Thoughts on a theology of children

For Hannelore Zimmerman

By Dr. Steve Hardy
Is it too radical to suggest that all children are actually human beings - people created in
Gods image, for His glory and pleasure? Admittedly, they can be noisy and irritating (along
with a fair number of adults), but they are not to be ignored or chased away, as esus disciples
tried to do! esus warned" #$ee that you do not despise one of these little ones! %or I tell you
that their angels in hea&en always see the face of my %ather in hea&en' ((t )*")+-)))!
It is true that children dont ha&e much of a biblical data base to build on! ,hey can be easily
distracted from -ust about anything, including learning .ible &erses and stories! .ut it isnt true
that the young ha&e no need to be taught because they are too simple or na/&e to understand
spiritual things! ,here is no biblical -ustification for a so-called #age of accountability!' As we
watch a two-year-old say #no' to e&erything and as they do precisely what they were told not to
do, we 0uite correctly conclude that children are aware of right and wrong! 1hildren need grace
and children can administer grace! ,hey can e2perience the comfort and wonder of Gods
presence with them! It is an incorrect 3nlightenment assumption to conclude that spiritual
realities happen only to those who can critically and &erbally reflect on those e2periences, or to
those who 4now enough to place them into some sort of theological grid! ,he God who is aware
of sparrows falling ((atthew 5) also is present daily in the life of e&ery child, re&ealing Himself
while offering protection and guidance! 6hy else does esus refer to #their' angels, as he did in
the (atthew )* passage cited abo&e? 7salm )89 says that God 4nows e&erything about us from
the womb onward!
,he &ast ma-ority of adults who ma4e a decision to follow esus do so before the age of ):!
Gi&en increasing resistance to the gospel as children (and adults) grow older, it is appropriate
and strategic for a greater percentage of mission money and effort to be in&ested in ministry to
children! esus certainly encouraged sending and bringing our children to Him! As he said to his
disciples" #;et the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the 4ingdom of God belongs
to such as these' ((ar4 )+")<)!
1hildren, li4e adults, ha&e been created by God for good wor4s (3ph =")+)! As cute babies
they open doors for con&ersations almost anywhere! 1hildren ha&e little sense of class, color or
cultural barriers, so (unless they ha&e been taught differently by adults) their friendships, smiles
and games build bridges in areas where differences can cause tension! Adolescents can be a
tireless source of energy to help with any number of God-glorifying ministry or mission pro-ects!
In places in ;atin America much of the outreach wor4 of churches is done by young people!
1hildren enthusiastically sing, play and li&e to Gods glory!
6e will miss some &ery important spiritual lessons if we bypass children! esus said,
#>nless you change and become li4e little children, you will ne&er enter the 4ingdom of hea&en!
,herefore, whoe&er ta4es a humble place ? becoming li4e this child ? is the greatest in the
4ingdom of hea&en! And whoe&er welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me' ((at
)*"=-:)! Greg .oyd in the Myth of a Christian Nation (@onder&an" =++5, p! 85) e2plains it li4e
this" #esus preference AwasB for those who were poor, outsiders, downtrodden and despised! C
In the 4ingdom of God, the least are the greatest and the greatest are the least! 1hildren illustrate
this perfectly!'
(inistry to children is not something that re0uires a separate #4ids' uni&erse with
specialiDed wor4ers and space, etc! 1hildren (li4e e&eryone else) are to be e0uipped for life and
ministry within and through the community of faith! 6hile a childs primary #community' is his
or her immediate family, that community also in&ol&es the church as the family of God! It is by
obser&ing day-to-day models of life that children learn to pray and worship, to lo&e God, to lo&e
others and to li&e to Gods glory! It is through relationships (especially with godly parents), that
children learn to appreciate God as our Abba %ather and as the one who cares for us so much that
He ga&e His $on to die on our behalf!
Appreciating the &alue of children re0uires that both pastors and parents come to understand
who children are in Gods eyes! 1hurch leaders should #let the children come' to them and to
create time to en-oy them as children, -ust as each parent should en-oy their own children! 6hile
pastors and church leaders need to be aware of their impact as role models and parents, each and
e&ery pastor doesnt need to become a #childrens wor4er!' Howe&er, they do need to ma4e sure
that children are recogniDed, nurtured, e0uipped and used in the life and ministry of their church!
An essential part of that is to e0uip parents so that they will ha&e the s4ills and the understanding
needed to raise up their children in the fear of the ;ord!
6ithin the conte2t of the community of faith, there is &alue in ha&ing people who are called
to build relationships with and gifted to dedicate themsel&es with passion to ministry with
children! .ut while childrens church with teaching and worship designed for 4ids is fine, it is
e&en better when 4ids are also able to be a part of worship with e&eryone else, too, at least
occasionally!
esus noted that one of the most powerful apologetics of the 1hristian faith was in the lo&e
that his people would ha&e for one another! 1hildren and young people are part of that
community! (ay we en-oy building lo&ing relationships with them, and may we delight in the
relationships that children build with us! >nless we all become li4e childrenC