Zadok Paper S100 Winter 1999
Less Observed Sources of Spirituality in Children
by Glenn Cupit

End Notes

1 The hermeneutical key is in Genesis 1:2 where the world is described as 'formless and desolate' before God begins its reformation.

2 Psalm 1, 18, 23, 24, 29, 33, 39, 42, 46, 50, 52, 57, 68, 72, 80, 84, 90, 93, 95, 98, 102, 103, 114, 121, 133, 139, 144, 146.

3 Psalm 8, 19, 36, 65, 74, 77, 89, 96, 97, 99, 104, 107, 113, 125, 135, 136, 147, 148.

4 Isaiah 40:12, 21-22; 45:11-12, 18-19; 51:13, 16; Jeremiah 10:10-13; 51:15-19; Daniel 3:52-81; Amos 4:13; 5:8.

5 Isaiah 11:1-9; 29:17; 30:25-26; 32:15-20; 35:5-9; 41:18-20; 51:3; 55:12-13; 65:25.

6 Untitled. In Steve Turner, Up to date: Poems 1968-1982, Hodder and Stoughton, London, 1983.

7 But not caged or tailored pets.

8 Though certainly not the only one.

9 Papal blessings of objects, through the television set, does stretch even a sympathetic imagination.

10 This account is more convincing than the alternative attribution to Moses in Deuteronomy 10:3.

11 Joshua 3:7-4:18; 6:1-21.

12 1 Kings 8:12-13, 2 Chronicles 20:8-9, Psalm 11:4; 18:6; 20:2; 27:4; 43:3; 48:12-14; 50:1-2; 65:1, 68:16; 76:1-2; 84:7; 122:1-9; 128:5; 132:13-14; 134:3; 135:21; Isaiah 66:6; Habakkuk 2:20.

13 1 Kings 8:31-51; 2 Chronicles 30:8; Psalm 48:1-3; 96:9, 99:9; 100:4; 108:7; 116:17-19; 134:2; 138:1-2; 150:1; Jonah 2:8.

14 Psalm 26:6-8; 27;4; 42:4-6; 43:3-4; 48:9,12-14; 65:4; 84:1-10; 96:6; 122:1-9; 134:1-2; Isaiah 6:1; Jeremiah 17:12; 24:1; Ezekiel 8:16; Jonah 2:5.

15 Psalm 74,79; Isaiah 63:18; Jeremiah 51:11, 51;
Lamentations 1:10, 2:7; Ezekiel 37:26-28; 40:1ff; Daniel 9:17; Zechariah 6:12-14; Malachi 3:1.

16 Isaiah 7:4-11; Ezekiel 24:21.

17 Should you doubt the life-enhancing character of good cooking, I recommend the film Babette's Feast. Even spirits glutted with solid Lutheran teaching and hymnody need the expansion that comes from stimulation of the senses by a great meal.

18 I have clung to Mary through adolescence, marriage, children (who never succeeded in supplanting my ownership) and seven changes in dwelling. She currently graces our kitchen and is ridden by visiting children.

19 I prefer to attribute the ineffectiveness of this self-appraisal to the diminutive nature of our current mirrors rather than inadequacy of the raw material to be checked.

20 I still remember suffering, some 30 years ago, from the ministrations of a cook on a mission team who was a domestic science teacher. She cooked as a duty and it showed in team morale. The situation was saved by a team member senior enough to challenge the cook (always a fearsome breed). Offering to help, she made small changes like slicing oranges up and putting them in with the stewed chops. The food was no different but serving steaming trays of 'chops à l'orange' changed the spirit of the whole team.

21 The church expresses similar ambiguity in explanations of the elements in the communion.

22 Acts 9:31, 10:44-46; 11:15-17, 13:2-52; Ephesians 3:16-19; 4:3; Colossians 1:7-8; 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22; 1 Corinthians 3:10-17; 12:1-14:40. This final passage may partially be interpreted as referring to individuals but, taken as a whole, it builds towards advice on the conduct of meetings, which suggests its primary focus is corporate not individual.

23 John 13:34-35; Acts 2:1-13, 46-47; 5:12-14; Romans 1:8; 15:7; 1 Corinthians 14:24-25.

24 An excellent anecdotal parallel is recorded among the Masai when a missionary objects to their request to baptise the entire community. "Padri, why are you trying to break us up and separate us? . . . we have talked about these things when you were not here . . . there have been lazy ones . . . they have been helped by those with much energy. There are stupid ones . . . they have been helped by those who are intelligent . . . there are ones with little faith . . . they have been helped by those with much faith. Would you turn out and drive off the lazy ones and the ones with little faith and the stupid ones? From the first day I have spoken for these people . . . I can declare for them and for all this community, that we have reached the step in our lives where we can say 'We believe'." V. Donovan, Christianity Rediscovered: An epistle from the Masai, SCM, London, 1982

25 This passage has to be read in the context of the very tangible presence of the Holy Spirit experienced by the early church. It might not be true of a Laodicean church whose tepid spirit bears little resemblance to wind and fire, power and presence.

