TEACHING THE BIBLE TO LITTLE CHILDREN
Abstract
Teaching the Bible to little children is far more complex than may be expected. The contents as well as the manner in which a Bible story is related may affect a child’s religious development and religious experiences. Traditional didactic approaches are critically assessed with specific reference to stereotyped curricula and undue focus on cognitive performance. The view is advanced that these approaches need to be complemented by an alternative approach in which a specific hermeneutical model plays a central role. This approach includes the acknowledgement of religious potential, the restructuring of curricula, the creation of a supportive learning environment, and an emphasis on mediating rather than teaching the Bible.Authors retain copyright and grant the Journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this Journal.
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