Baptists, who have traditionally emphasised the authority of Scripture, agree strongly that New Testament teaching and practice allows them to baptize only believers upon profession of ~aith. There are, however, many remaining questions concerning the relation of children to God and the place of children in the church which are not as straightforwardly answered in Scripture; here Baptists often display little consensus. Although the principles of corporate solidarity and of individual responsibility operate in both Testaments, the development of individual responsibility, already apparent within later Old Testament history, is carried further in the New Testament where there is evidence of some breakdown in family solidarity and of division on the basis of individual allegiance to Jesus. Discussion of the place of the child in the early church to the fourth century centres around questions of original sin, the 'innocence' of children, the rise of infant baptism and the catachumenate. The historical survey also investigates the development of Anabaptist, early Baptist and modern Baptist views of childhood from the sixteenth to the twentieth centuries. Baptist perspectives in relation to four current issues in the theology of the child are considered: original sin and the 'age of accountability', infant salvation, 'faith development' and child evangelism. The South African situation is analysed by identifying amd interpreting areas of agreement and areas of uncertainty indicated by the results of a detailed questionnaire distributed amongst Baptists during 1990-1991. Baptists need to recognize that children of believers, although not necessarily saved, are in a creative relationship with the church, somewhat similar to that of the catechumenate in the early church. Two particularly problematic areas are the question of the appropriate age for baptism, church membership and communion of children. This is partly because although linked with faith rather than with ~ pastoral wisdom is needed to assess the evidence for true faith in particular cases. In spite of the difficulties to be faced, Baptist congregations and all Christians and churches have much to gain from a careful consideration of the theological issues related to the place of the child in the church. / Philosophy, Practical & Systematic Theology / D. Th. (Systematic Theology)

Thesis (D. Min.)--Emmanuel School of Religion, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 399-406).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Emmanuel School of Religion, 2007. / Vita. Description based on Microfiche version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 399-406).

Baptists, who have traditionally emphasised the authority of Scripture, agree strongly that New Testament teaching and practice allows them to baptize only believers upon profession of ~aith. There are, however, many remaining questions concerning the relation of children to God and the place of children in the church which are not as straightforwardly answered in Scripture; here Baptists often display little consensus. Although the principles of corporate solidarity and of individual responsibility operate in both Testaments, the development of individual responsibility, already apparent within later Old Testament history, is carried further in the New Testament where there is evidence of some breakdown in family solidarity and of division on the basis of individual allegiance to Jesus. Discussion of the place of the child in the early church to the fourth century centres around questions of original sin, the 'innocence' of children, the rise of infant baptism and the catachumenate. The historical survey also investigates the development of Anabaptist, early Baptist and modern Baptist views of childhood from the sixteenth to the twentieth centuries. Baptist perspectives in relation to four current issues in the theology of the child are considered: original sin and the 'age of accountability', infant salvation, 'faith development' and child evangelism. The South African situation is analysed by identifying amd interpreting areas of agreement and areas of uncertainty indicated by the results of a detailed questionnaire distributed amongst Baptists during 1990-1991. Baptists need to recognize that children of believers, although not necessarily saved, are in a creative relationship with the church, somewhat similar to that of the catechumenate in the early church. Two particularly problematic areas are the question of the appropriate age for baptism, church membership and communion of children. This is partly because although linked with faith rather than with ~ pastoral wisdom is needed to assess the evidence for true faith in particular cases. In spite of the difficulties to be faced, Baptist congregations and all Christians and churches have much to gain from a careful consideration of the theological issues related to the place of the child in the church. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / D. Th. (Systematic Theology)

Thesis (M.A.B.S.)--Talbot School of Theology, Biola University, 1987. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 77-90).

