Children's Camp - reflections
Just finished attending a three-day children's church camp in which I was the camp commandant. To say the least, it was an extremely fruitful time in which I somehow felt at least several years younger. That aside, how the church responds to children is indicative of her ability to challenge and transform the world she is in.
Why do I say so?
Firstly, it is in childhood that the foundational things of one's life (belief in God, value of human life) are shaped and moulded. If the church is unable to fulfill her teaching ministry - and by that I do not mean simply teaching biblical narratives - but rather, to inculcate a Christian worldview among the young, then it is of little surprise that it the church remains impoverished when confronting the bigger ideas of our times.
Secondly - and in the words of a certain MJ - "children connect us to the deeper wisdom of life which is everpresent, and only asked to be lived" (not sure whether its a form of idealized childhood, but what rings true about it is that the 'relative innocence' of a child symbolizes the type of child-like faith that is partaking of the Kingdom of God).
Thirdly, the zest of life resonates most clearly among children and that one would have to be a cynic or nihilist not to see that (though unfortunately, as Neil Postman has pointed out, the pop culture of our times have steadily eradicated the value of childhood).
As a result, it is my belief that any revival in the church can only take place (as a general principle) when a church's sunday school ministry is being reformed. Sadly, most youth ministries merely duplicate activities from CCA groups, rewording them in some Christian-sounding terms that ultimately ring hollow.
Why do I say so?
Firstly, it is in childhood that the foundational things of one's life (belief in God, value of human life) are shaped and moulded. If the church is unable to fulfill her teaching ministry - and by that I do not mean simply teaching biblical narratives - but rather, to inculcate a Christian worldview among the young, then it is of little surprise that it the church remains impoverished when confronting the bigger ideas of our times.
Secondly - and in the words of a certain MJ - "children connect us to the deeper wisdom of life which is everpresent, and only asked to be lived" (not sure whether its a form of idealized childhood, but what rings true about it is that the 'relative innocence' of a child symbolizes the type of child-like faith that is partaking of the Kingdom of God).
Thirdly, the zest of life resonates most clearly among children and that one would have to be a cynic or nihilist not to see that (though unfortunately, as Neil Postman has pointed out, the pop culture of our times have steadily eradicated the value of childhood).
As a result, it is my belief that any revival in the church can only take place (as a general principle) when a church's sunday school ministry is being reformed. Sadly, most youth ministries merely duplicate activities from CCA groups, rewording them in some Christian-sounding terms that ultimately ring hollow.
posted by Benjamin Ho at
2:26 AM
2 Comments
