Ron Bruner

A collaborative work attempting to further a conversation regarding children and faith development.

The book begins with an attempt to frame the dialogue, discussing how churches of Christ were born out of a frontier revivalist conversion framework and the difficulties which arise when then attempting to fit children into that framework. They confess that a theology of children is not well-developed within churches of Christ, which is accurate. They then attempt to explain the nature of spirituality within children.

Various authors speak regarding various specialties in terms of the home, the church, and ministry: parenting as a discipline, interacting with the Bible with children, praying with children; working toward a more intergenerational church, children and the Lord's Supper, children and baptism; ministering with children, how to approach children's Bible classes, practicing spiritual disciplines with children, encouraging children to serve, and welcoming all children.

Few will walk away in complete agreement with what is said in the book; it is likely that there is disagreement on matters even among the collaborators. Nevertheless the book does well at catalyzing thinking about how children "fit" in the church and what effective spiritual formation looks like for Christians attempting to raise their children "in the church" well.

Worth consideration.… (altro)