Forming Resilient Children: The Role of Spiritual Formation for Healthy Development

What struck me (Claire) about this book was its strong bent towards intergenerational living (as confirmed by our Hemorrhaging Faith research in 2012). The author is well-researched and has loaded the book with stories on why age-segregating children will diminish their flourishing.

The premise of the book is that “nurturing spirituality in children promotes resilience.” It equips parents, teachers, counselors, pastors and volunteers with ways to develop children’s spirituality in order to foster the resilience needed to face the ordinary hardships of childhood and to persevere when facing trauma.

One section of the book is particularly for parents (and grandparents), whose task it is to prepare their children to survive in a world full of unforeseen challenges. Another section of the book shares multiple ways resilience can be cultivated in faith communities, and especially advocates for intergenerational faith settings, which our Hemorrhaging Faith research also supports. And a third section of the book addresses the needs of children who have already experienced severe adversity: chronic illness, disability, abuse or disasters. It is written especially for those who work with these children; it offers resources for healing and hope.

In this interdisciplinary work, Holly Catterton Allen builds a bridge between resilience studies and children’s spiritual formation. Because children are spiritual beings, those who work with them can cultivate spiritual practices that are essential to their thriving in challenging times.