Engaging Childist Biblical Interpretation and Reading Studies to Enhance Children’s Bible Lessons

Abstract

Many children’s Bible lessons, even those that are intended to be child-oriented lessons, are consciously or unconsciously designed in ways that serve adult agendas for children rather than serving the interests of children themselves. By engaging the growing movements of childism and childist biblical interpretation, as well as studies in how children read and understand the Bible, religious educators can better facilitate and guide children in Bible lessons that are driven by the children themselves and that better connect to their life contexts, experiences, and felt needs.

Keywords:

• Childist biblical interpretation
• childism
• Bible lessons
• religious education
• children

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Russell W. Dalton

Russell W. Dalton is Professor of Religious Education and Coordinator for Vocation Development at Brite Divinity School on the campus of Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas. He is the author of Children’s Bibles in America: A Reception History of the Story of Noah in US Children’s Bible. E-mail: [email protected]