Still thinking about the non-"educational model" question. What does a non-educational model for faith look like? Is faith learned? How is it learned? Is it imitated? Is that learning? Is it contagious? Is that learning? Does it come as a sovereign act of God? All of the above? None of the above?
Romans 10:17 tells us that "Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ." Hearing...
I don't think we can get around the fact that we're called to teach our children, but let's look again. Here are some phrases from that passage.
"Be careful!
Watch yourselves closely
don't forget the things your eyes have seen
don't let [the things your eyes have seen?] slip from your heart
Teach [the things your eyes have seen?] to your children and to their children after them.
Remember the day you stood before the LORD your God
when he said to me,
'Assemble the people before me
to hear my words
so that they may learn to revere me as long as they live in the land
and may teach them [What God said to them? What they heard?] to their children.'"
So they [the children, the parents or both?] may learn to revere Me...
What kind of resources will help us remember what our eyes have seen and not let those things slip from our hearts? Apparently sharing our memories with our children (what we've seen and what we've heard of God] helps them grow faith. When I gather with other grown-ups and hear God's words what can I do to remember and how do I teach what I've heard to my children and my grandchildren? The result being children who revere God.
We're not talking expensive or complicated here.
Deut 11:18-21 - another teaching passage for parents -
"Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds;
tie them as symbols on your hands
bind them on your foreheads
Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. [speaking, hearing]
Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates . . ."
How creative can we be with this mandate? God's words firmly attached to the feeling part of me, to the thinking part of me.
God's words tied and carried across my forehead (Guess what. People can see that. I can only see it if I look in the mirror.) His word-symbols on my hands. Not only can other people see them every time they look at my hands and at what my hands are doing but so can I. How is this supposed to grow faith in my children?
The thing about whatever God tells us to do is that we'll never really know how it works until we try it!
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
Monday, January 05, 2009
"...non-educational model...to create faith-filled homes..."
Can you tell I'm sitting at my computer today?
Keep your eye on Carla's column. That's not what she calls it but she's starting The Discussion again. (January 09 is pretty recent!) WE ARE STILL LOOKING FOR THE CONVERSATION!!! People more in tune with the emerging church than I am are STILL LOOKING FOR THE CONVERSATION!
But maybe we're still formulaic . Maybe it will just happen and not be a conversation. Maybe the spiritual formation of children will stop being institutional, organizational, what other words would describe where we're coming from as we wander into the unknown?
Scary? Not if the result is a faith-filled generation who can pass that faith on to their own kids.
Here is the part to think about - the part I liked: ". . . we need to start providing families with resources that don't rely on the educational model to help them create faith-filled homes."
Interesting? Interesting! Too bad I just started a series of posts on a book! But we all know how easily distracted I can be . . . found my glasses but I can't find my dog book . . .which is why I'm still sitting at my computer...
Keep your eye on Carla's column. That's not what she calls it but she's starting The Discussion again. (January 09 is pretty recent!) WE ARE STILL LOOKING FOR THE CONVERSATION!!! People more in tune with the emerging church than I am are STILL LOOKING FOR THE CONVERSATION!
But maybe we're still formulaic . Maybe it will just happen and not be a conversation. Maybe the spiritual formation of children will stop being institutional, organizational, what other words would describe where we're coming from as we wander into the unknown?
Scary? Not if the result is a faith-filled generation who can pass that faith on to their own kids.
Here is the part to think about - the part I liked: ". . . we need to start providing families with resources that don't rely on the educational model to help them create faith-filled homes."
Interesting? Interesting! Too bad I just started a series of posts on a book! But we all know how easily distracted I can be . . . found my glasses but I can't find my dog book . . .which is why I'm still sitting at my computer...
a couple new stories, blogs, and resources
This is a special story I found on this blog along with Emerging Kids (special to see it there,thanks!) and Emerging Youth.
Enjoy!
TCITB : Chpt 1 Children in the Book of Genesis
Part 1: Texts from the Hebrew scriptures
Chapter 1 "God was With the Boy" (Genesis 21:20)
Children in the Book of Genesis
Terence E. Fretheim
This chapter includes a number of stories about children in Genesis. I'm just posting about the part that jumped out at me. The insights and observations about the other stories are worth reading.
