Child Theology

Discussing theology with children is challenging. Their perspectives and my perspectives are different. I want to try and frame things in their understanding, but I don't understand their perspective.

Take my 3 year old. He's the one who sang a prayer that was "God our Father, God our Father, We thank You, We thank You, You smell like a donkey, You smell like a donkey, Happy birthday to You, Happy birthday to You."

The other day he was using the restroom. He hollered for me while he was in the restroom. I go to check on him and he asked me why God created us. Trying to keep things simple, I said because he loved us. He responded with a question, "was it for his own glory?" He has been paying attention when we go over the shorter catechism.

Last night, we were laying in bed and he asked if God had a house. I said that he had all of heaven. He asked if we would have a bedroom in heaven. I said that Jesus said that he was making a room for us in God's house. He then went through everything in his room asking if it would be there. His stuffed animals, the alphabet picture on the wall, the dog, the bunk bed, his brother. I told him, keeping it simple of course, that everything that made Jonas happy would be in heaven. It is true, since the Lord will be there, that is the source of all happiness.

I wasn't trying to win on a technicality though, somethings, I just don't know. What will be in heaven? I know God will be and all believers. Beyond that, I don't know. I had believed that this world would be destroyed. Taking with it the bunk bed, the alphabet picture, etc.. Then God would create a new heaven and new earth. John seems pretty specific about that in Revelation 21:1, "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more." But two Sunday's ago, our pastor who has been preaching through the book of Revelation said that the new earth was this earth, but the change would be so radical we would consider it new. Now that was the first time I had ever heard that, and I don't remember his reasoning for it, but it was enough for me to not say with confidence that I know, but that I don't know.

With my son, I think that I understand theology until he asks me a question and I have to answer it like he is 3. Then I don't really know anymore.

There is a saying that if you can't explain something in terms that a lay person can understand it, then you don't understand it well enough. Perhaps if you can't explain theology well enough that a 3 year old can understand it, you don't understand it enough. I can't explain the doctrine of election to him, nor what exactly will be in heaven beyond us and God.

But I do know this is true and plain enough that a 3 year old can understand it. It is why we go over it every night. Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so. Little ones to him belong, they are weak, but he is strong. Yes! Jesus loves me. Yes! Jesus loves me. Yes! Jesus loves me. The Bible tells me so.