Little Theologians

Children, Culture, and the Making of Theological Meaning

David M. Csinos

• Publisher: McGill-Queen's University Press
• Year: 2020
• Print ISBN:
  9780228003823
• eBook ISBN:
  9780228004400
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christian Ministry

Children don't just learn theology. They actively create it, playing with ideas and drawing together aspects of their own lives to form theological understanding. In Little Theologians David Csinos offers a groundbreaking exploration of how cultural contexts intersect with the theological meaning-making of children.

The qualitative research that Csinos undertook opened windows onto the religious and spiritual lives of children within four culturally distinct congregations of the United Church of Canada. He began by inviting the children to draw pictures of God and encouraging them to describe what they had drawn. Their answers led to revealing exchanges about who God is, how children understand spiritual experiences, what it means to believe, and what it means that people may believe differently. This innovative study offers an in-depth look at each congregation and how children make theological meaning in ways that reflect the broader culture around them, as well as ways that are all their own. By illuminating the diverse theological understanding of children, Csinos highlights characteristics that are shared among children and those that are unique to each child.

Providing a radical twist of perspective, Little Theologians looks to the theological insights and experiences of children to provide a lens for critiquing broader discourses surrounding cultural diversity and spirituality.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Table and Figures
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction: Burning Questions and Bustling Congregations
• 1 “Thank You for Making Church”: Parkdale United Church and a Theology of Community
• 2 “We Put Our Tradition in It”: Messiah Methodist United Church and a Theology of Interconnectedness
• 3 “Engaging the Stories of the Faith”: Burke Street United Church and a Theology of Speculation
• 4 “Healing That Colonial Wound”: Colkirk United Church and a Theology of Acceptance
• 5 Kaleidoscopic Theology: An Interpretation of Children’s Theologies
• 6 Toward Transformation: An Analysis of the United Church’s Vision for Becoming Intercultural
• 7 Renegotiating a Field of Study: An Analysis of Scholarship in Children’s Spirituality and Theology
• 8 Waymarks for the Road Ahead: Future Directions for Research and Pastoral Practice
• Notes
• Bibliography
• Index