Nurture That Is Christian: Developmental Perspectives on Christian Education

by James C. Wilhoit (Editor), Ted Ward (Foreword), John M. Dettoni (Editor)

Book by

Genres: Education, Christian

278 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1995

About the author

James C. Wilhoit (PhD, Northwestern University) is the Scripture Press Professor of Christian Formation and Ministry at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois, where he has taught for thirty years. He has authored numerous books, including Spiritual Formation as if the Church Mattered.

Reviews

[Kevin Fulton · Rating 2 out of 5]

Christian education books need to move beyond “Jesus lectured so you can lecture too! Jesus utilized small group discussions, what does that mean for your classroom?”

Many of the authors in the book approach education roughly in that manner. It seems that they aren’t using the Bible as a foundation but more as a limitation on their thinking. It is less of synthesizing secular data with the Bible and more of saying the Bible says this, secular source also says this same thing. This approach limits analysis and promotes superficially engaging with evidence.

Christians don’t need to use the Bible this way. It should be, what is the purpose of education and of this class? Does the lesson/activity ethically move things this direction? If yes, then it is good.

We don’t need verbatim examples from the Bible to determine if we can or cannot go to the bathroom. We shouldn’t need verbatim examples to determine how to teach either. God gave us brains, we ought to use them.

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book for a seminary class, but I plan on keeping it and reading it again in the future! It is so helpful for Christian educators or anyone who teaches/leads in the Christian setting. The first section of the book summarizes major developmental theories in easy-to-understand language. The second section of the book gives an overview of developmental traits of each each group. The final section describes how development influences Christian discipleship (and vice versa), and how we as Christian leaders/teachers can leverage development for a greater discipleship impact. Highly recommend!

[Timothy Darling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Speaking of developmental theory in the context of Christian Education is like teaching a bullet ballistics. This is good information. The stages, conflicts, positions and perspectives of people throughout their lives greatly impacts the way they will process the Gospel message as well as the many other great truths of the faith. The ideas of scaffolding, disequlibriation, and Fowler's development of faith I find particularly helpful. Though I tend toward a more dynamic model of spirituality, it makes sense that people process faith in similar ways so that understanding how they understand their faith is helpful. Of great value is the chapter on child development and teaching principles.

I find the various facets of developmental theory helpful, if somewhat intuitive for the older reader. Knowing what the general concerns of the student will be (mid-life concerns of reassessing the dream for men, for engaging life outside of family for women) is helpful to the teacher who would approach a biblical lesson in a surgical fashion.

However we are back to that bullet. As a graduate student I am grasping these ideas in the context of highly theoretical material on a metacognitive level. I have not memorized these stages and the theoreticians they are associated with (though I am feeling the need). I am not sure the materials we get for our Sunday school teachers account for these ideas, and I am not sure orthodox materials are available that do. I am sure the teenager teaching the children's class would struggle with them. How can he gain the expertise needed to teach these children? My goal in learning these ideas is to transmit them to the people who need them most, the people at the point of ministry contact.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

nothing I haven't learned before - but was a good, practical reminder of how development can impact Christian ministry and discipleship.