context of his environment. The environment that affects a child's spiritual growth isn't just home, school, church, etc but also the way these influences affect each other and the ways they're connected. Example: the child's experience at school (a child's ability to read) influences his/her experience at church (having to read and write to learn about Jesus.) (CS p. 325)
"...development never takes place in a vacuum but it is always expressed through behaviour in a particular environmental context." [Brofenbrenner, 1979] (CS p. 329)
"If spiritual formation is viewed as permeating every aspect of the individual, it should be understood in a way that is consistent with general principles of human development...at the same time there is a basic difference. One's spirituality is greater than the sum of the other areas of development...fundamental to human experience.. ...all of one's humanity and more...it eludes measurement. . . (CS p. 329)
As children deal with life and grow in spirit, they adapt and change. This affects every part of the child's life. If life is the context for spiritual development, the process of spiritual formation as seen in Sunday school is "development-out-of-context." True spiritual development takes place where all the systems interact in context. (CS p. 331)
"Spiritual formation is experienced in terms of ability to adapt spiritually to increasingly complex life experiences as one ages." Our spiritual development is part of our identity. As life gets more complex our identity grows and develops. (CS p. 331) Breckenridge suggests that maturity is the ability to be self-directed and self-supporting while staying connected with others and God. (CS p. 332)
It takes some vigilence to notice how different experiences affect a child and it takes wisdom from above when they need help to process these things as they relate to God through these experiences. The comment that our spirit and the Spirit of Christ in us doesn't exist in a vacume - I think "vacume" but I didn't realize that I think that way. But, of course, Jesus didn't come to earth and live in a vacume or a monastery even as a child. Does recognizing the multi-system context of a child's life and it's affect on that child's faith affect how parents, teachers and Christian educators lead, guide, and nurture them? If so, how? What's different? What's new about this kind of thinking? Some interesting things to think about.
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