Media release: Spiritual development vitally important

Scripture Union has responded broadly favourably to the open letter from children’s experts to the Daily Telegraph calling on the Government to act to prevent the ‘death of childhood’.

Supporting the view that society seems to have lost sight of children’s social and emotional needs, Alan Charter, Head of Evangelism at Scripture Union, and Director of children’s advocacy movement Children Matter!, says we must not lose sight of the innate spirituality in children, and our responsibility to nurture this.

‘The spiritual nurture of children is vitally important, and we need this, as well as the social, emotional and physical sides of child development,’ he said. Society also needs to recover a sense of appropriate risk as children develop, says Alan.

Scripture Union’s response

We endorse the concerns expressed by the professionals and academics who suggest in their open letter that our society seems to have lost sight of children’s social and emotional needs. Those who hold the political reins are not often atuned to the voice of the child, so as responsible adults there are times we need to speak on their behalf. We strongly endorse the view that this issue urgently becomes a matter of public debate to persuade public policy-makers of the need to take proper account.

We believe every child is a unique and precious individual, and we care about the whole child – emotional, physical, social and spiritual. We value childhood for childhood’s sake and want to protect it. Yet as a society we’re opening the door of the adult world to the child, who hasn’t yet developed the emotional and social ability to contend with it. Once opened, that door can’t be closed. So in our work with children and young people we take seriously the protection of their social and emotional needs.

We recognise the need to protect children from physical harm, but as a society we have gone too far, becoming over-litigious and over-sensitive to the repercussions of risk, as witnessed, for instance, in the controlling of conker-playing in some schools. Appropriate risk, adventure and discovery are essential parts of growing up, but this all needs to be in the context of the loving and caring family, where parental oversight is on hand when needed. We advocate exploration and discovery, fun, feelings and creativity when working with children. Indeed, adventure and discovery characterise activities we run, like our residential holidays, which accent on ‘activity’ and ‘real play’ with adults we trust as strong role models.

To the physical, emotional and social, we would add the spiritual – innate in each child. The values of relationship, love, play and story play an integral part in what we do in Scripture Union. The National Curriculum recognises the value of ‘spiritual’ and we have a responsibility to nurture this, not suppress it. We don’t demand too much from a child but celebrate every step taken towards and with God. Neither do we expect too little, because we recognise that children can know and respond to God.

If we seriously want to see the world change for the better, we need to start with our children and nurture them well. We understand the cause and effect: get it right with them, and we’ll have made a better investment towards teenage years and adulthood. Our work in Scripture Union, which spans nearly 140 years, recognises that with children we have a long-term commitment and impact. In other words, what we sow today, we reap tomorrow.

Alan Charter, Director, Children Matter! and Head of Evangelism for Scripture Union.

Notes to Newsdesk:

1) Alan Charter is Head of Evangelism for Scripture Union, and Director of Children Matter!, a consortium of Christian organisations, including Scripture Union, which exists as an advocate for children. Alan is available for interview by arrangement with Richard Wells (01908 856153) or Adam Petrie (01908 856030).

2) Scripture Union is an international mission movement working with churches in more than 130 countries to bring the good news of Jesus Christ to children, young people and families, and to encourage them to develop spiritually through the Bible and prayer.