- May 5, 2012
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The question below is one I posted in a different thread, and it was suggested that it might be an interesting enough question to merit its own separate thread. For background: I am a parent of three young adult children -- one in high school, one in college, and one a recent college graduate. I value traditional theology highly: I think it is important to know the ideas taught by the creeds and the major Christian theologians through the centuries. Even where I disagree with some theologians, it is important to study and understand them. The question is how best to pass on substantial theological knowledge to our children.
I made an effort to teach my kids about the Christian faith at home, partly because that's just something parents should do, and partly because we knew that they would not be receiving religious instruction at their public school. (For readers outside the US: American public schools are not allowed to include religious instruction in their curriculum.) I'd say we had mixed success. Mostly, what we did together was driven by their interests and questions. When they were little, I read to them out of a children's Bible. When they were older, they'd ask questions about ethical issues on the news or in their personal lives, and we'd talk about those questions and how Christian principles applied to them. All of that was good, but as I look back, I realize that they never did ask "Mommy, what's the Chalcedonian Definition?" or "Mommy, what does the first paragraph of the Nicene Creed mean?" So there are gaps in this home-schooled education. I don't know how much of a problem that is.
So, for those of you who are parents: What do you do at home with your children to help them get a solid theological education? Do you have official "classes" around the kitchen table? (I didn't, after preschool age.) Do you read the Bible with them and hope they'll ask the deeper questions sooner or later? Are your conversations simply driven by your children's own curiosities, like mine mostly were? What has worked for you?
I made an effort to teach my kids about the Christian faith at home, partly because that's just something parents should do, and partly because we knew that they would not be receiving religious instruction at their public school. (For readers outside the US: American public schools are not allowed to include religious instruction in their curriculum.) I'd say we had mixed success. Mostly, what we did together was driven by their interests and questions. When they were little, I read to them out of a children's Bible. When they were older, they'd ask questions about ethical issues on the news or in their personal lives, and we'd talk about those questions and how Christian principles applied to them. All of that was good, but as I look back, I realize that they never did ask "Mommy, what's the Chalcedonian Definition?" or "Mommy, what does the first paragraph of the Nicene Creed mean?" So there are gaps in this home-schooled education. I don't know how much of a problem that is.
So, for those of you who are parents: What do you do at home with your children to help them get a solid theological education? Do you have official "classes" around the kitchen table? (I didn't, after preschool age.) Do you read the Bible with them and hope they'll ask the deeper questions sooner or later? Are your conversations simply driven by your children's own curiosities, like mine mostly were? What has worked for you?