When Children Imagine God
Conversations with Church Kids
- Children & Youth
- Discipleship & Christian Education
- Publisher: Eerdmans
- Published: 2026
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Publisher's Description
Ordinary kids. Extraordinary insights. When Children Imagine God lets readers in on captivating conversations with children about the divine. Drawing on interviews with kids from diverse Christian backgrounds, this remarkable book reveals the profound beauty, creativity, and depth of children’s religious imaginations. Written by J. Bradley Wigger, author of the award-winning children’s book Thank You, God and expert in religious education and childhood studies, this book doesn’t set forth formulas for teaching kids about God. Instead, it offers something far more valuable: the actual voices of children as they grapple with mystery and wonder. Their insights are by turns humbling, moving, and surprisingly perceptive, reminding us that children are more than the future of the church—they have genuine wisdom to offer now. Whether you’re a parent seeking deeper spiritual connection with your child or a church leader reimagining children’s ministry, this book will transform how you approach faith formation. You’ll worry less about what to tell children and spend more time listening to them. You’ll develop a deeper appreciation for the young people in your life and be moved by their engagement with the sacred. When Children Imagine God doesn’t prescribe how kids should think about faith; it celebrates how they are already encountering God in extraordinary ways.
Endorsements (5)
“From a renowned expert on children’s spirituality in the tradition of Robert Coles comes a book whose insights into children’s religious imagination will turn common assumptions upside down. Loaded with thought-provoking interview stories, this book is a reminder that attentive listening to children is itself an invaluable ‘faith practice’ that has the power to transform us as adults.”
“There has been a flurry of research in recent years about the way children understand God: about whether they are confident that God is real, about what God knows, about what children learn from adults about God, and so forth. This engaging book deepens that work with rich accounts of the way that children not only reason about God but relate to him.”
“In the tradition of Robert Coles’s landmark work, Brad Wigger’s When Children Imagine God centers the voices of children and takes seriously the wisdom and insight only the youngest among us can offer. Wigger creates space for children to lead us into fresh imagination about age-old questions of who God is and who we are in relation to the Divine. For those who believe ‘a little child shall lead them,’ this book is a brilliant example of why we must listen to the voices of children and how they lead us in imagining a God beyond the confines of our adult perspectives. Professors, parents, grandparents, congregational leaders, and teachers will find in these pages an invaluable and inspiring conversation partner for nurturing the life of faith with children and families.”
“When Children Imagine God ushers readers into a beautiful and creative space—a realm awash in spiritual wisdom. Refusing to treat children’s spirituality as simply a source for cute stories and giggles, Brad Wigger invites us to listen to children with patience and care. When we make time to attend to these observant souls, Wigger observes, we inevitably discover that they have a lot more going on spiritually than we may imagine. In fact, through these conversations, we discover reliable and winsome guides for our own spiritual journeys.”
“As a scholar, pastor, and grandmother, I’m fascinated by Wigger’s reflections on children and their imaginative encounters with God. Each chapter provides new insights into childhood faith and suggests how religious leaders, parents, grandparents, and others can support children’s spiritual flourishing.”
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