26 It is instructive that Jesus refers to "salt of the earth" and "light of the world" rather than "salt of the church" and "light of the fellowship".

27 With abject apologies to Dai Lewis of Scripture Union in the UK, from whom I shamelessly pinched this parable though, alas, without the lilting Welsh brogue to embroider it.

28 Hosea 2:19-20.

29 Isaiah 62:5; Matthew 9:15; John 3:29; Revelation 19:7-9; 21:2.

30 Matthew 6:12.

31 Jeremiah 3:20; Ezekiel 16:15-45; Hosea 1:2-9; 2:2-13.

32 Isaiah 50:1; Jeremiah 3:8.

33 Genesis 30:18; Matthew 9:37; 20:1-16.

34 Lamentations 2:4-5.

35 Exodus 33:11; 2 Chronicles 20:7; Isaiah 41:8; Matthew 23:37; John 15:13-15.

36 Isaiah 54:5-6; Ezekiel 16:8-14; Hosea 2:16; 2 Corinthians 11:2.

37 Psalm 10:16-18; 84:3; Isaiah 33:17-24;
Matthew 18:23-35; 22:1-14.

38 Exodus 14:31; Leviticus 25:55; Numbers 11:11; 12:7-9; 14:23; 32:31; Deuteronomy 34:5; Joshua 1:1-15; Judges 2:8; 1 Samuel 3:9-10; 2 Samuel 3:18; 7:5-29; 24:10; 2 Kings 9:7; 21:10; Ezra 5:11; Nehemiah 1:5-11; Job 1:8; Psalm 19:11-13; 27:9; 31:16; 34:22; 79:2, 10; 86:2, 4, 16; 109:28; 113:1; 119:17; 23, 38, 49, 65, 76, 89, 91, 122, 124, 125, 135, 140, 176; 134:1; 135:1; 136:22; 143:2, 12; Isaiah 20:3, 22:20; 41:8-9; 42:19; 43:10; 44:1-2, 21; Jeremiah 25:4-9; 27:6; Ezekiel 28:25; Daniel 9:6-17; Amos 3:7; Haggai 2:23; Zechariah 1:6; Malachi 4:4; Matthew 6:24; 21:33-43; 24:45-51; 25:14-30; Luke 2:29; 16:13; Romans 1:1; 1 Corinthians 7:21-22; Ephesians 6:9; Colossians 4:1,12; 2 Timothy 2:24; Titus 1:1; James 1:1; 2 Peter 1:1; Jude 1; Revelations 7:3; 19:5.

39 Psalm 2:7, 68:5; 82:6; 89:26-27; 103:13; 131:2-3; Isaiah 63:16; 64:8; Hosea 11:1; Matthew 5:9; 7:9-11; Luke 20:34-36; Acts 2:33; Romans 1:7; 6:4; 8:14-17; 9:8; 1 Corinthians 1:3; 8:5-6; 15:24; 2 Corinthians 1:2-4; 6:18; Galatians 1:1-5; 3:26; 4:5-7; Ephesians 1:1-3; 2:18; 4:6; 5:1, 20; 6:23; Philippians 1:1-2; 2:11, 15; 4:20; Colossians 1:1-2, 12; 3:17; 1 Thessalonians 1:1-3; 3:11-13; 2 Thessalonians 1:1-2; 2:16; 1 Timothy 1:1-2; 2 Timothy 1:1-2; Titus 1:4; Philemon 3; Hebrews 12:5-13; 1 Peter 1:2,17; 1 John 1:2; 2:1,14-17; 3:1-2; 5:1-4; Jude 1.

40 Matthew 28:10; John 20:17; Hebrews 2:11-12,17.

41 Psalms 25:4-9; 32:8; 94:10-12; 119:12, 26, 33, 64, 66, 68, 102, 108, 124, 135; Isaiah 28:26; 30:20; 48:17; Matthew 10:24-25; Luke 6:40; 1 Corinthians 2:13.

42 Perhaps married women have a unique contribution to make at the very core of the church's identity in fully knowing what it means to be the 'bride of Christ'.

43 I am not insensitive to the fact that many children experience appalling relationships. But if they know no relationships with Godlike characteristics, they could not survive. Of course, many do not. That is what abortion, infanticide, 'dumping', and children battered to death are all about; the ultimate expression of spiritual evil.

44 This is why the church must always act immediately and sternly when there is evidence of Christians physically, sexually or emotionally abusing children for whom they are responsible.

45 Jeremiah 23:14; Lamentations 4:13; Zephaniah 3:4; Matthew 7:15-20.

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Glenn Cupit is Senior Lecturer in Child Development at the University of South Australia and is currently working towards his doctorate on the implications for a Christian understanding of spiritual development for secular education systems. He is part of the Unley Uniting Church community and is married to Cecily. They have two adult children