God’s heart for children in a globalized world

Understanding God’s Heart for Children in a Globalized World
Glenn Garrison

Understanding God’s Heart for Children in a Globalized World
“There can be no better measure of our governance than the way we treat our children, and no greater failing on our part than to allow them to be subjected to violence, abuse or exploitation . . . Parliamentarians have the power to alleviate the suffering of millions of children around the world, if only they would use I,” according to Jessica Lange, UNICEF Ambassador, at the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s 110th Assembly in Mexico City, 20 April 2005.
Children are at risk in every corner of the globalized world. My wife and I have served now for over twenty years in a city where children suffer from abuse, neglect, and trafficking, bonded labor and as child soldiers. This environment can lead to despair and a lack of hope, but one must not despair knowing that God is present. The church, for the most part, has forgotten about “the child in the midst.” Although there are isolated examples of giving a “cup of cold water” in Jesus’ name, there is no orchestrated policy that integrates the gospel with a holistic approach to ministering to children at risk. In fact, holistic ministry to children is lacking in almost every area of church life. In a globalized world a biblical theology of children at risk is needed to understand the effects and impact these issues are having on children. Churches, and theologians as a whole, have not adequately attempted to understand God’s heart and mind concerning children in general and children at risk in specific. Theologizing about this important issue is crucial for addressing the serious situations impacting children. A contextual understanding of the Scriptures as it relates to children is necessary for adults who often ignore children altogether. This ignorance is due to what historians call “subjugated knowledge”. No one has taken the time to listen to these voices. As Guider, in her seminal work on prostitutes (another group that the Church marginalizes) stresses,
Because historians often view people of little concern and their own narratives as less scientific or important, the concept of “subjugated knowledge” is significant. Subjugated knowledge refers to two things: first, the “historical contents that have been buried and disguised in a functionalist coherence or formal systemization”; and, second, a “whole set of knowledge that have been disqualified as inadequate of their task or insufficiently elaborated: naive knowledge, located down on the hierarchy, beneath the required level of cognition or scientificity. (Guider 1995: 8).
How does a theological understanding of children make a difference in trying to cope with the changing demographics of our world? What does theology have to do with children at risk? According to Pocock three of the major trends that must be considered as we look at the changing state of demographics in the world are migration, the HIV/AID’s pandemic and children at risk. “The three trends discussed here provide a starting point for assessing the role of churches and agencies in responding to demographic changes,” (Changing Face of World Missions: 2005: 46). Glasser notes as axiomatic that, “God is not concerned solely with individuals but with families, peoples, and nations. He presses social obligations on his redeemed people (the Sinaitic legislations)” {2003: 25}. God stands against all forms of abuse that demean people.
This paper will explore how the Bible informs the church’s theology of children at risk by considering the current state of children at risk, and looking closely at the effects of globalization as it relates to those children already marginalized by poverty and extensively by trafficking. A theology of children must be constructed by first researching the Biblical teaching on “imago Dei” and how it informs the church concerning the uniqueness and dignity of each person especially children. Second, by looking at how the doctrine of the Trinity speaks to relationships, especially within the context of the family and how it should inform our missional praxis; and finally, by demonstrating that God’s mission includes children and examining their participation with Him in mission.
Dr. John Wall states, “No lesser thinkers than Augustine, Aquinas, Calvin, and Schleiermacher have written extensively about children’s theological meaning. Yet children today often fall through the cracks when it comes to the study of Christian ethics” (Wall 2004: 160). Throughout the history of the church there have been those who have taken up the cause of children; perhaps the most exciting work is being done today by the Child Theology Movement a growing group of scholars and practitioners. Though not homogenous in its theologizing or in its depth, its members are making a good contribution; all of whom are exploring the theological implications of the “child in the midst.” Drawing from Jesus’ parabolic methodology these scholars are looking at the ramifications of this unusual encounter and its message and significance for the church today.
According to Haddon Willmer, in his article on Karl Barth, even Barth was a child theologian. He quotes a sermon where Barth states, “Jesus places children before us. He uses them as a parable in order to say something decisive to us. Children are people who still stand at the beginning of life; for them… everything is filled with possibility and promise: life is an open book filled with unwritten pages,” (Willmer 2008: 1). The problem derives from a preconceived view of the world that makes it difficult to theologize about children and children’s issues; however, the child in the midst means we must. Again, as Barth continues, “The wholly new thing that has come in Jesus is open only to those people who are an adequate match, who are open to it. Because they have nothing behind them; because they are not stopped or blocked up against it by any intellectual, moral, aesthetic, or religious a priori that they have brought with them, because they are empty pages. This is plainly the point of the story about the child that Jesus set in the midst of his disputing disciples;” (Willmer 2008: 1). It simply did not occur to the disciples to consider children. It was beyond their cultural training. “The child was a converting corrective to these disciples partly because they did not expect the child to have anything to teach them, or anything to do with their concerns.
The State of the World’s Children
According to a report from the Inter-Parliamentary Union:
Trafficking in human beings, one of the most lucrative and fastest growing transnational Crimes; generates approximately up to $10 billion per year. In response to intensive legal and political efforts to combat drug trafficking, criminal networks involved in the drug trade are increasingly diverting resources to the development of human trafficking networks. Simply put, the ‘cost’ of buying and selling human beings is not very high, and the risks considerably lower than that of trafficking drugs or arms. All countries, whether trafficking is taking place through, from, into or within their Borders; must enact measures to end this harmful practice.
One only has to Google any Asian country and topics like trafficking in people, child sex tours, child labour and other issues relating to children will pop up. Children are at incredible risk and it must concern the church of Jesus Christ. Although there are many concerns related to the welfare of children it is necessary to limit our scope for this paper to child trafficking which is one of the most significant threats for children’s wellbeing in today’s world. Over half, and by some estimates even more, people trafficked are children. Inter-country trafficking of children is a major issue for many regions of the world. The city in which my wife and I live is a major destination for children trafficked for sex in the Philippines. Children are also trafficked for labour, soldiers and other purposes that negatively impact them. These practices damage children in a number of important ways leaving emotional, physical and social scars that often never heal.

