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205
pages
English
Ebooks
2017
Écrit par
Annie George
Publié par
Langham Creative Projects
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205
pages
English
Ebook
2017
Vous pourrez modifier la taille du texte de cet ouvrage
Obtenez un accès à la bibliothèque pour le consulter en ligne En savoir plus
Publié par
Date de parution
28 février 2017
Nombre de lectures
0
EAN13
9781783682379
Langue
English
Publié par
Date de parution
28 février 2017
Nombre de lectures
0
EAN13
9781783682379
Langue
English
Dr Annie George’s work, Children’s Perceptions of the Role of Biblical Narratives in Their Spiritual Formation, provides a perspective of storytelling in religious and secular traditions and its crucial role in the transformation of the hearers’ worldview and the formation of their faith, character and spirituality. The study makes a valuable contribution to understanding and evaluating children’s spirituality in a church context where storytelling is predominantly the teaching method for children. It is a must-read for Christian educators in Indian Christian churches concerned with the spirituality of their children.
Orbelina Eguizabal, PhD
Professor of Christian Higher Education,
Talbot School of Theology, Biola University, California, USA
Children’s Perceptions of the Role of Biblical Narratives in Their Spiritual Formation
Annie George
© 2017 by Annie George
Published 2017 by Langham Monographs
An imprint of Langham Creative Projects
Langham Partnership
PO Box 296, Carlisle, Cumbria CA3 9WZ, UK
www.langham.org
ISBNs:
978-1-78368-236-2 Print
978-1-78368-238-6 Mobi
978-1-78368-237-9 ePub
978-1-78368-239-3 PDF
Annie George has asserted her right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988 to be identified as the Author of this work.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher or the Copyright Licensing Agency.
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN: 978-1-78368-236-2
Cover & Book Design: projectluz.com
Langham Partnership actively supports theological dialogue and a scholar’s right to publish but does not necessarily endorse the views and opinions set forth, and works referenced within this publication or guarantee its technical and grammatical correctness. Langham Partnership does not accept any responsibility or liability to persons or property as a consequence of the reading, use or interpretation of its published content.
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Contents
Cover
Abstract
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1 Introduction
Description of the Problem
Background and Significance of the Study
Children in India
Explanation of Key Terms
Statement of the Research Questions
Population and Sample
Assumptions of the Study
Delimitations of the Study
Summary
Chapter 2 Review of Relevant Literature
Rationale for the Domain of the Research
Children’s Spirituality Domain
Storytelling in Religious and Secular Traditions
Chapter Summary
Chapter 3 Christian Worldview: Integration and Synthesis
The Bible – the Story that Needs to be Told
The Old Testament and New Testament Use of Stories
Spirituality of Children
That the Next Generation Might Know: Psalm 78:1–8
Chapter Summary
Chapter 4 Research Methodology
Statement of the Research Questions
Research Design
Research Hypothesis
Operational Definitions
Informed Consent
Sample Selection Procedures
Seeking Permission from the Seminary Authorities
Recruiting and Training the Research Assistants
Pilot Study
Developing an Interview Protocol
Data Analysis Procedure
Children as Research Participants: Challenges and Response
Chapter Summary
Chapter 5 Results
Context of Study
Brief Summary of the Research Activities
Data Analysis
Chapter Summary
Chapter 6 Conclusions
Major Findings
Implications
Limitations
Recommendations for Future Research
Concluding Remarks
Appendix A Information Leaflet for Pastors and Parents
Appendix B Information Leaflet for Children
Appendix C Information Leaflet for Research Assistants
Appendix D Informed Consent Forms
Informed Consent Form 1
Informed Consent Form 2
Appendix E Permission Letter to Use the Textbook, God Our Security
Appendix F Tables Displaying Demographic Information about Participating Churches and Demographic Information of Children from Seven Churches with Respect to Age and Gender
Appendix G Children’s Expression of Their Awareness of God through Poems, Pictures, and Testimonies
Bibliography
About Langham Partnership
Endnotes
Abstract
This research is to explore children’s perceptions of the role of biblical narratives in their spiritual formation. The Judeo-Christian faith has had a keen interest in children’s spiritual formation even before the recent emergence of the interest in children’s spirituality. Stories are seen as central to the Judeo-Christian worldview. The significance of the topic in the context of this research – Kerala, India – is that Sunday schools are seen as a crucial and exclusive ministry with children where children are spiritually nurtured primarily through telling the stories of the Bible.
This research involved 9- to 11-year-old children from seven Pentecostal/Charismatic churches in and around the town of Adoor, Kerala, India. As children are a vulnerable population, ethical concerns of research with children were considered in the study. The researcher was assisted by three seminary students. Class activities, focus group interviews, and member checking provided ample opportunities to listen to children’s verbal and non-verbal expressions about their perceptions. The data was analyzed using established qualitative data analysis methods. Categories developed through data analysis summarizes children’s perceptions on this topic.
This research facilitated an opportunity for children to express the following aspects: storytellers of biblical narratives, reasons for communicating biblical stories, life situations in which they remember stories, their experiences when listening to or remembering biblical stories, and I-Thou, I-self, I-other, and I-world understanding generated from biblical narratives.
The researcher hopes to challenge the view that adult’s experiences and perceptions are the norm to evaluate children’s spirituality. It is a fact that India has the highest number of children in the world. In such a context, time has come for theological institutions and churches in India to value issues of children at par with other areas of study and ministry.
Acknowledgments
With heartfelt gratitude . . .
to God, to you I owe my life.
to my parents and my husband’s parents (three of them are cheering me from heaven). Thank you for being my parents.
to my husband and my children, you give me unconditional love and acceptance. I am truly blessed.
to my sisters, brothers, nieces, nephews, uncles, and aunts, you are truly God’s gifts.
to my friends, my church family – Adoor Vineyard Church, my students, and faculty at Faith Theological Seminary, you have enriched my life.
to my committee members Dr Lawson, Dr Carr, Dr Tally, you have equipped and enriched me with your wisdom and humility.
to the faculty, staff, and friends at Talbot School of Theology, you have showed me the meaning of what Jesus’ words, “love your neighbor as yourselves.”
to many children whom God has entrusted me to teach in Sunday school since 1987, you have helped me to realize your love for God is deep and colorful.
to the research team and research participants and participating churches, you helped me to make sense of what I was trying to explore.
to the Abrahams, in your house I again witnessed God’s orchestration in my life.
to those who have ministered in my life in various times, I am blessed by your kindness.
“I stand in awe of your deeds, O Lord! Renew them in our days, In our time make them known”
Chapter 1
Introduction
Even though there is a recent interest in storytelling, storytelling is an ancient phenomenon. Morris Olper, an anthropologist among the Apache of southern New Mexico, noted that a person who had acted unethically within the tribe would be confronted with questions such as, “How could you do that? Didn’t you have a grandfather to tell you stories?” [1] As “the oldest all-ability teaching devic