An 11-year-old boy in the US has been ordained as a minister in his family's church, and also preaches at a number of local churches. He is the latest in a long history of American child preachers - so what is the appeal?The US is by no means the only country with child preachers - there is a thriving market for them in Brazil, for example, and Indonesia even has a controversial TV show where young Islamic preachers compete.
The phenomenon is most likely to crop up among denominations which emphasise the power of the Holy Spirit and encourage lay participation, says Edith Blumhofer, an expert on the history of Christianity, based at Wheaten College in Illinois.
It is also likely to arise, she says, among sections of the population otherwise regarded as at the margins of society.
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Dr. Steven J. Lawson | 9/27/2010