Globalization: What on Earth Is God Doing?
God is moving the people of the world around. Migration has always been a part of the plan of God, beginning with His command to “multiply and fill the earth” (Genesis 1:28). The world is becoming “flat and crowded” as never before. In 1949 the population of the world was about 2.6 billion people; in just under sixty years the population of the world has mushroomed to over 6.5 billion; taking into consideration that it took the world until almost 1900 A.D. to arrive at a population of over 1 billion inhabitants this is astounding .
As a result of technological advancements in communication people are connected as never before by what Thomas Friedman calls the “flattening of the world” (Friedman 2008). Because of this “flattening” there are hundreds of millions of new middle class people living in third world countries now plugged into “the American Dream”. Friedman asserts that people are widely viewed as mere “commodities” by multi-national corporations. Children are also seen as commodities in this globalized society. Child sex tours, child trafficking for sex, indentured servant hood and child soldiers are all cases where children are used for these malevolent purposes, a world where everything is seen in terms of “cold hard cash”. Officials turn the other way, and parents see the selling of their children as a means to an end. The church must be a prophetic voice and a liberating force. In our globalized world this issue confronts the entire human race; it is present in every country and is growing exponentially.
At a time when Jesus was on a mission to the cross, setting his “face like a flint,” he journeyed with his disciples to Jerusalem. It was on this final trip that Christ stopped in Capernaum near the Mediterranean did a most amazing thing; hearing his disciples arguing about “who is greatest in the Kingdom”, Jesus placed a child in the midst (Mark 9:33-47). This act was highly controversial and poignantly counter-cultural. There is no evidence that the child said anything, he/she was not there to inform the disciples of something they had missed or mistaken; the child was an object lesson that was to change their paradigm. It is this act that both scholars and laymen have misunderstood from that time forward. For church leaders who see the “child in the midst” it will change the way they understand “missio Dei” and theological praxis. This is a critical issue as Keith White warns:
Let us not underestimate the significance of our task today. What if we have misheard or neglected God’s revealed teaching about children and childhood? What of the likely effects of such a process on the history and current life and shape of the church? What if by default we have not been salt and light in God’s world? What if our vision of the Kingdom of Heaven is a pale reflection of what Jesus revealed? The stakes are very high and today marks the start of a process of what could in time have a significant impact on the development of theology and mission and the shape of the church” (Child theology; 1).
The stakes are high indeed, as children are the targets of abuse and neglect as never before. Because of the “flattening of the world” pedophiles can take pictures of children and upload them from small cameras at “hot spots”, without regard for police or other authorities whose duty it is to protect children. Yet the church has all but abandoned its missional duty to fight for justice and the protection and care of children. Could it be that we do not see children as God does? Let us consider the essential nature of children in God’s sight.

