Member-only story
Learning from Children
I recently had a walk with a good friend here in Austin. As with all of our conversations, this one flowed naturally; meandering through various topics. In between pauses in conversation as we scaled some steep inclines, we began to talk about the current state of Christianity and traditional religion in general. We talked of the waning influence of institutional religion and the religious fervency of Christian nationalism. We talked of the role and purpose of rituals, especially sacred rituals.
He then asked two profound questions:
How do you create a spiritual structure for your kids while not belonging to a particular religion or denomination?
How do you teach your kids to be spiritual?
I felt the heft and sincerity of his questions. To the best of my recollection, here is how I answered …
Two notes before I continue …
I believe both his questions and the answers that came to me apply to our own lives as well.
If your soul feels called to (and/or for your kids) to be part of a religious community, please do so. My view on this mirrors a piece of advice that Eugene Peterson once gave when asked about going to church: “If you feel called to a community, find the nearest, smallest one.”
