Performing God with Children
In: Journal of Youth and TheologySearch for other papers by Lydia van Leersum-Bekebrede in
Current site
Google Scholar
Search for other papers by Ronelle Sonnenberg in
Current site
Google Scholar
Search for other papers by Jos de Kock in
Current site
Google Scholar
Search for other papers by Marcel Barnard in
Current site
Google Scholar
Abstract
In worship with children, participants of all ages pray to God, act in ways that assume God’s presence, play out Biblical stories and speak about God. This raises the question, How is God ‘performed’ with children? In other words, how is God staged through performative acting? The article draws on ethnographic data from Dutch Protestant contexts. The four analysed performances emphasise affective knowledge of God and perform God as a God who accepts children as children, resurrects and helps, but whose existence can be discussed. Like in the other seventeen researched worship practices, God is performed through story, ritual and play. Analysis of interviews with youth work professionals highlights the importance of the sensory experience of stories, the creation of a ritual space, and the creative tension between children’s play and liturgical play. The article concludes that the performance of God is target-group related, contextual and embedded in the interactions between adults and children. Above all, performing God with children is embodied theology.
Purchase
Buy instant access (PDF download and unlimited online access):
Institutional Login
Log in with Open Athens, Shibboleth, or your institutional credentials
Personal login
Log in with your brill.com account
| All Time | Past Year | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 268 | 143 | 41 |
| Full Text Views | 212 | 196 | 0 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 166 | 120 | 2 |
Performing God with Children
In: Journal of Youth and TheologySearch for other papers by Lydia van Leersum-Bekebrede in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Ronelle Sonnenberg in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Jos de Kock in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Marcel Barnard in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Abstract
In worship with children, participants of all ages pray to God, act in ways that assume God’s presence, play out Biblical stories and speak about God. This raises the question, How is God ‘performed’ with children? In other words, how is God staged through performative acting? The article draws on ethnographic data from Dutch Protestant contexts. The four analysed performances emphasise affective knowledge of God and perform God as a God who accepts children as children, resurrects and helps, but whose existence can be discussed. Like in the other seventeen researched worship practices, God is performed through story, ritual and play. Analysis of interviews with youth work professionals highlights the importance of the sensory experience of stories, the creation of a ritual space, and the creative tension between children’s play and liturgical play. The article concludes that the performance of God is target-group related, contextual and embedded in the interactions between adults and children. Above all, performing God with children is embodied theology.
| All Time | Past Year | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 268 | 143 | 41 |
| Full Text Views | 212 | 196 | 0 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 166 | 120 | 2 |