Edited by Eugene C. Roehlkepartiain, Pamela Ebstyne King, Linda Wagener, and Peter L. Benson.
Sage Publications, 2006, 543 pp., $125,
www.sagepub.com
There is probably not a more complete contribution to the issue of spiritual development in children and adolescents in one binding than this book. As titled, it is a handbook. No topic is exhaustive, but you would be hard pressed to find facets of spiritual development missing!
In the 500 pages of this well-researched textbook, 67 scholars contribute their insights as authors on topics such as theoretical approaches, neuropsychological perspectives, morality, the role of mentors, global issues, ethnicity, culture, personality, and family context as they relate to spiritual development. Although there is wide diversity in the theological and ethnic perspective among the authors, the four editors are from Fuller Theological Seminary and Search Institute.
This book reads like a textbook on applied developmental science. Although it is neither devotional literature nor evangelical in nature, it is a rich source of statistics and data usable by educators, youth pastors, and preachers. I plan to add this book to the texts used in my course on Moral and Faith Development. It would fit comfortably on the shelf with Teaching for Moral Growth: A Guide for the Christian Community, Teachers, Parents, and Pastors (Bonnidell Clouse) and Stages of Faith (James Fowler).
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Review by: LARRY H. LINDQUIST is a youth ministry professor at Denver Seminary in Denver, Colorado.
