The history of Baptists describes their changing views of conversion and baptism of children. This qualitative research was designed to explore how 22 children, their parents/guardians, pastors, and other leaders from 14 Southern Baptist churches describe the phenomenon of conversion and baptism in the lives of the boys and girls. The research revealed that leaders in the faith community play a significant role in conversion, language of the faith can assist and distract from understanding, and children are influenced by the need to be included or by concern related to exclusion.
AllenH. C., & RossC. L. (2012). Intergenerational Christian formation: Bringing the whole church together in ministry, community and worship.Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic.
2.
AlleyR. E. (1969). Baptist infant baptism.Religious Herald, 10.
3.
BarnaG. (2003). Transforming children into spiritual champions.Ventura, CA: Issachar Resources.
4.
Beasley-MurrayG. R. (1965). A Baptist interpretation of the place of the child in the church.Foundations, 13, 146–160.
5.
BeatyW. R. (Ed.). (1993). New horizons in vacation Bible school.Nashville, TN: Convention Press.
6.
BloombergL. D., & VolpeM. (2008). Completing your qualitative dissertation: A roadmap from beginning to end.Los Angeles, CA: Sage.
7.
BoyatzisC. J. (2003). The co-construction of spiritual meaning in parent-child communication. In RatcliffD. (Ed.), Children's spirituality: Christian perspectives, research, and application (pp. 182–200). Eugene, OR: Cascade Books.
8.
BradshawP. F. (2006). The profession of faith in early Christian baptism.Evangelical Quarterly, 78(2), 101–115.
9.
BroadusJ. (1867). Catechism of Bible teaching.Nashville, TN: Sunday School Board of the Southern Baptist Convention.
10.
BushnellH. (1847). Christian nurture.New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
11.
ClaypoolJ. R. (1980). Pastoral dilemmas in baptismal practices: A symposium.Review and Expositor, 65(1), 61–67.
12.
CokerD. (1963). Symposium on the declaration of faith.Religious Education, 58(5), 425–427.
13.
CreswellJ. W. (2007). Qualitative inquiry & research design: Choosing among five approaches (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
14.
DobbinsG. S. (1953). Winning the children.Nashville, TN: Broadman Press.
15.
ElkindD. (1964). Age changes in the meaning of religious identity.Review of Religious Research, 6, 36–40.
16.
EvansE. (1964). Tertullian's homily on baptism.London, England: S.P.C.K.
17.
FlakeA. (1934). Building a standard Sunday school.Nashville, TN: Sunday School Board of the Southern Baptist Convention.
18.
FletcherJ. C. (1994). The Southern Baptist Convention: A sesquicentennial history.Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman.
19.
GarlandD. (1993). Precious in his sight.Birmingham: AL: New Hope Press.
20.
GarretJ. L.Jr. (2001). Baptists concerning baptism: Review and preview.Southwestern Journal of Theology, 43(2), 52–67.
21.
GoldmanR. J. (1965). Readiness for religion: A basis for developmental religious education.London, England: Routledge and Kegan Paul.
22.
GoodspeedE. J. (1950). The apostolic fathers.New York, NY: Harper & Brothers.
23.
GregoryO. F. (1889). The history of the Sunday schools of the church. In TupperH. A. (Ed.), Two centuries of the First Baptist Church of South Carolina (pp. 233–248). Baltimore, MD: R. H. Woodward and Company.
24.
HalbrooksG. T. (1983). Children and the church: A Baptist historical perspective.Review and Expositor, 80, 179–188.
25.
HayD., & NyeR. (2006). The spirit of the child.London, England: Jessica Kingsley.
26.
HoodD. K. (2004). Six children seeking God: Exploring childhood spiritual development in context. In RatcliffD. (Ed.), Children's spirituality: Christian perspectives, research, and application (pp. 233–248). Eugene, OR: Cascade Books.
27.
HullW. E. (1968). Baptism in the New Testament: A hermeneutical critique.Review and Expositor, 65(1), 3–12.
28.
HullW. E. (1980). The child in the church. In BryantC., & BurkeR. (Eds.), The Study Commissions (pp. 161–169). Nashville, TN: Broadman Press.
