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Though both authors explore historical aspects of children's spirituality, Lusk, in eight compact chapters, approaches the task through a different process. He starts with an unapologetic assumption—that paedofaith is grounded in the covenant promises of Scripture. (Paedo is the British spelling of the prefix referring to child.) After expounding passages from the Psalms (especially Psalm 22) and the Gospels, Lusk recognizes the "mystery" of paedofaith in that the intellectual level of the child, even an infant, cannot limit their "knowing" the Spirit of God. God is, after all, sovereign and unlimited in ability. Lusk describes paedofaith as "relational trust," just as it is for adults, though not all infant faith (which he calls "seed faith") is persevering faith.

Next Lusk, after introducing Calvin and others, discusses the eternal destiny of infants who die. He argues for the covenantal position but also presents the views of the revivalist tradition. Along with paedofaith, he discusses paedobaptism and paedocommunion. Lusk shares the story of a 5-year-old explaining why she went to the Lord's Table: "To say hi to Jesus." This is a delightful response, in Lusk's view, to the oft-assumed superiority of a more intellectual explanation. Lusk also addresses Christian parents for whom a crucial task is to identify their role in developing their children's faith: Is it a calling for conversion or for discipleship? From the covenant position, not surprisingly, it is a call to discipleship. Lusk instructs covenant parents that infant faith is to be expected and that they should consider their children to be Christians.

Both Bakke and Lusk provide helpful resources for understanding children's spirituality from a Christian perspective. Bakke defends the unique sensitivities of childhood that need to be protected, while Lusk points out how he views children and adults as theologically comparable. Today's children's minister needs to read Bakke's work seeking relevant insights—asking questions such as: Does Christian faith make a difference in the life of today's children? In what ways, if any, does the church view children differently than the popular culture? How is the church equipping parents to help children obey and be able to resist contemporary culture? Lusk forces the reader to wrestle with the concept of faith in children, whether or not it is possible and, if it is, what is the nature and quality of that faith.

The implicit issues raised in these books make an impact on life in the faith community, since every theology has a corresponding sociology. As Lusk outlines Reformed covenantal theology, the reader begins to see that churches adhering to a conversional approach will systemically view children and their participation within that community very differently than churches with a covenantal theology. Do these differences need to be resolved? If so, how? Scripture does not definitively describe how a child comes to faith—arguments from the text can be made for several views. This topic is especially significant because of the spate of independent, non-denominational churches today that have no tradition upon which to rely, so each individual church must decide what position to hold regarding children. How should that decision be made? What questions should be asked? What difference does it make?

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May (Web-only) 2006, Vol. 50