Over the years, we’ve mentioned how the most supple, malleable time in a person’s life is childhood. The heart is the most impressionable and formable when it’s new. So why do we hear so little about spiritual formation in children? Why does so much of the modern discipleship/spiritual formation movement focus on adults?
Author and innovator Emily Riffe joins the podcast today to explore these and other questions. She draws heavily on the work and thinking of British educational reformer Charlotte Mason, who held to a very high view of the personhood of the child and the potential of human beings as image-bearers of God. What role do the home, nature, creation, culture, and self-knowledge play in the spiritual formation of our children?
It’s a fascinating, wide-ranging, and at times surprisingly discussion about how the West often misses key elements in child formation, and how the Church can lead the way to restoring a holistic, loving approach. And check out Emily’s book, Raising Wildflowers, which is all about educating kids with character as the primary focus.
