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It is time to seriously consider the faith experiences and spirituality of children. These topics have been neglected by theologians and theoreticians for far too long. But—especially in the past five years—scholars and researchers have begun to produce work that paints a rich and full picture of children's spirituality that is informed by church history, grounded in theology, and motivated by an increasing understanding of children.

Two new books contribute to this growing field. When Children Became People: The Birth of Childhood in Early Christianity by O. M. Bakke (Fortress Press) and Paedofaith: A Primer on the Mystery of Infant Salvation and a Handbook for Covenant Parents by Rich Lusk (Athanasius Press), both published in 2005, consider the faith of infants and children using biblical texts and sources of church history, implicitly raising sociological and anthropological questions for the reader.

Bakke, a church historian in Norway, begins his examination of children and childhood in the early church and continues through the patristic writings. He uses data from both Christian and non-Christian sources from A.D. 100-500 to draw attention to the fact that Christians, from the time of Jesus on, apparently viewed and treated children differently than did the surrounding dominant cultures. He explores the difference Christianity made in the view and treatment of children in that era.

On the other hand, Lusk is a Presbyterian pastor in Birmingham, Alabama, writing to today's "covenant" parents. He seeks to encourage them to be vigilant and faithful in their covenantal parenting task, because "the promises of God to our children apply even from the point of conception," and to clarify the issue of "whether or not infants of Christian parents can have faith." Lusk argues from the Psalms and the Gospels and then the Reformers—from Calvin on to contemporary Reformed writers—that the covenant promises of Scripture are no different for children than for adults.

Bakke wisely informs the reader that ancient patristic sources were almost exclusively written by educated, elite males and tended to be prescriptive rather than descriptive of actual practice. Still, the first section of his book addresses the fact that the Greco-Roman culture—the non-Christian culture—often allowed the harsh and immoral treatment of children.

The second half of the book underscores Christian views and practices during that period. He notes that until the fifth century, some Christian subcultures apparently viewed children as innocent or at least "morally neutral," though incomplete. Yet other groups of early Christians believed there was no apparent difference between children and adults regarding their relationship to God. Some took it for granted that children had the necessary ability for practicing a comprehensive life of religious devotion.

The longest chapter in When Children Became People addresses the need seen in early Christendom to make or form children as "athletes of Christ." The Christian education of children was expected to result in obedience, with parents being the prime educators. Indications are that Christian and pagan children were schooled in the same settings, but Christian children were expected to reject teachings that did not support their faith. Children also were active participants in ancient corporate Christian worship.

"Christian theology and ethics protected children's life in a way not found in the Greco-Roman world," Bakke says. Children were significant to the patristic writers, says Bakke, though there is no theological consensus regarding children, nor is there evidence that their first consideration was what was best for children. The fact that the patristic writers had so much to say about children, even infants, indicates their concern. Fifty pages of footnotes attest to the depth of Bakke's own concern for the subject.

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May (Web-only) 2006, Vol. 50