The role of parents in the development of faith during a child’s formative years

MTh (Pastoral Studies), North-West University, Potchefstroom CampusThe aim of this study is to determine the role that parents play in the development of a child’s faith during their formative years. This study will focus on the role of parents as set out in the Bible and will also consider Faith Development theories and Early Childhood Development theories. Specific focus will be placed on parents and children in Afrikaans mainstream churches (Nederduitsch Hervormde Kerk van Afrika, Gereformeerde Kerke in Suid-Afrika and Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk). Osmer’s (2008:4) core task of Practical Theology, and its four questions, namely, “What is going on?”, “Why is this going on?”, “What ought to be going on?” and “How might we respond?” will be used to determine parents’ roles in the faith development of their children. A literature study will be done to interpret and evaluate faith development theories and make use of information from other fields of study to determine the role that parents play in the faith development of children. Empirical data gathered in a study done by Nel and Van der Westhuizen (2015) will be used. When all four questions are answered, this study will deduce useful guidelines for parents. Background: The reason for this study is to supplement modules already done to obtain an MDiv qualification, so that a MTh can now be obtained. The study will be done in three sections: A research proposal (Section A), an article, comprising of approximately 7000 words, to be published in the HTS Theological Studies, and finally, a chapter that will serve as a summary. The study will therefore have a limited scope, and serve as a stepping stone for further studies in this field. Through the years, many scholars, in fields such as psychology and early child development, have researched the role of parents in the development of the child. In the early 1880s, G. Stanley Hall (1844-1924), a psychologist, started a movement for the study of children in the United States. In 1891, Hall founded the Pedagogical Seminary, which is one of the most prominent international outlets for research in this field. In 1931, the journal's title changed to Pedagogical Seminary and Journal of Genetic Psychology and in 1954, to The Journal of Genetic Psychology (Ross, 1972:12). According to Brooks (2011:37), Vygotsky’s1 child development theory gives parents a central role in supporting children’s growth. The emphasis Vygotsky places on parents as partners in their child’s life is crucial as he believed that everything a child learns is through interactions with knowledgeable parents (Brooks, 2011:37-38). According to Burns and DeVries (2003:13), children are still connected to their families long after they leave church actions and functions. Our faith or religion cannot be separated from the rest of our being and is important to consider when reflecting on our development as people.. These are not separate parts of a person that do not link with one another. Families play a critical role in the development of a young child (Charlesworth, 2014:91). According to Brooks (2011:234), Freud revolutionised the way people think about children’s experiences in early childhood. According to Freud, many adult symptoms of anxieties are rooted in childhood experiences. This means that, according to Freud, a child’s development would have a direct influence how the child would behave as an adult. This would mean that their actions may directly correlate to something that occurred in their childhood (Brooks 2011:234-235). Likewise, Erikson's well-known theory of ego development stated that the ego, which is the centre of each person’s individuality, “could not be understood in isolation from the others and the wider world around it” (Erikson, 1964:153). The study of the ego led directly to the study of "the interdependence of inner and social organisation (Erikson, 1964: 184), and according to Erikson (1964: 185) the “ego was nothing but a precipitate of its relations with others. Identity depended directly on the ability of the individual to integrate these residues of identifications with others into a coherent whole”.Master