4. Spirituality “ if you hold it too tight you might kill it, too loose and it could fly away altogether ” Rabbi Hugo Gryn
5. Challenging views on children’s spirituality 1. The ‘ there’s nothing there ’ view 2. The ‘ romantic ’ – ‘all is perfect’ view 3. The ‘ I’m glad that’s over ’ view
6. Critique of the ‘ there’s nothing there ’ view Spirituality=Maturity? Future not Present Reality? Meanwhile... We need to educate/prepare/entertain children
7.
8.
9. Critique of the ‘’just for kids / glad that’s over and done with ’ view The spiritual importance of re-connecting Jesus Rahner Berryman
10.
11.
12. Or :The Younger the Better? K Tamminen % who had specific experience when felt ‘close to God’
13.
14.
15.
16. Thomas age 5, Humming and drawing an elephant at the table while I write my notes for a lecture on children’s spirituality Mummy, do you know.. if anyone believes in Jesus they won’t die. That’s what our song said in assembly mmm................................................... What do you think? It means.. if you believe in Jesus , you won’t die, in life. You will not die without life What do you think? I think that’s true Oh....err....(working out what I can possibly say next?) I need the loo...(runs off)
38. Different kinds of adult might be ‘good with children’ in these ways? Healing adult’s spiritual damage – recovering the non verbal, the playful , the authentic qualities of spiritual response?
39. Children’s Spirituality: What it is and why it matters Rebecca Nye (2009) Church House Press The Spirit of the Child David Hay and Rebecca Nye (2006) JessicaKingsleyPublications Psychology for Christian Ministry Watts, Nye and Savage (2002) Routledge
40.
Hinweis der Redaktion
We could spend a long time thinking about ‘what is spirituality’ but that could take a whole morning. Young people do not become spiritual when they consciously decide to follow Christ. Everyone is born with a spiritual capacity. It is as if God breathes this into every newborn baby Gen 2:7 For now, can we accept that it exists, that people are hungry for it and that they don’t really associate it with the church and yet we believe in a Trinity that is Father Son and Holy Spirit. Therefore we believe God is spirit and we are made in his image.
The ‘romantic’ – ‘all is perfect’ view
We need to ‘become like children’
Is there anything … . in your own childhood , Or in children you currently know, that reminds you how spirituality is part of childhood experience?
Rebecca’s research: ‘ Ordinary’ sample of children Non directed, child led ‘interview-chats Let child introduce any ‘God talk’ before I did
Noetic science , in the sense of the study of mind power,
Theological argument – JC spiritual maturity is in part about becoming like a child. I think in creating children , God is not saying ‘sorry, I didn’t have time to finish this. you just need to add the spiritual bit ’. I think children are created as fully human and fully spiritual beings, and that any incapacity is on our part as adults to perceive that. In the Christian tradition we have not only Jesus teachings about childhood, and his inclusive treatment of children in his actions, but we also have the fact that God takes not just human form, but the form of a child. For me, this powerfully endorses the mystery and value of childhood in spiritual terms. BUT….
This is what we need to change, so how do we nurture children’s spirituality? From what you’ve heard so far, what was the most important thing? What could you most easily do something about/implement to do with this?
Words to go with it – mind map Which group of words is children’s ministry better at doing? In today’s superficial ‘entertain me’ world, discipleship is offered at reduced rates. We are encoruaged to embrace what we enjoy and discard what we find dull or too challenging.
Is nurture about protecting what is there or putting something in? Base nurture on ‘calling out’ what is there already
Scribble down ways in which the church can provide for each of these in really practical ways E.g. ideas for making physical space work Ideas for prioritising relationships