Their Name Is Today: Reclaiming Childhood in a Hostile World

by Johann Christoph Arnold, Mark Shriver (Foreword by)

Overview

There’s hope for childhood. Despite a perfect storm of hostile forces that are robbing children of a healthy childhood, courageous parents and teachers who know what’s best for children are turning the tide.

Johann Christoph Arnold, whose books on education, parenting, and relationships have helped more than a million readers through life’s challenges, draws on the stories and voices of parents and educators on the ground, and a wealth of personal experience. He surveys the drastic changes in the lives of children, but also the groundswell of grassroots advocacy and action that he believes will lead to the triumph of common sense and time-tested wisdom.

Arnold takes on technology, standardized testing, overstimulation, academic pressure, marketing to children, over-diagnosis and much more, calling on everyone who loves children to combat these threats to childhood and find creative ways to help children flourish. Every parent, teacher, and childcare provider has the power to make a difference, by giving children time to play, access to nature, and personal attention, and most of all, by defending their right to remain children.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780874866308
Publisher:	Plough Publishing House, The
Publication date:	11/01/2014
Pages:	189
Product dimensions:	5.38(w) x 7.50(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

People have come to expect sound advice from Johann Christoph Arnold, an award-winning author with over a million copies of his books in print in more than 20 languages.

A noted speaker and writer on marriage, parenting, and end-of-life issues, Arnold is a senior pastor of the Bruderhof, a movement of Christian communities. With his wife, Verena, he has counseled thousands of individuals and families over the last forty years. His books include Why Forgive?, Rich in Years, Seeking Peace, Cries from the Heart, Be Not Afraid, and Why Children Matter.

Arnold's message has been shaped by encounters with great peacemakers such as Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Teresa, César Chavez, and John Paul II. Together with paralyzed police officer Steven McDonald, Arnold started the Breaking the Cycle program, working with students at hundreds of public high schools to promote reconciliation through forgiveness. This work has also brought him to conflict zones from Northern Ireland to Rwanda to the Middle East. Closer to home, he serves as chaplain for the local sheriff's department.

Born in Britain in 1940 to German refugees, Arnold spent his boyhood years in South America, where his parents found asylum during the war; he immigrated to the United States in 1955. He and his wife have eight children, 42 grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. They live in upstate New York.

To learn more visit www.richinyears.com

Table of Contents

Table of Contents:
The World Needs Children
Play Is a Child’s Work
Great Expectations
Screening Out
Material Child
Actions, Not Words
Guidance to Grow
In Praise of Difficult Children
Discovering Reverence
Tomorrow Comes

Editorial Reviews

10/06/2014
In this deeply inspiring tribute to children, speaker and pastor Arnold (Why Forgive?) brings together the opinions of parents, education experts, and famed figures from various fields, as well as his own experiences, to underline his point: successful children make for a successful society, and treating each child with care and respect is our duty as adults. Particularly moving are Arnold’s thoughts on the pressure that children face to be “normal.” He deeply opposes diagnoses of learning disorders and prescriptions of medication for kids whose personalities are ill-suited to standardized learning methods (though Arnold is respectful when discussing cases where medication is needed). Although Arnold’s love for children is unquestionable, at times he oversimplifies the situations he describes. His advice to overworked parents, for instance—to spend more time with their kids—is hardly realistic. Still, Arnold’s basic message is clear, and well worth heeding: a deep reverence for children will make the world a better place. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

Beautiful…It is Arnold’s reverence for children that I love.

Jonathan Kozol

In our hard-charging culture, children often get pushed to the edges of our crowded schedules. Arnold understands the pressures, but points to another way. His book is practical and compelling.

Timothy Jones

Arnold’s respect for the needs of children is evident on every page, and his perspective gives those who work with children a renewed sense of purpose…This is the perfect gift for a favorite teacher or parent.

Foreword Magazine

Welcome reading for parents, grandparents, teachers and all those who care deeply about nurturing the next generation.

Marian Wright Edelman

Beautiful…It is Arnold’s reverence for children that I love. — Jonathan Kozol

Stunning… Who would have thought that there was anything new to say about childhood? Arnold surprises us at every turn. — Diane Komp, MD, Prof. of Pediatrics, Yale University

Their Name is Today is welcome reading for parents, grandparents, teachers and all those who care deeply about nurturing the next generation. — Marian Wright Edelman, president, Children's Defense Fund

A deeply inspiring tribute to children…Arnold’s basic message is clear, and well worth heeding: a deep reverence for children will make the world a better place. — Publishers Weekly

Arnold’s respect for the needs of children is evident on every page, and his perspective gives those who work with children a renewed sense of purpose…This is the perfect gift for a favorite teacher or parent. — Foreword Magazine

In our hard-charging culture, children often get pushed to the edges of our crowded schedules. Arnold understands the pressures, but points to another way. His book is practical and compelling. — Timothy Jones, author, Nurturing Your Child’s Soul

From the Publisher

I am very moved by Arnold's book. He reminds us of the meaning of childhood and the need to protect it for the sake of the children and all of humanity. His tone is beautiful – warm and supportive with deep insights – and the passages from parents and teachers add a great deal.

Joan Almon

In a world where children's time is dominated by standardized education and screen time, and where too many parents seem to be consumed by the race for upward mobility, both for themselves and their kids, Their Name Is Today provides a bracing alternative vision of children, parenthood, and family life. Johann Christoph Arnold reminds us of the importance of unfettered play, time spent in the natural world, and providing our children with a way of life that aligns our ideals with our actions. All this takes hard work, but the returns to our children and our family life will be priceless.

W. Bradford Wilcox

Stunning… Who would have thought that there was anything new to say about childhood? Arnold surprises us at every turn.

Diane Komp

02/15/2015
Christian educator and speaker Arnold is a true advocate for not only children but for childhood itself. Arguing that play defines the essence of childhood, the author explores the negative effects formal education is having on children, concurring with Albert Einstein's observation that "it is a miracle that curiosity survives education." While Arnold's reverence for creativity is a beautiful call to arms, he sometimes uses language and makes inferences that feel over the top, such as agreeing that "socialization among children is becoming extinct." VERDICT Drawing on quotes and conversations with long-term educators and child advocates, Arnold's thoughtful worldview approach is inspiring, and his narrative is just what the soul needs. Anyone who works with young children will feel newly encouraged to carry on their important work with gentle, affirming words. Despite the at times alarmist language and conclusions, this title is recommended for its advocacy and graceful manner.

Library Journal

Read More