All month here at Patheos, we’ve been exploring the topic of Passing on the Faith to our children. How do we pass on this faith we cherish so much to our beloved children? A fantastic group of voices and perspectives from across the religious spectrum have weighed in on this important question, from Progressive Christians (Phyllis Tickle, Mark Yaconelli, Melvin Bray, to name a few), to Hindus to Pagans to Catholics. Check out the Symposium here.
I had a chance to speak to Brian McLaren, prolific author and one of the leading voices in the Progressive/Emerging Church, on a Google Hangout this week about passing on a progressive Christian faith. Brian gets asked this question a lot and cares deeply about it. How do we pass on these new ways of seeing the Bible, understanding the Christian tradition, exploring community and spiritual practice, and engaging in inter-religious dialogue to our children? Frankly, there just aren’t a whole lot of great resources out there for kids. Fortunately, Brian and a group of educators, pastors and parents have been involved with a project initially called Children, Youth and A New Kind of Christianity, and now called more simply Faith Forward (no, not this blog, but here: faith-forward.net). This group is giving critical reflection and attention to how to nurture young people within a new kind of Christianity.
Listen in on our conversation as Brian and I reflect on the challenges of passing on our faith. I also ask Brian what his dream curriculum for children would look like, if he got to create one. As always, Brian’s thoughts are thought-provoking and inspiring as we think about better ways to raise our children as progressive people of faith.
(Since I’m new to Google Hangouts, pardon the abrupt start and few technical glitches.)
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