The story of Abraham being asked to sacrifice his son - I agree with the author that it's troubling after all Abraham had gone through that God would ask him to sacrifice this son. We do wonder about Abraham's seeming lack of emotion and "blind faith". Though we might legitimately wonder about the potential emotional trauma to Isaac, I was very taken aback to raise a question of abuse in this story. I think we have to be very careful imposing our own values on another culture and looking at that culture through the lens of our own understandings and our own value system. (The author does discuss historical context.) The question: Was the boy emotionally traumatized. If so, was it abuse? It's a troubling question.
What has always spoken louder to me in this story, louder than questions about abuse, was that it seems that Isaac trusted his father and his father trusted God - despite it all. The question was raised, why doesn't Isaac adamantly question or challenge his father. Not sure it was a culture where children were ever given the option to challenge an adult - something foreign to us. Both Abraham and Isaac may have been filled to the brim with challenging questions and doubts about the nature of God and what seems to us a bizarre request, but the fact of the matter seems to be that God came through for them. He sovereignly provided the sacrificial ram in place of Abraham's promised son. Not only did Abraham continue to walk with God but Isaac also walked with God.
I find Mr Fretheim's comments about no mention of Isaac accompanying his father down from the mountain, no mention of further conversation between Abraham and Isaac after that point, no mention of Isaac being present at his mother's death astute observations and really interesting questions. Because of the trauma or abuse on the alter? It's an interesting question. Still wrestling with the proposed "abusive" nature of that event as an issue here but I can understand how a post-modern generation might see it that way.
This may sound like a contradiction but in the same breath let me say that as I've read this story about God, Abraham, and Isaac over the years I inevitably think of those called to serve God choosing to "sacrifice" their children or their families for the sake of their ministries in little ways, in big ways. Should I explain this or do you know what I'm talking about? While I'm less convinced that the story of Abraham and Isaac borders on abuse (because God provided the sacrificial ram in the story so Abraham didn't have to sacrifice his son) though it may have been traumatic for the boy, I'm quite convinced that withholding from our children the parts of ourselves that they need because we are giving them to God is just as serious an offense. Traumatic? Abusive? "Abusive" may be too strong a word. Maybe it would be more accurate to call it a poor excuse for love.
If you've read or you're reading this book and you want to share something (even if you disagree) feel free to comment!
Chapter 1 "God was With the Boy" (Genesis 21:20)
Children in the Book of Genesis
Terence E. Fretheim
This chapter includes a number of stories about children in Genesis. I'm just posting about the part that jumped out at me. The insights and observations about the other stories are worth reading.
The story of Abraham being asked to sacrifice his son - I agree with the author that it's troubling after all Abraham had gone through that God would ask him to sacrifice this son. We do wonder about Abraham's seeming lack of emotion and "blind faith". Though we might legitimately wonder about the potential emotional trauma to Isaac, I was very taken aback to raise a question of abuse in this story. I think we have to be very careful imposing our own values on another culture and looking at that culture through the lens of our own understandings and our own value system. (The author does discuss historical context.) The question: Was the boy emotionally traumatized. If so, was it abuse? It's a troubling question.
What has always spoken louder to me in this story, louder than questions about abuse, was that it seems that Isaac trusted his father and his father trusted God - despite it all. The question was raised, why doesn't Isaac adamantly question or challenge his father. Not sure it was a culture where children were ever given the option to challenge an adult - something foreign to us. Both Abraham and Isaac may have been filled to the brim with challenging questions and doubts about the nature of God and what seems to us a bizarre request, but the fact of the matter seems to be that God came through for them. He sovereignly provided the sacrificial ram in place of Abraham's promised son. Not only did Abraham continue to walk with God but Isaac also walked with God.
I find Mr Fretheim's comments about no mention of Isaac accompanying his father down from the mountain, no mention of further conversation between Abraham and Isaac after that point, no mention of Isaac being present at his mother's death astute observations and really interesting questions. Because of the trauma or abuse on the alter? It's an interesting question. Still wrestling with the proposed "abusive" nature of that event as an issue here but I can understand how a post-modern generation might see it that way.
