One evening, as my wife and I were putting our kids to bed, our three-year-old daughter, Opal, was making silly faces in the mirror. After reviewing her exaggerated expressions, she paused and asked, in a serious tone, “Why did Jesus make my eyes weird?”
Now, you have to understand, Opal has ginormous eyes. We call them her “Disney princess eyes” and have always told her they are beautiful.
On this particular night, however, she saw their uniqueness as strange and asked why Jesus made them “weird.”
I mention this exchange to highlight some key assumptions in Opal’s question that could have easily been overlooked.
Opal could have asked, “Why are my eyes weird?” or “Why was I born with weird eyes?” Instead, she asked, “Why did Jesus make my eyes weird?” This simple question was packed with theological significance. She saw her big eyes, not as a random feature given to her by chance or genetics, but as the purposeful design of a creator. She also assumed that the creator wasn’t a distant, unnamed deity, but the second person of the triune God, Jesus Christ.
These assumptions in her question reveal that Opal is a theologian, operating out of doctrines rooted in the Christian worldview.
Theology Shapes a Child’s Worldview
We all have assumptions and deep-rooted beliefs that shape our understanding of the world and how we operate in it. These beliefs (or presuppositions) that color how we see and live in the world are known as a person’s worldview.
Everyone at every age—from preschool to adulthood has a worldview. The question is not whether a person has a worldview, but whether that worldview is consistently biblical or Christian.
Notice I said the word “consistently.” In our ever-changing society, it can be easy to mix our beliefs and see the world in distorted ways. Often this happens as a consequence of compartmentalizing theology from the rest of life. When theology is merely seen as a subject of study, rather than a lens through which all subjects are viewed, we can interpret and live in the world in inconsistent (and often unbiblical) ways.
In our book, How to Teach Kids Theology, Sam Luce and I speak to the need for helping our kids become theological fluent. Instead of theology being seen as a second language our kids awkwardly use at certain times and places, they need to see theology as the primary language by which they think and speak.
Doing this might sound daunting, even impossible, but change can come through one simple shift: stop seeing theology as just one subject among many and start viewing it as the lens through which all subjects are understood. This shift can have world-altering ramifications in how you respond to your children’s questions, react to bad behavior, make decisions, and engage with ideas.
Churches and Parents Must Work Together
We want it to be natural for our kids to see things as God sees them, speak as God speaks, and think God’s thoughts after him. This can only happen when parents and churches partner together to provide our kids with a consistently biblical worldview.
If you’re a ministry leader reading this article, ask yourself, “How well is our church equipping families to disciple their children at home?” Does your church have an intentional equipping plan with well-curated resources? If you’re a parent or grandparent reading this, ask yourself, “Am I fully utilizing the wisdom, training, and resources of my pastor and local church ministry?” Do you prioritize participating in and seeking guidance from your local church?
A simple next step is to begin having conversations with parents or church leadership to develop a strategic plan for discipling your children and cultivating fluency in God’s truth.
If you need direction for these conversations, Sam and I provide guidance and helpful resources for churches and families to work together in the theological training of their kids in Chapter 8 of our book.
May theology be the primary language your children speak now and for the rest of their days.
In case you were wondering, my daughter Opal no longer thinks her eyes are weird. She now sees them as beautiful creations of God.
How to Teach Kids Theology
What comes to mind when you think about teaching theological truths to children? Glazed eyes? Over-their-head discussions? Theology doesn’t have to be “too deep for kids.” For kids to stand firm in a culture that suppresses the truth of Christianity, we need to give them a grand view of God that overwhelms their hearts and fills them with wonder. How to Teach Kids Theology by Sam Luce and Hunter Williams takes the deep truths of the Christian faith and gives practical, actionable direction for sharing them with children.