Reverence for the Heart of the Child

Are children little angels or little devils, or are they like their parents a little of each? Must they go through a definite moment of conversion or can they grow up always knowing themselves to be Christian? How do theological ideas about human nature, sin and salvation affect how parents see and treat children? Starting with Horace Bushnell's classic 19th-century study, Christian Nurture, Leander Harding brings the discussion up to date with the help of insights from contemporary psychoanalytic thought and Family Systems Theory. Included are practical suggestions for parents and parishes.

""This is a striking work, rich with concrete applications for faith development in families and ministry in the church.""
--S. Mark Helm, Samuel Abbot Professor of Christian Theology, Andover Newton Theological School

""Dr Harding shows us how to understand the child in a realistic way . . . and shows the way forward for the church . . . cooperating with God's grace to overcome the destructive forces that threaten the church's ability to be nourishing and full of wonder today.""
--Jerome W. Berryman, Founder of Godly Play, Center for the Theology of Childhood

""Bushnell's ground-breaking argument for the organic view of growth in the families of faith and home is as timely as ever in the midst of today's individualisms in culture and religion. Leander Harding makes that case persuasively in this important work.""
--The Rev. Dr. Gabriel Fackre, Abbot Professor of Systematic Theology Emeritus, Andover Newton Theological School

Leander S. Harding, PhD, is ordained as a priest in the Episcopal Church. After many years of service in parish ministry he now teaches pastoral theology at Trinity School for Ministry in Ambridge, Pennsylvania, an evangelical seminary in the Anglican tradition. He is also the author of, In the Breaking of the Bread: A User's Guide to a Service of Holy Communion in the Anglican Tradition.