On the Theology of Children

Children have a Theology…a most beautiful theology, for anyone who would care to hear it…

First of all, class, what is theology? Anyone? Theology has 2 main definitions. It can be defined as faith seeking understanding. It can also be said to be the link between a religion (its position) and the culture surrounding it, basically acting as a bridge between the two. If I bring these definitions together and put them in simpler terms, theology would be a knowledge of God within a specific culture. This knowledge of God, children have in a most unexpected way.

I guess I say unexpected more because I think adults don’t expect it. We may think that children are not as developed in the intellectual sense, or that they are not very aware of the world around them, and so wonder where they get their insights on life and on the Lord from. However, that’s just the cool thing about it! Children are so much more aware than we think! Their knowledge doesn’t come from intellectual exercise per say; it bypasses this because it comes directly from the Lord they are so open to!

My sister has been saying amazing things since the time she could speak. A few nights ago, as my mom was telling her good night, she said, “Mom, now I know why God gave us five fingers.” Of course, this caught the attention of my mom, who asked, “Why?” My sister opened her hand to spread out her fingers as if she were counting; but instead of counting, she spelled, starting with her thumb, one letter for each finger, “J-E-S-U-S”! Has anyone ever thought of this before? Incredible! How can one forget the Lord when we see Him on our hand? And how do we make the Lord real to others? Is it not by opening our hand to them in goodness? And Jesus, the one written on our hand, is the One Who came to us to make God real to us. What insight and symbolic understanding!

There are many, many examples of this with many, many children. That’s why I think it’s SO important to listen to children, to really hear what they are saying. Sure, some of it may be play; but some of it is also theology…words so wonderful they provide the key to life! Would you have examples?