Every profession has its ethical dilemmas but especially those dealing with people’s spiritual growth or with children. This means that Children’s Ministries is riddled with these, some more obvious than others.
The one that has been occupying my mind recently is this: How do you deal with the often violent details of the Bible? Is it a good idea to share with children that God told the Israelites to kill all the former inhabitants of Palestine? Is it too scary to tell them a story where the father kills his daughter because he promised to sacrifice whatever came out the door of his house when he returned victorious from his battles? I don’t want to cause unnecessary distress to children, but I am also called to preach the word of God with honesty. I don’t want to lead kids to believe that God is nothing more than a cuddly teddy bear who grants your wishes. He is also a God of strength and jealousy and wrath.
One way of dealing with this is to avoid telling any stories that seem overly violent or scary. But some of these stories have the most impact purely from the fact that they haven’t been told over and over. It is exciting to hear a “new” Bible story. Or you could go the veggie tales route and replace gruesome details with funny fabrications (isle of perpetual tickling anyone?). But while this may be alright for a few stories but many of them have these kinds of details at their very core.
It will never be an easy task to share the truth of the Bible with children with honesty and discretion. Good thing I have 24/7 access to the author and a lifetime to practice in!
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