Imago Dei and Children
One of the most important issues that inform our understanding of God’s heart for children begins with the image of God in humans. According to Genesis 1:26 man was made in the image of God, this includes children. As one unpacks this, one sees that human dignity flows from the image of God in humans. The moment of conception children are made in God’s image and must be treated with the dignity that this implies. Because mankind is made male and female, each sex is equally deserving of dignity. In many cultures the bias towards the boy child does not take into account this important reality. Children are not possessions as we will consider below, but they are gifts and deserve our best care and love. Children do not need to do anything or possess anything (i.e. talents, abilities, etc.)to have dignity, in that dignity is not earned but rather only affirmed by adults.
Children in Community
A second aspect of this teaching is that children are born in community. The doctrine of the trinity is essential to understanding the “bi-unity” within human creation. In that “God lives in community in the Trinity, and his essence of love is fully realized in relationships between the members of the Trinity” {van Heijzen 2005}. This relational nature of the Trinity means that humans who share the image of God also share this relational nature. As van Heijzen states, the church community must seek to live out God’s intentions for his people by providing a network of support for children {2005}. Children deserve and need loving parents to nurture and protect them. They need the larger community of faith and society to make sure they become all God intended them to become. They must be given the space to grow, play and experience God in His fullness. In fact the best place to assess children is not in a church setting but rather in a playground.
The Bible clearly states that children are presented as a gift to the entire community. In Psalm 128:3, they are called “olive shoots”, and “a heritage from the Lord” in Psalm 127:3. “Just as Jesus blessed the world by entering it, children bless their families and communities through their very existence” {van Heijzen 2005}.
Children and “Missio Dei”
The Bible is clear that children are active participants in fulfilling God’s mission to the world. God’s view of children includes partnering with them to accomplish His overarching plan and making them a model of the Kingdom.
In a recent publication edited by Douglas McConnell, et al., “Understanding God’s heart for Children”; seven key phrases are introduced as a response to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child . This can provide an overview of a kingdom approach to our responsibility to and for children. Each of these is paramount and central to a discussion of child theology. Because of their significance they are quoted in detail as follows:
God creates every unique person as a child with dignity. Although we are all created either male or female, we are all created as children. That means that dignity arises from the very nature of creation by God. It also means there is interdependence in the creation of humans. 2) Children need parental love in a broken world. The fall introduces a constant in our missiological refection. It means that the parent (either biological or adoptive) or other care givers need empowerment to supply the parental love that each child needs. 3) God gives children as gifts to care for and nurture. 4) Societies have a God given responsibility for the well-being of children and families. 5) Children are a promise of hope for each generation. 6) God welcomes children fully into the family of faith. 7) Children are essential to the mission of God (McConnell 2007: 5).
These seven fundamental statements help contextualize the discussion concerning God’s heart and plan for children. McConnell and others are helping remove some of the blind spots that the church has developed in its missional praxis concerning children. “Child Theology is not about doing children’s ministry and it is not about making a church less adult-centered but it does call for a fresh way of viewing children. It calls for the recognition of “children-as-agent” from the perspective of Jesus. When children are embraced as such, there will be positive changes in the way Christians think and speak about God, practice Church, and do Missions” (Tan 2007: 5). This is what White and Willmer have in mind when they state, “Child Theology is therefore acting as a corrective to this marginalization or making invisible of children in mainstream discourse. It argues Christians must follow Jesus and put the child in the midst of our theologizing, because this is integral to our being faithful and articulate followers of Jesus” (White & Willmer 2007: 12).
Biblical and missiological reflection must take seriously the concerns of children from the context that is relevant to them. This is especially true of children at risk. It is “doing theology” from the context of “the child in the midst.” Tan asserts, “Approaches in which children play a key role are inspired by Jesus’ action of placing a child in the midst of a theological discourse (Mt. 18:1-5). The child, though not acting or speaking, was a contributor to the disciples’ experience of being confronted with their wrong concept of God’s Kingdom,” (Tan 2007: 6). It is here that child theology offers a corrective to practicing theology that has ignored or subjugated children’s experience and insight to lesser concerns. By placing the child in the midst we reaffirm the dignity each child has as a human fully formed in the image of God. By understanding children as agents we recognize that God uses children to radicalize a paradigm that includes children in “mission Dei”. In his essay Dr. Tan helps clarify how Child Theology significantly impacts an Asian view of children and corrects an aberrant view that Asians often have in working with children. “Child Theology is not just about theological arguments; it is concerned with Christians having a truthful response to God and “right” conduct towards children according to God”, (Tan 2007: 8). “Its beginning has to do with a concern to help Christians think and act theologically with regard to the children-at-risk ministry. Although, much good can be done for children out of love, Christians should also seek to carry out children’s ministry as a truthful response to God and His view on children” (Tan 2007: 9). Best practices can only flow out of a correct response to a Biblically enlightened understanding of God’s desires for His “little ones”. It also will cause the church to rethink its praxis as related to fulfilling God’s divine plan. This is what Tan has in mind when he affirms; “… children could be viewed as having an agency role in adult transformation and our access to God. Child Theology, therefore, seeks to help churches welcome “children-as-agent” and allow themselves be changed and so able to respond to God as they should”, (Tan 2007: 10). The idea of “children-as-agent is an intriguing one. Allowing the child to lead adults by example, by presence is an Old Testament paradigm that for the most part has been lost by the church. Who too often exclude them as having nothing at all to contribute? This is an area that needs further exploration and understanding. Certainly the fact that Old Testament examples are replete with children participating in rituals, consider the Seder where the child was an integral part of the ceremony. Or Jesus own contention that when you “welcome a child” you welcome me.
Conclusion
Children are not just the “job of the globalized church” they are the church. Practicing a theology contextualized for children demands a “counter-cultural” approach. By understanding the heart of God for children, we can and must develop praxis that flows from a Pneumological base. Jesus by “placing the child in the midst” demonstrated His priority. We are called to Christological praxis, Jesus’ use of a metaphor which demands a shift in our focus must guide us as we consider the implications of the doctrinal teaching of “imago Dei”, the Trinity as well as “mission Dei” as it relates to our understanding of children. Much still must be done to gain greater maturity in our understanding of children as “agents of God”, involved in mission with Him especially since children are not only a major group needing evangelism, they are also an amazing source and resource for evangelists, missionaries, teachers and leaders. One thing seems certain, that due to the imminent danger of the world’s children, the church must be a prophetic agent, announcing the Kingdom of God in this arena as well.
 
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