Imagination in the formation of Christian faith : with special reference to the child (7-11 year old)

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT:This study alms to investigate the function of imagination for faithformation of the child aged 7-11 years.Chapter one proposes the problems, proposition and significance of thisdissertation, and sketches a brief overview of the further chapters.Chapter two provides a general understanding of the children, aged 7-11, interms of their developmental stages and using a holistic approach. Toencourage them to have faith, this chapter primarily investigates thecharacter of faith in dimensions: the cognitive dimension (knowledge andmystery), the affective dimension (trust and community), and thebehavioural dimension ( word and deed). In this holistic perspective, theimagination as the affective dimension, is placed in the centre throughwhich the cognitive aspects and the behavioural aspects can be drawntogether.Chapter three deals with the Bible as the source of Christian childeducation in which the Bible is defined as story and image. Through thisnew understanding of the Bible, the purpose of this chapter is to present therelevance of the Bible itself for the 7-11 year age- group children. The Bibleas story has a plot structure that process from conflict to resolution, throughwhich children can participate in the Bible with wonder and mystery. The Bible as image is an appropriate form to explain transcendent God tochildren who are living in perceived reality and can therefore engage withthe Bible via feeling and seeing.Chapter four explores the significance and function of imagination bydefining it as 'the anthropological point of contact for divine revelation.'From Green's definition, this chapter develops three functions ofimagination for 7-11 year-old children. These are: holistic imaginationhelpingtowards the balanced faith development of children; incarnationalimagination-incorporating God's revelation into the present situation ofchildren; and alternative imagination-shaping the biblical word in thepresent world.Finally, chapter five investigates the most effective method of enabling thechild to imagine God and His world described in the Bible. For the answer,this chapter suggests the storytelling method which evokes and appeals tothe imagination of children. Thus, I strongly propose that the alternativeway for the effective teaching of children teaching, which overcomes theshortcomings of the traditional cognitive teaching is imaginative- narrativeor imaginative- storytelling education.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University