Spiritual Development in Childhood and Youth: A response to the Sage Handbook of Spiritual Development in Childhood and Adolescence (Book Review)

Abstract

This article gives a detailed assessment of the usefulness of the new Handbook of Spiritual Development in Childhood and Adolescence from Sage Publications, arguing that it is an important baseline study of current research, and that it demonstrates that every aspect of research in this field requires new research. It argues that new research into spiritual development must clearly distinguish this from religious development, 
 and that the construction of a secular non-theocentric psychology of spiritual education is urgently required. 
 ©Stephen Bigger 2007. An abridged form was published in the Journal of Beliefs and Values, 2008.