A PRACTICAL APPROACH TO METHODOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS IN INTERPRETING THE BIBLE FOR CHILDREN

This article describes a practical approach to exploring a well-recognized pitfall in interpreting the Bible for young children in a post-modern context: the cognitive gap between interpreter and child. A real-life situation concerning a child with a congenital defect (which poses the question of theodicy) was used as an introduction to the pericope in John 9 in which Jesus heals a man born blind. In this pilot study, two multilingual booklets were designed, in English, Afrikaans and isiXhosa. These were individually read in isiXhosa by mothers who were literate in English or Afrikaans, to their own five-year old children selected from an isiXhosa-speaking creche. After the reading, the children were asked three set questions designed to assess their understanding of the story. The mothers were specifically asked to allow the child to comment, but not to explain anything to the child during the reading or questioning. Afterwards, each mother explained to the researcher what she understood her child's response to be. The sessions, which lasted about ten minutes, were recorded by means of a digital audio recorder and a video camera. The trial was repeated in an Afrikaans-speaking context. Preliminary results and considerations of adjustment to the methodological approach, to the booklets, and to the Bible story, are presented.