“Finally–a design for children’s ministry that actually takes children seriously! Incisive, thoughtful and creative, David Csinos and Ivy Beckwith have written a wonderful guide, packed full of constructive ideas, for fostering a ‘new ecclesial culture’ in which children are full and lively participants in Christian life and community.”

“Simply brilliant! If I could influence church leaders and children’s ministry practitioners to read just one book on children’s ministry, Children’s Ministry in the Way of Jesus would be the one. In this book Dave and Ivy have achieved something remarkable as they have captured the current picture of children’s ministry in the West, succinctly set that picture within recent history and used their collective wisdom, experience and knowledge to purposefully provide the settings for an alternative future in children’s work–a future not solely focused on educative or entertaining programs and children’s cognitive ability but a much more holistic approach. One that is more intentionally nurturing and formational to children as spiritual beings, theologians, disciples of Jesus and worshipers of God within, of course, a church community–a community that is intergenerational, humble and willing to journey with them as fellow travelers and colearners as we all seek to grow in the way of Jesus day by day. Children’s Ministry in the Way of Jesus needs and deserves to be one of the most influential texts on children’s ministry of our generation and in years to come.”

But when I read Penwell’s piece, I was struck by the power of his argument. Are we building a church that young people want to inherit? I like the question, but I think it doesn’t hit the mark. Sometimes blessings aren’t things that people necessarily want to receive. Sometimes faithfulness is difficult and the road is narrow and difficult to tread. So while I appreciate the question, I struggle with the fact that it’s built on an individualistic and consumeristic assumption that what one wants is all that matters. Maybe instead of asking “What If the Kids Don’t Want Our Church?” we should ask “What If Our Church Isn’t Best for the Kids?” By turning the question around in this way, we move from focusing on what “the kids” want to what the church ought to be for the kids, for younger generations and those not yet born. And I think that how we answer this second question will shape the faithfulness of the church that is yet to be.

While the DJesus Uncrossed trailer is meant to be funny, it’s carries a serious message that too many folks think is real–the peacemaking Jesus coming back with a vengeance. If this fake movie ever really existed, we’d never show it in Sunday school. But in subtle (and not-so-subtle) ways, churches continue to teach children that Jesus may have said ‘turn the other cheek’ during his first sojourn on earth, but when he comes back he’s bringing fire and brimstone. But this isn’t the Jesus I know. And this isn’t the type of faith I was to nurture in young people. I don’t want to nurture a turn or burn faith. I want to nurture a faith that is loving and humble. I don’t want to nurture a faith that makes room for revenge. I want to nurture a faith that makes room for going the extra mile.  And so DJesus Uncrossed may make me laugh, but it presses me on in my mission to cultivate a generation of young disciples who don’t go around “killing Ro-mans,” but who make peace and seek justice.

Lent is a time that is traditionally reserved for a type of psychological purging that leads up to the Crucifixion. In light of this, Atheism for Lent seeks to use some of the most potent critiques of Christianity as a type of purifying fire that might help us appreciate and understand Christ’s cry of dereliction on the Cross in a new way.

Just as Christ experienced the loss of God on the Cross, so Atheism for Lent invites participants into that desert space traditionally called the dark night of the soul.

Atheism for Lent is not for the faint of heart. It is a call to give up what we hold most dear in order to become stronger disciples of Jesus. I can almost be likened to a love relationship. When my parents had been married for 25 years, my mother was offered a job that required her to move about a year before my father was set to retire. Feeling as though their marriage was strong enough to handle the distance, they lived 500km apart from each other for this time–and it made their relationship stronger. Their marriage probably wouldn’t have survived this separation when it was young and blossoming. But it had grown and matured and could do more than withstand the distance–it could grow from it.

I’m not advocating Atheism for Lent as something that we should encourage kids and youth to do–it requires a sincere commitment to discipleship and a faith that is already strong. But I think it has a lot of merit as a spiritual practice for adults who love God so much that they are willing to wave goodbye for 40 days. As disciples of Jesus, we owe it to him to listen to critics of Christianity and become better disciples because of it.

“We want our children to be more than consumers and competitors. We want our children to be gracious and grateful. We want them to have courage in difficult times. We want them to have a sense of joy and purpose. That’s what it means to nurture their spiritual lives.

-Rabbi Sandy Sasso

Check out this insightful interview with Rabbi Sandy Sasso about the spirituality of parenting. She knows that children have deep theological questions that too often neglected and overlooked by the adults in their lives. This is a theme that Ivy Beckwith and I address in our forthcoming book, Children’s Ministry in the Way of Jesus. Listen to the interview at http://www.onbeing.org/program/spirituality-parenting/230

• Janell Anema
• Brian McLaren
• Tony Campolo
• Ivy Beckwith
• Almeda Wright
• John Westerhoff
• Joy Carroll Wallis
• and many others

In the first, Sam Donoghue reflects on a recent roundtable conversation about children’s spirituality and asks how to strike a balance between what is measurable and what is internal (non-measurable) in terms of children’s spiritual formation.

In the second, Lucinda Borkett-Jones interviews Brian McLaren about his newest book, his involvement in Children, Youth and a New Kind of Christianity, and his emerging theology of childhood.