Child Safety Standards: Theological Foundations #2

Last month we high-lighted the theological foundations for Child Safety Standard #1: What does scripture have to say about our culture of care safety and wellbeing for everyone, but especially for the vulnerable in our midst?

This month we look at Standard Two, which focuses on how we value, respect and listen to children.

Standard Two: We value, respect, and listen to children.

Our Lord Jesus’ attitude to children and his interaction with them provides a strong guide for us to follow. Take some time to consider Jesus’ modelling in the following texts.

• Jesus clearly had a lot of time for children. He knew them well, even to the point of knowing the games they played (Matthew 11:16,17).
• Jesus prayed for children (Matthew 19:13,14), blessed children (Mark 10:13–16) and healed children (Mark 5:41–43; 9:21–25).
• Twice, he is recorded as having ‘taken them in his arms’ (Mark 9:36,37; 10:13–16).
• Jesus valued children and being around children, so much so that he used children as an illustration of ideal faith (Matthew 18:2–4) and divine wisdom (Matthew 11:25), placing them at the very centre of God’s kingdom (Matthew 19:13–15).
• Jesus saw children not as peripheral players but as bearers of the gospel (Mark 9:37).

Therefore, as followers of Christ, we are called to be imitators of God (Ephesians 5:1), valuing, respecting and listening to children as Jesus did.