The Mystery of the Child

<DIV>Much of today's writing on children treats the child of any age as a problem or a set of problems to be solved effectively reducing the child to a complex of biological and chemical factors explainable in scientific terms or regarding children as objects of adult control. In contrast Martin Marty here presents the child as a <I>mystery</I> who invokes wonder and elicits creative responses that affect the care provided him or her.<br><br> Drawing on literature as new as contemporary poetry and as old as the Bible <I>The Mystery of the Child</I> encourages the thoughtful enjoyment of children instead of the imposition of adult will and control. Indeed Marty treats the impulse to control as a problem and highlights qualities associated with children -- responsiveness receptivity openness to wonder -- that can become sources of renewal for adults.<br><br><I>The Mystery of the Child</I> represents a new tack for Martin Marty -- universally respected as a historian theologian and interpreter of religion and culture -- but displays the same incisive erudite quality marking the fifty-plus books and thousands of articles that he has previously written. Marty's broad thoughtful perspective will inspire readers to think afresh about what it means to be a child -- and to be a caregiver.<br><br> This book is sure to claim a wide readership -- parents grandparents schoolteachers theologians historians -- engaging anyone wanting to explore more fully the profound realm of the child.</DIV>