1. Beginning to make a difference Children thinking theologically

3. Talking about God  VIDEO – Swedish children talking about God

4. Talking about God

6. What is theology?  The word theology comes from two Greek words, theos (God) and logos (word). Theology is the study of God.  Christian theology is the study of God revealed in Scripture, tradition and the Christian faith.  Theology considers how a particular set of beliefs are derived and how they affect behaviour and decision making.  We all do it but we can learn better ways of doing it.  It isn’t restricted to RE!

7. Why theology?  Left to their own devices, children will likely become religious in some sense but probably in a sense more like what you would call superstition than a thoughtful, sophisticated belief and behaviour system.

8. Why theology?  John (6)  I worked about it and received..one day..I was with my mum and begged her..um..for me to go to some church. And we did it and I prayed..and after that praying I knew that good was on my side. And I heard him say this: I am with you. Every step you go. The Lord is with you. May sins be forgiven.  Maggie (10)  Weird, because I think like he’s talking to me. But I never know whether it’s him or whether it’s my conscience. I never know. It happens when I’m upset or worried about something..it feels all comfortable and tingling, I don’t know, it just, I can’t describe it, it’s just weird, it’s nice.

9. Your journey so far…..  What forms and informs your theology?  How has your theology/theological understanding changed during your life?

10. 2010: Going for Growth theology  Made in God’s image  Genesis 1:26,27; Mark 10:16; Mark 9:36,37  Precious and valued in God’s sight; paradox of being and becoming  Called into relationship  Genesis 1:26,27; Ezekiel 36:26-28; Acts 2:46,47  With God, each other and creation; cared about and caring for humankind and the world  Citizens of the Kingdom  Micah 6:8; Matthew 28:18-20; Luke 9:1,2  Active in living out Kingdom values; making connections between life and faith

11. Growing, changing, learning, developing  VIDEO Lotte and Vince growing up

12. James Fowler 1981

13. Fowler and faith  A way of knowing, valuing, being committed to and understanding life  Faith gives meaning to life  Faith not limited to any one religion  Faith – not ‘The Faith’

14. Windows into faith Thinking Perspective taking Moral judgements Social awareness Relation to authority World view Relation to symbols

15. Fowler’s Faith Stages  Universal in principle  Everyone might pass through them all (even though we might not all get very far)  Invariant  You cannot skip a stage  Hierarchical  Each stage follows on from the previous one

16. Undifferentiated  Foundation/Nursed  Birth - 3  Care  Safety  Trust  Relationships

17. Undifferentiated  Foundation VIDEO clip – young girl conducting orchestra

18. Intuitive/Projected  Chaotic  3 - 8  Impressionistic  Knowing by feeling  Importance of symbols, ritual and sacrament  Importance of concrete situations  Ritual dimension of home life  Authority = big adults

19. Intuitive/Projected  VIDEO clip – orthodox children playing the liturgy

20. Mythic/Literal  Ordering Faith  6 – 12  Story – making sense and order  Is this true?  Ethic of fairness and justice  World losing its enchantment  Club-able

21. Mythic/Literal  Ordering Faith VIDEO clip from Outnumbered (The Wedding)

22. Synthetic/Conventional  Conforming  11 – 18  Abstract and reflective thinking  Interpersonal relationships  Social awareness – involved in causes  Conforming to significant others  Juggling influences  Having beliefs and values but not always knowing what or why: ‘just because’

23. Individuated/Reflective  Choosing  17 onwards or 30s/40s onwards  Significant development of faith – finding a faith that ‘fits’  Reflecting critically upon belief  Danger of over-intellectualism  Space to discover vocation  Often triggered by a significant life event

24. Conjunctive  Balanced  Rare before 30  Faith as porous and permeable  Seeks understanding rather than explanation  New readiness to serve others rather than self

25. Universalising  Selfless  Usually only in later life  Ready to transform the world selflessly  Understanding of community widens to embrace the whole of humanity

26. Westerhoff 1976 Styles of Faith

27.  Experienced  Hearing the story  Affiliative  Who/where am I in the story?  Searching  How does this story help me make sense of the world?  Owned  How does my story differ from other faith stories?

28. Rebecca Nye 2009 Children’s Spirituality  Space  Process  Imagination  Relationship  Intimacy  Trust

29. Rebecca Nye 2009 Children’s Spirituality  Space

30. Rebecca Nye 2009 Children’s Spirituality  Process

31. Rebecca Nye 2009 Children’s Spirituality  Imagination

32. Text – Impact - Connections  Telling the story  Exploring its impact then and now  Making connections with life: emotions, events, relationships, dilemmas

33. Selecting the material  Identifying the core elements of the concept for the age group  Appropriate Biblical texts – what is the genre?  Aspects of/connections with Christian belief and action  Art/music/artefacts/concrete connections  Are there cultural contexts that need to be considered – Bible/local

34. Asking questions of the text  What are the questions you want to ask of this story?  What surprises you?  What difference does it make to know this story?  Why was this story included?  What is the value of this story?  How is this story different to another?  Could this story be left out?  Do I see anything that connects this story with my life?

35. Exploring the impact  What did the people (in the story) learn/discover (about God)?  How did this shape what they did?  What difference did this (story) make?  What does this help us discover (about God)?  How does this shape what Christians do/worship?  Does this story still have a value?

36. Making the connections  Where does this fit in the bigger picture?  Are there other parts of the Bible that say something about this?  Does everything agree?  What are the big themes of Christianity that are here?  How does this help Christians know what to believe/how to behave?  Is there anything that Christians do because of this story?  Are there other stories that explore this concept? How are they different/similar?

37. Trinity  Why are we teaching this?  What do we want to teach?  What are the core/foundational beliefs?  What are the stories/themes we might include?  Where are the connections with Christian belief/action/practice today?  Where else might children be learning about this?  Are there other aspects that need to be included?  What are the activities that will aid learning and reflection?  What can we leave out?

38. Artist Theologian

39. Beginning to make a difference: doing RE well

41.  VIDEO clip from Outnumbered (The Wedding)