Theological Reflection on Children and Child Ministries
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Theological Reflection on Children and Child Ministries
- 1. IT’S TIME For theological reflection on children and Child Ministries
- 2. INTRODUCTION: THERE ARE NO UNREACHED CHILDREN If we don’t reach the children, they will be reached by: Political ideologies, Other faiths, Consumerism, Secularism, People traffickers and others. Child Theology provides new ways of seeing the biblical significance and foundations for child ministries.
- 3. WHAT IS CHILD THEOLOGY? • “Child Theology is looking at the themes of theology. . . in light of the child standing beside Jesus in the midst of the disciples. . . . . • Child Theology is theology. (It belongs on the shelves with theology – not just in the child ministries sections.) • The child is like a lens through which some aspects of God and His revelation can be seen more clearly.”
- 4. CHILD THEOLOGY IS THEOLOGY • It is about a way of thinking and speaking about God and His ways. • It is a theological method that recognizes and embraces children as “agent” for adult knowing and becoming. • Child Theology serves as a corrective to current approaches to doing theology, doing church, and doing missions.
- 5. “DOING” CHILD THEOLOGY • Seek to “become like a child” in order to gain insight into God’s way with regard to children (as required by Jesus) • Search out the “child” theme in the Bible • Learn from children’s claimed “experiences with God” …
- 6. “DOING” CHILD THEOLOGY • Correlate findings of human sciences on children, childhood with convictional knowledge of God’s involvement in human life from conception to maturation, and even in untimely death • Interact with the “child” theme in Christian doctrines and theologies and in other non- Christian theologies
- 7. FOCUSED AREAS OF STUDY IN CHILD THEOLOGY • God’s perspectives on children & childhood in contrast with various societal views. • God’s involvement in birth and child development correlated with scientific findings. • The adult’s relationship to and responsibilities towards children, according to God. • The place of children in God’s Mission in the world • Insights into “God” from focusing on children.
- 8. READING SCRIPTURE WITH THE CHILD IN THE MIDST • More than 1400 references to children, sons, daughters, parental relationships etc. • Perhaps nothing upset Jesus more than “hindering” the children. (Matthew 18:5, 6) • Give me children or I’ll die! (Genesis 30:1) • But for much of the Church today, children are the Great “Omission!”
- 9. WHEN WE READ THE SCRIPTURES WITH THE CHILD IN THE MIDST: • We find new light on Christian theology, ecclesiology, missiology, and hermeneutics. • We see that we may have had our priorities mixed up in the church. • We have underestimated the potential of child ministries and of children as both objects of and agents for mission.
- 10. DISCUSSION QUESTION 1 What Theological Themes Emerge as we read Scripture ‘with the Child in the Midst? Consider these passages (in groups): (20 Minutes) • Psalms 8:2; Mt. 21:14-16 • Psalms 82:3-4, Genesis 21:17-21 • Isa. 7:14, Isa. 9:6, Isa. 11:6 • Mt. 11:25, Lk. 2:52, Mt. 19:13, Mk. 10:13
- 11. DISCUSSION QUESTION 2: In Scripture, How did God use children as His Instruments? What Characteristics made them of use to the Master? How does God regard their capacity to understand the faith? What significance is there in this for us today? Consider these passages: (20 Minutes) • Ex. 2: 4-9 • 1 Sam. 3, 1 Sam. 17 • 2 Tim. 3:15, 1 Tim 4:12, Psalms 119:9 • 1 Sam 16:1-13; Lk. 15:20-24
- 12. DISCUSSION QUESTION 3: In groups, read and discuss the following passages. What do they say to you about children as resources for mission? (You may have to work a bit for these!) (20 minutes) • 2 Kings 5:1-15 • 1 Kings 17:1-24
- 13. WHEN WE READ THE SCRIPTURES WITH THE CHILD IN THE MIDST: • We find new light on Christian theology, ecclesiology, missiology, and hermeneutics. • We see that we may have had our priorities mixed up in the church. • We have underestimated the potential of child ministries and of children as both objects of and agents for mission.
- 14. Have we gone about theologies in the wrong way? • It has been an adult orientated pursuit. • There is tremendous emphasis given to philosophy, doctrine, systematic theology, but very little to stories and signs of the kingdom. • There is virtually nothing in our typical seminary curricula on theological issues relating to children.
- 15. Have we made mistakes in how we “do Church?” Have we got our ecclesiology mixed up? • Often we underestimated the place and contribution of children and little ones. • We honestly didn’t think we had anything to learn from them!
- 16. Do we need to rethink our missiological approaches… • . . . in light of children as objects of and agents for missions? (Ref. “4/14 Window.”) • Have we created societies – Where only adults, power, wealth, and possessions count? – Where childlikeness is marred, or squeezed into adulthood? • Where children are second-rate concerns of the political systems, and society does little to protect them?
- 17. IT’S TIME For theological reflection on children and Child Ministries