Feb
11
Written by:
host
2/11/2010 7:00 AM
The aisle of children's ministry books is not the first place I head when I visit my local Cokesbury store. The number of children's ministry books on my shelves is quite tiny in comparison to just about every other Christian education topic. (And if memory serves, I haven't yet reviewed a children's ministry book on Different Voice.) But this week, one new book will take its place on my "favorite Christian education resources" shelf, and it's a book for use with children between 8 and 12 years old: Building a Heart of Faith: Talking about God and Jesus with Kids. It's the first time I've come across a book that applies process theology to children's ministry, and it does so quite nicely!
Process theology is a lesser-known theology, but since this is a book review and not a discussion of process thought, I'll simply pass on one quote about it and some links for you to read (below) if you wish to learn more about the subject.
Process Theology is an acknowledgement that contemporary understanding of God and God's expression through creation, including human beings, is always in "process" and never complete. That is to say that Process Theology is unlike traditional theologies in that it is not static. The idea that our understanding of God should be "the same yesterday, today, and forever" is thus rejected in Process theology. It recognizes that our understanding of truth, especially as it relates to concepts of God and human beings, is in need of progressive growth. It embraces the idea that the best of human nature is continually being nudged in the direction of growth and improvement. (Source: http://www.process-theology.org/)
One of the leading process theologians within the Christian tradition is Marjorie Hewitt Suchocki, a retired seminary professor of theology (Claremont School of Theology). She co-authored this book with her daughter, Joan Suchocki Lucas, who is a long-time Sunday school teacher at a Lutheran church in St. Paul, MN. The book was created with the goal of helping teacher and parents learn age-appropriate ways to talk to children about difficult theological questions and topics. It contains 9 lessons on topics such as God's Presence, Good Friday and Easter, and God Transforms Us.
The book's format lends itself to use in a wide variety of settings. Each lesson contains:
- an overview of the theology teachers or parents should understand
- a loose translation of a biblical text
- about 6 discussion questions for talking about the biblical text
- a contemporary fictional story about children applying the concepts of the lesson in their lives (with a few more discussion questions)
- some activity suggestions
- a 4-panel cartoon
Because the format is pretty loose and not designed with a traditional lesson plan format (plus the fact that the small softcover format is not designed to be reproducible), the book is perhaps best suited to use in the home by a non-theologically trained parent. However, I can imagine several additional ways these 9 lessons could be used, such as:
- A pastor could use them within the context of a children's worship service.
- A Christian education director could enhance the lessons and turn them into a formal lesson plan.
- A group of Sunday school teachers could use this as a study book to grow in their teaching skills.
- An afterschool teacher could use the lessons on an occasional basis.
- A Vacation Bible School could be developed around the book's themes by a team of teachers.
The theological content of the book is outstanding and very progressive, and quite honestly Suchocki's lesson introductions really should be mandatory reading by all professional and volunteer Christian educators. It's honestly that good! Here are a few examples of the primary theological concepts explored in the lessons:
- "God creates through loving, persuasive power." (7)
- "God is always working for the communal good." (17)
- "God is progressively revealed to us in Jesus." (47)
- "God encourages us to live creatively even though bad things happen." (57)
- "Prayer is how we open ourselves to God's influence on our lives." (77)
- "Living the gospel of Jesus Christ means growing in love of God and one another." (87)
Building a Heart of Faith is part of the new "Rock Solid" curriculum, published by Abingdon Press, but it's also very much a standalone resource. I do think that the age-range for Building a Heart of Faith is somewhat inaccurate; the stories, activities, and cartoons in particular seem better suited to 8-10 year-olds than to Tweenagers, though they would be able to think through the implications of the theological concepts much better. That minor critique aside, I sincerely hope you'll add a copy of this inexpensive book to your own shelf of favorite resources.
~ by Tim Gossett
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