The Children of Divorce: The Loss of Family as the Loss of Being
Overview
Divorce leaves a deep mark on children of all ages. But why does it cause so much strain and long-term distress? Andrew Root, a recognized authority on youth ministry and a child of divorce himself, explains that divorce is first and foremost an issue of ontology. When parents divorce, what it precipitates in children is nothing less than a questioning of root self or core identity. Since a child is the product of the union of a mother and father, when that union ends, he or she experiences a loss of his or her very sense of being. Exploring the issue from a theological and spiritual standpoint, Root redirects efforts for assisting children of divorce to address this fundamental experience and provides hope that communities of faith can offer a firm foundation to those affected by divorce. This is the first volume to examine the impact of divorce from a practical theological perspective and also from a young person’s perspective. Those who have experienced divorce and those who work with or minister to young people whose parents are divorced will benefit from The Children of Divorce.
Whether you’re a pastor, youth leader, or layperson, this collection will enhance your understanding. All Scripture passages in The Children of Divorce: The Loss of Family as the Loss of Being link to your favorite Bible translation in your library. You can perform powerful searches by topic and find what other authors, pastors, and theologians have to say, making this collection ideal for studying youth evangelism.
- Discusses the affect divorce has on children
- Explores divorce from a theological and spiritual standpoint
- Examines ways for assisting children of divorce
- A History of the Family, a History of the Self
- Marriage and Divorce in Late Modernity: Being and Action in Giddens’s Social Theory
- Divorce as an Issue of Being: Ontological Security and the Loss of Self
- Divorce and Theological Anthropology
- Divorce and the Image of God: A Conversation between Theology and Object Relations Psychology
- What Is to Be Done: The Church as a Community for the Broken
Andrew Root’s insightful analysis gives voice to my own journey as a child of divorce, and to the experiences of countless others I’ve observed. This book beautifully integrates the ontological pain of divorce with the redemptive power of Christ and the church.
—Kara E. Powell, executive director, Fuller Youth Institute, Fuller Theological Seminary
What happens to a child when the source of his or her existence disintegrates? This fascinating study argues that the pain experienced by children of divorced parents cannot be healed by legal, psychological, ‘religious,’ or other techniques. An affliction that attacks the ontological foundations of the self can only be assuaged by the acquisition of new sources of being. And so Andrew Root probes how the Christian faith and community can help locate these sources. As in his previous books, Root here demonstrates an unusual combination of human compassion and theological wisdom.
—Douglas John Hall, emeritus professor of Christian theology, McGill University
Our culture says divorce is ‘normal,’ but the existential consequences for children of divorce—like myself—are not a normal aspect of human development. With compassion, wisdom, and theological insight, Root calls for the church to become a community in which young people are able to ground their being and process the painful loss of family security.
—Mark W. Cannister, associate professor, Gordon College
Divorce leaves a cloud of dust that never settles. And those of us who love and care for kids need to pay special attention to the growing number of children who undergo this experience. As one who has lived in the dust, Andrew Root raises the right issues, challenging us to think more deliberately and carefully about what it means to minister to, parent, and befriend the children of divorce.
—Walt Mueller, president, Center for Parent/Youth Understanding
The Children of Divorce is winsomely written, achingly honest, and fearlessly hopeful. Root’s analysis of divorce as an ontological—not just a sociological—crisis for children is dead-on, as is his advice for congregations who must name and address this soul-splitting reality. With his incomparable ability to blend story and theology, and his signature insistence on naming elephants in the room, Root delivers a beautiful and wise book that is for anyone touched by divorce . . . which means, of course, that it is for all of us.
—Kenda Creasy Dean, associate professor of youth, church, and culture, Princeton Theological Seminary
A well-informed book about the deep effects of divorce on children’s sense of being. . . . While Root’s argument is theoretically grounded in several academic disciplines, it will primarily be used by, and useful to, those ministering to children of divorce. . . . Recommended.
—Choice
- Title: The Children of Divorce: The Loss of Family as the Loss of Being
- Author: Andrew Root
- Editor: Chap Clark
- Series: Youth, Family, and Culture
- Publisher: Baker Academic
- Publication Date: 2010
- Pages: 208