29.
IngleC. (Ed.). (1970). Children and conversion.Nashville, TN: Broadman Press.
30.
JeremiasJ. (1964). Infant baptism in the first four centuries (D. Cairns, Trans.). London, England: SCM Press LTD.
31.
JeschkeM. (1983). Believers baptism for children of the church.Scottdale, PA: Herald Press.
32.
KvaleS. (1996). InterViews: An introduction to qualitative research interviewing.Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
33.
LeonardB. J. (2003). Baptist ways: A history.Valley Forge, PA: Judson Press.
34.
LeonardB. J. (2008, October). Once saved, almost saved? Revisiting Baptists and conversion. Paper presented at Parchman Lecture II at Baylor University, Waco, TX.
35.
MayS. (1993). Reflections on childhood religious experiences: Patterns of similarity and variability in perceptions of adults from three evangelical churches (Doctoral dissertation). Available from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database. (UMI No. 9334539)
36.
McBethH. L. (1987). The Baptist heritage: Four centuries of Baptist witness.Nashville, TN: Broadman Press.
37.
MoodyD. (1967). Baptism: Foundation for Christian unity.Philadelphia, PA: The Westminster Press.
38.
NettlesT. J. (1998). Teaching truth, training hearts: The study of catechisms in Baptist life.Amityville, NY: Calvary Press.
39.
NyeR. (2004). Christian perspectives on children's spirituality: Social science contributions. In RatcliffD. (Ed.), Children's spirituality: Christian perspectives, research, and application (pp. 90–107). Eugene, OR: Cascade Books.
40.
PaloutzianR. F. (1996). Invitation to the psychology of religion.Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.
41.
PiagetJ. (1973). The child and reality (A. Rosin, Trans.). New York, NY: Grossman.
42.
PolkinghorneD. E. (1989). Phenomenological research methods. In ValleR. S., & HallingS. (Eds.), Existential-phenomenological perspectives in psychology (pp. 41–60). New York, NY: Plenum Press.
43.
ProctorR. A. (1966). Children and evangelism.Review and Expositor, 66, 55–63.
44.
RatcliffD. (2007). The spirit of children past: A century of children's spirituality research.Christian Education Journal Series 3, 4(2), 218–237.
45.
RitchieJ., & LewisJ. (Eds.). (2003). Qualitative research practice: A guide for social science students and researchers.Los Angeles, CA: Sage.
46.
RizzutoA. M. (1981). The birth of the living God: A psychoanalytic study.Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
47.
SmythJ. (1990). The character of the beast. In McBethH. L. (Ed.), A sourcebook for Baptist heritage (pp. 18–20). Nashville, TN: Broadman Press. (Original work published 1609)
48.
SpilkaB., HoodR. W.Jr., HunsbergerB., & GorsuchR. (2003). The psychology of religion: An empirical approach (3rd ed.). New York, NY: The Guilford Press.
49.
StarbuckE. D. (1900). The psychology of religion: An empirical study of the growth of religious consciousness.New York, NY: Walter Scott.
50.
StonehouseC. (1998). Joining children on the spiritual journey: Nurturing a life of faith.Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.
51.
StonehouseC., & MayS. (2010). Listening to children on the spiritual journey: Guidance for those who teach and nurture.Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.
52.
TaylorB. L., & HanksL. B. (1999). Sunday school for a new century.Nashville, TN: Life-Way Press.
53.
TupperH. A. (Ed.). (1889). Two centuries of the First Baptist Church of South Carolina.Baltimore, MD: R. H. Woodward and Company.
54.
VygotskyL. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes (ColeM., John-SteinerV., ScribnerS., & SoubermanE., Eds.). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
55.
WingfieldM. (1995). Sixty percent of baptisms are rebaptisms.Western Recorder, 169, 14.
56.
WithersJ. W. (1997). Social forces affecting the age at which children are baptized in Southern Baptist Churches (Doctoral dissertation). Available from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database. (UMI No. 9726692)
57.
YountW. R. (2010). Created to learn: A Christian teacher's introduction to educational psychology.Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman.
