Should we teach hard doctrine to children?

This term at our children's groups, I made the decision to attempt teaching the doctrine of union with Christ — with mixed results!

It got me thinking about how we teach tricky concepts and ideas to children, and whether that's a good idea or not. Let me tell you what went well, and what didn’t go quite to plan.

Positives and negatives of teaching this doctrine

Teaching a complex idea like union with Christ is a great investment in children’s long-term spiritual development. We definitely want our children to learn about it eventually, and there will always be a first time when a concept sounds hard to grasp. It’s a bit like buying clothes for children to grow into - we teach truths that they gradually grow into in understanding.