Thesis (MTh) -- Stellenbosch University, 1995. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis is an attempt to present a prop~r modd and methodology of pastoral care &mu counselling of children. Chapter I starts with the concept of childhood and traces the history of child care and examines the present situation of pastoral care and counselling. The importance and necessity of pastoral care and counselling of children is emphasized. Chapter 2 locates pastoral care and counselling of children under the umbrella of Practical Theolob'Y· It proposes an interdisciplinary model and argues th<:t pastoral care is a theological issue. In chapter 3 the ancient Israelite society is examined 11s an example of a therapeutic environment for growing children. Her.~ the family provided a social structure through which children experienced a strong sense of belonging, security, love and self-identity. In the family circle God's covenantal love was conveyed by means of storyte.lling. Children have their own world and language which differ in many ways from the adult world. Chapter 4 explores the personal world and language of children and gives an exposition of the different developmental stages between the ages of six and twelve. Chapter 5 deals with the world of children, the family and the immediate environment of growing children. Healing in pastoral care is exercised through faith care. The research proposes the storytelling method as a most effective vehicle to convey God's love to the child. Chapier six explains the necessity for a storytelling technique through which the horizon of the child's environment merges with the horizon of God's unfailing love and grace. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die navorsing is daarop gerig om die pastoraat llewus te maak van die eiesoortige behoeftes van die kind onder twaalf jaar binne die beraadproses. Die voorveronderstelling waarmee gewerk word, is dat die kind deur die kerk wel via die kategese bereik word, maar dan op 'n meer kognitiewe leervlak. Gevolglik word daar nie erns gemaak met die meer indjviduele en emosionele behoeftes van kinders in 'n krisis binne hut gesinsverband nie. Die eerste hoofstuk is 'n bespreking van die geskiedenis van sorg aan die kleiner kind en ·n ontleding van die huidige benwdsituasie in pastorale sorg. Die tweede hoofstuk bied 'n metodologiese raamwerk teen die agtergroml van die karakter van praktiese teologie en 'n interdissiplinere benadering. Die derde hoofstuk is 'n poging om vas te stel wat die posisie van die kind in die vroee lsraelitiese gemeenskap was. Die navorsing stel vas dat die sorg van God gerealiseer was via die verbondsliefde sons wat dit in die familie tot uitdrukking gekom het. Dit is hier waar die verhaal of storie van God se bemoeienis met sy volk oorvertel is. Die vierde hoofstuk konsentreer op die eiesoortige wereld van taal, simbole en kommunikasie gedurende die verskillende ontwikkelingsfases van die kind. Hoofstuk vyf bied 'n bespreking van die sosiale omgewing en gesinsverband van die kind. Die laaste hoofstuk is 'n toespitsing van pastoraat a an die kleiner kind rnet behulp van die metode van storievertelling. Dit is die taak van die pastoraat om 'n horisonversmelting tussen die storie van die kind en die storie van God se verbondsliefde te laat plaasvind. Op hierdie wyse word die geloof van die kind ontwikkel en verkry die metode van storievertelling 'n pastorale dimensie.

The socio-economic and political crisis in Zimbabwe is breeding poverty which forces children to drop out of school and find a way to survive. Children in Zimbabwe no longer work for extra income to spend with peers or to pay for school fees, but they work for their survival. Therefore this is a study on child labour. Zimbabwe is signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child however, all these laws are not helping to mitigate against child labour. Despite the existence of child labour in Zimbabwe there has been little theological response. The current theological debates have overlooked the suffering of children through child labour. This argument refers to both academic and church theology. The basic theological argument in this study is that in order to protect children from child labour there is need to construct a liberative theology of children which focuses on; dignity, identity, love, justice and freedom. / Thesis (M.Th.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2009.

