Article January 13, 1997 Issue

Spiritual education of children: a unique gift

by Kim Shippey

Today young people all over the world are wrestling with pressures to conform to images and models held up by the media, their peers, and even their own families. Many of them have deep concerns about their personal safety. Even seemingly secure teenagers find it difficult to make wise choices in an environment in which drugs are often easily available, aggressive behavior is condoned, and no one seems to be teaching them the difference between right and wrong.

In a concerted effort to help these young people, community leaders, social workers, and the clergy in Massachusetts are getting together regularly to find solutions through spiritual education. This was the focus of an interfaith clergy breakfast last October at the Boston Church of the New Jerusalem on Beacon Hill. One of the speakers was Christine Herlinger, Manager of Sunday Schools and Youth Activities for The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston. She was encouraged by the organizers of the breakfast to be specific about Christian Scientist' unique understanding of spiritual education, and Ms. Herlinger spoke substantially as follows:

I'd like to begin with a question, because the answer I've found is what has enabled me and many others to make a significant difference in children's lives.

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