Yesterday, I learned that young children are, for the most part, literal thinkers and incapable of abstract thought. It makes sense, I just never thought about it.
I’m a lawyer, and as an undergrad I studied political science, communication, and philosophy, so I have been neck deep in the abstract for almost 20 years. I don’t think I can understand the literal without abstracting it first.
I think that’s why I dig Jesus, he taught in the abstract, but lived in the literal, “Life is like a fig tree,” … “Now, stretch out that withered hand.”
Do Christians, though, teach in the literal and live in the abstract? “The earth is 6000 years old.” … “Well, God could heal you, but He might not, and, if He doesn’t, well, God works in mysterious ways…”
None of this has anything to do with the conference, but it got me thinking. The point the speaker was making was equally profound though 
: that kids cannot really get into worship because they really don’t understand what they are singing, and they end up just copying their parents rather than encountering God.
It was eye opening, but the results of implementing simple fixes are amazing. The testimonies about some of these kids and their encounters with God make me…well, jealous.
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#1 by Dan King on April 17, 2009 - 11:29 pm
Wow! What a great post! You’ve got my head spinning now with this stuff! I certainly agree with the implications for kids’ worship, but dude…. the point that you make here is powerful even for adults and how we share the message of the Gospel!
I have been thinking a lot lately on how we as Christian have become more concerned with being right than we have been with doing the right things. You make some great points that we need to really ponder…
Thanks for sharing your thoughts from this conference!
#2 by petermlopez on April 20, 2009 - 4:34 pm
Indeed. I hoped to get people pondering. Keep up the great work.