On title page: Master of Philosophy in Bible Skills / Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2001 / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Children in the Old Testament world, at first glance, seem to playa very minor role in the make-up of that society but was this really so? In researching the role and education there are many questions, which need answering. Questions that come to mind are: What role did children play in the tribe, clan and family? How did children relate to their fathers, mothers and siblings? What education and training did children receive? When did they receive it? Was it formal or informal? Did the status and education of children change from early Israel through to the beginning of New Testament times? How could children identify with their religion? What did children contribute to their religion? What legal rights did children have? How did their situation compare to the children in other countries in the . Ancient Near East? In investigating these questions in chapter one it was necessary to research the social system, which included the complex multigenerational family. It was also important to look at children in the Old Testament world from a sociological anthropological stance. As religion and religious concepts were embedded in the fabric of the Old Testament society it was important to see which ones influenced the status of children. There was also a need to investigate how children were protected by the law and how they were affected by the economy as Israelite society was largely an agrarian society. In chapter two when investigating the education of children in the Old Testament world it was necessary to look at parental responsibility as well as the role of priests, prophets, sages, scribes and teachers. Wisdom literature in the Old Testament played an important role in the education of every child, either formally or informally. Not all of the education was moral education; much of the instruction that children received was vocational. The challenge when looking at education is that the evidence is mostly inferred. In analysing the role of children in the Old Testament world it becomes apparent that children play a far greater role and are of higher social status than it appears at a cursory glance when looking at the patriarchal society in which they lived. The education of children took place mostly in the setting of the home on an informal basis. It was only much later that formal education was introduced and even then the exact beginning of schools is difficult to pinpoint. It would be incorrect to attempt to transplant the role of the child in the Old Testament world into contemporary culture without transplanting the whole society. It would however be correct to look at the Old Testament child within the context of the extended family as far as redemptive history and creation is concerned. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Kinders in die Ou Testamentwêreld blyk met die eerste oogopslag In geringe rol te speel in die samestelling van daardie gemeenskap, maar is dit werklik so? Met die navorsing van die rol en opvoeding was daar baie vrae wat beantwoord behoort te word. Vrae wat opduik is: Watter rol het die kinders gespeel in die stam, familiegroep en gesin? Wat was die verhouding tussen die kinders en hulle vaders, moeders, broers en susters? Watter opvoeding en onderrig het kinders ontvang? Wanneer het hulle dit ontvang? Was dit formeelof informeel? Het die status en opvoeding van kinders verander van vroeë Israel deur tot aan di~ begin van Nuwe Testamenttye? Hoe kon die kinders met hulle geloof identifiseer? Watter bydrae het kinders tot hulle geloof gelewer? Wat~er wetlike regte het kinders gehad? Hoe het hulle situasie vergelyk met die kinders in ander lande in die Antieke Nabye- Ooste? Deur hierdie vrae in hoofstuk een te ondersoek was dit nodig om die ,. maatskaplike stelsel te ondersoek, wat die komplekse veelvuldige geslagfamilie ingesluit het. Dit was ook belangrik om na kinders in die Ou Testamentwêreld vanuit In sosiologiese antropologiese oogpunt te kyk. Aangesien godsdiens en godsdienstige konsepte ingebed was in die wese van die Ou Testamentiese samelewing, was dit belangrik om te sien watter die status van kinders beïnvloed het. Dit was ook nodig om te ondersoek hoe kinders deur die wet beskerm is en hulle beïnvloed is deur die ekonomie aangesien die samelewing in Israel hoofsaaklik In landelike gemeenskap was. In hoofstuk twee met die ondersoek van die opvoeding van kinders in die wêreld van die Ou Testament was dit nodig om te kyk na ouerlike verantwoordelikheid sowel as die rol van priesters, profete, wysgere, skrifgeleerdes en leermeesters/onderwysers. Wysheidsliteratuur in die Ou Testament het In belangrike rol gespeel in die opvoeding van elke kind, hetsy formeelof informeel. Die opvoeding was nie alles morele opvoeding nie; 'n groot gedeelte van die onderrig wat kinders ontvang het was beroepsgerig. Die uitdaging wanneer na die opvoeding gekyk word, is dat die meeste bewyse hoofsaaklik afgeleide bewyse is. Wanneer die rol van kinders in die Ou Testamentwêreld geanaliseer word, word dit duidelik dat kinders 'n baie groter rol gespeel het, en 'n hoër maatskaplike aansien geniet het as wat 'n bloot tersaaklike blik op die patriargale samelewing waarin hulle gewoon het, aantoon. Die opvoeding wat kinders ontvang het, het hoofsaaklik in die konteks van die huis, en op fn informele basis plaasgevind. Dit was eers baie later dat formele opvoeding bekendgestel is en die presiese begin van skole is ook moeilik om vas te stel. Dit sou nie korrek wees om te probeer om die rol van die kind in die Ou Testament oor te plaas in die wêreld van die kontemporêre kultuur sonder om die hele samelewing ook oor te plaas nie. Die sou egter korrek wees om na die Ou Testament kind te kyk binne die konteks van die uitgebreide gesin wat verlossingsgeskiedenis en die skepping aan betref.