Culture, Gender, and the Family

In 1989, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) used the phrase “best interest(s) of the child” five times in its forty articles. Christian scholars not only question the reduction of parental guidance this phrase may inspire, but others have also pondered the difference between “best interest” and “best love” in nurturing children. Mary Stewart Van Leeuwen—a leading Christian psychologist—will examine how theological traditions have affirmed not only the autonomy, or “sovereignty,” of individuals, but also social institutions, including the family. Mary will also propose a “third way” between the extremes of cultural relativism and biological determinism in Christian families.