This may sound like a contradiction but in the same breath let me say that as I've read this story about God, Abraham, and Isaac over the years I inevitably think of those called to serve God choosing to "sacrifice" their children or their families for the sake of their ministries in little ways, in big ways. Should I explain this or do you know what I'm talking about? While I'm less convinced that the story of Abraham and Isaac borders on abuse (because God provided the sacrificial ram in the story so Abraham didn't have to sacrifice his son) though it may have been traumatic for the boy, I'm quite convinced that withholding from our children the parts of ourselves that they need because we are giving them to God is just as serious an offense. Traumatic? Abusive? "Abusive" may be too strong a word. Maybe it would be more accurate to call it a poor excuse for love.
If you've read or you're reading this book and you want to share something (even if you disagree) feel free to comment!
TCITB: intro
So, as promised, we're starting another book, if I can find my glasses...
Disclaimer: As always, detached questions and comments, purely unresearched personal opinion here. As always, my hope is that if you find this interesting you'll read the book and look at the comments in context. Starting a group to read and talk about it would probably be even better.
The Child in the Bible
Marcia J. Bunge - general editor
Wm B. Eerdmans Publishing Co
Grand Rapids, MI, 2008
(422 pages + resources)
The authors in this book ask more-profound-than-usual, wonderful questions. One of the more striking elements here is that the authors recognize the fact that so many children in the scriptures lived through turbulent times and among very different attitudes about training and discipline.
The authors were given specific questions and themes to explore recognizing that there are limitations to what we can observe and understand about children and childhood, especially looking into the past and into different cultures. We don't really know what the child experiences and how he/she perceives that experience even today.
Their findings:
1) They find a wide range of terms for "child," "children," and "childhood" in the scriptures. Those terms are also used metaphorically and rhetorically. (TCHITB p, xxii)
2) "[B]iblical views of and attitudes towards children are more complex and multifaceted than readers might assume." (TCHITB p, xxiii)
3) "Adults have obligations to their own and to other children."(TCHITB p, xxiv)
4) "Teaching, training, and disciplining children are sophisticated and multi-layered tasks." (TCHITB p, xxiv) I've not read this part yet. Don't freak out on me.
5) "Children are complex characters, play various roles in families and communities, and bear responsibilities to others." (TCHITB p, xxv)
6) "Children and childhood are integrally connected to other central Biblical themes."(TCHITB p, xxvi)
The intro is much longer than this, informative, and well-written. For our purposes, this gives you an overview.
Disclaimer: As always, detached questions and comments, purely unresearched personal opinion here. As always, my hope is that if you find this interesting you'll read the book and look at the comments in context. Starting a group to read and talk about it would probably be even better.
The Child in the Bible
Marcia J. Bunge - general editor
Wm B. Eerdmans Publishing Co
Grand Rapids, MI, 2008
(422 pages + resources)
The authors in this book ask more-profound-than-usual, wonderful questions. One of the more striking elements here is that the authors recognize the fact that so many children in the scriptures lived through turbulent times and among very different attitudes about training and discipline.
The authors were given specific questions and themes to explore recognizing that there are limitations to what we can observe and understand about children and childhood, especially looking into the past and into different cultures. We don't really know what the child experiences and how he/she perceives that experience even today.
Their findings:
1) They find a wide range of terms for "child," "children," and "childhood" in the scriptures. Those terms are also used metaphorically and rhetorically. (TCHITB p, xxii)
2) "[B]iblical views of and attitudes towards children are more complex and multifaceted than readers might assume." (TCHITB p, xxiii)
3) "Adults have obligations to their own and to other children."(TCHITB p, xxiv)
4) "Teaching, training, and disciplining children are sophisticated and multi-layered tasks." (TCHITB p, xxiv) I've not read this part yet. Don't freak out on me.
5) "Children are complex characters, play various roles in families and communities, and bear responsibilities to others." (TCHITB p, xxv)
6) "Children and childhood are integrally connected to other central Biblical themes."(TCHITB p, xxvi)
The intro is much longer than this, informative, and well-written. For our purposes, this gives you an overview.
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