Children as theological hermeneutic: Is there a new epistemological break emerging?

Botha, Nico

doi:10.4102/hts.v72i1.3110

Cited by 5 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 2 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Bevan's refers to this as a "liberation model" because it is often used to liberate people from oppression. This research may be liberating as it invites, as suggested by Botha (2016), a new epistemology based on a changed understanding of children and childhood within the faith community. Hopefully the research will assist in liberating children from being ignored, their spiritual lives not being taken seriously and/or limited monological approaches to religious education.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Children doing theology

Larkins

2021

j. relig. educ.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

How we understand children and childhood has changed across time and cultures. In the secular environment there is increasing focus on children's agency and voice. In the religious domain there is an increased interest in doing theology of, for and with children. While this interest is largely academic it has significant implications for religious educators. This research explores 10-12 year old children's responses to questions about God and makes recommendations regarding children doing theology in religious education classes.

show abstract

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…135)." Along similar lines, research from South Africa suggests that if we follow Jesus' teaching and view the Christian faith through the "lens of the child" we may redefine what it means to be Christian (Botha, 2016).…”

Section: Children's Engagement With Theologymentioning

confidence: 98%

Children doing theology

Larkins

2021

j. relig. educ.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Firstly, a rather limited literature study is undertaken aimed at supporting the construction, albeit it tentatively, of contours of a Child Theology emanating from the reading of the Bible. Since the research and the writing of the article deal with a very specific exercise, sources on Child Theology in general cannot simply be called into service as shown elsewhere (Botha 2016). There are, however, some sources showing relevance for the current project.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unsettling Theology: Sunday school children reading the text of the Bible in the age of recolonisation

Botha

2016

HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

During Women’s month in South Africa (August), a group of Sunday school children from the rural congregation of the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa (URCSA), Middelburg- Nasaret, got together to read the narratives of the resurrection of the daughter of Jairus and the healing of the woman suffering from a blood disease. The exercise which appears to be quite innocent is in a sense subversive in its hidden script. In the Reformed tradition, the pulpit as a centre of reading and preaching the Word has become the ‘holy of holiest’ which nobody, leave alone children, except the ordained minister could occupy. This is of course contrary to the intention of the Reformation to return the Bible to the people and have the people return to the Bible. The reading exercise of this article goes beyond all exegetical and theological presuppositions, unsettling conventional interpretations of Scripture. The children allow their real life experiences in the township of having witnessed, among others, child and women abuse to inform their reading of Mark 5:21–43. In the process they avoid a linear reading of the Bible which is based on the explication-application scheme of matters. Put differently, instead of doing a deductive reading of the portion, i.e. trying to explain or exegete the text clinically and then applying it to their context, they read it inductively, resulting in a hope sharing and hope giving understanding of the rising from the dead of the 12-year-old girl and the healing of the woman with a blood disease. A major spin-off of such reading of the Bible by children is the unlocking of refreshingly new avenues of reading the Bible and interpreting the text.

show abstract

“…Doing theology with children asks from us an epistemological break (Botha 2016). It requires us 'to understand and accept an entirely different way of knowing and of obtaining knowledge, especially of God and God's kingdom' (Grobbelaar 2016c:71;cf.…”

Section: The Challenge Of An Epistemological Breakmentioning

confidence: 99%

Doing theology with children: Some challenges for adult theologians

Grobbelaar

2019

HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Gutierrez's (1990) apt description of conversion in connection with doing liberation theology with the poor is also applicable to doing theology with children: Conversion means leaving one's own way (see Lk 10:25-37) and entering upon the way of the other, the neighbor, and especially of the poor [children] in whom we encounter the Lord (see Mt 25:31-45). (n.p.)Encountering the Lord is also part of entering upon the way of the children. In a pronouncement similar in sentiment to Matthew 25:31-45, Jesus said (Mt 18:5), '[w]hoever receives one such child in my name receives me'. Doing theology with children, which includes children as equal participants in the process, is no easy task. Adult theologians face many challenges in becoming involved in doing theology with children. The probing question is: What are these challenges? This article identifies and discusses a few of them. It does not provide an exhaustive list, nor does it discuss each challenge in detail, although more attention is given to the important and crucial challenge to scrutinise our conceptions of childhood. It rather wants to stimulate a conversation about why it is difficult to involve children as equal partners in doing theology and in theological research.

show abstract

Children as theological hermeneutic: Is there a new epistemological break emerging?

Cited by 5 publications

References 2 publications

Children doing theology

Children doing theology

Unsettling Theology: Sunday school children reading the text of the Bible in the age of recolonisation

Doing theology with children: Some challenges for adult theologians

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About