Discipleship is a widely researched topic. However, books on discipleship and development are few and far between. Chris Kiesling has done comprehensive work that covers not only childhood and adolescence but also emerging adults, adults, and seniors. Kiesling earned a PhD from Texas Tech University in 2002 and teaches at Asbury Theological Seminary. His decades of teaching experience on this subject qualify him as an authority in the field.
Kiesling masterfully walks the reader through the classical stages of development while keeping in mind that development is not a linear process as contemporary scholars conceptualize it. However, he contends that biological changes set in motion undeniable stages of development, especially in the early stages of life.
Kiesling divides development into seven distinctive stages: womb and infancy, early childhood, middle childhood, adolescence, young adulthood, middle adulthood, and late adulthood. He has done great work describing biological changes along with spiritual challenges in each stage of life.
Kiesling reminds the readers that environment and genetics influence the development of individuals. For instance, no child is born atheist or agnostic; children reflect their environment. Every child is born with a sense of the divine, which can be fostered or denied through childhood experiences, even in the womb. Also, lifestyle seems to trump biology in the later stages of life.
The author makes room for multicultural perspectives in development. He points out that growing up in a multilingual household benefits brain development. This benefit was unknown to prior generations and caused much cultural sacrifice and emotional grief to immigrant families.
The author divides late adulthood into three stages: young old (60 to 69), middle old (70 to 79), and old old (80+), give or take five years in each. He describes the diminishing physical capabilities of the human body and how science has helped improve such deficiencies in such a way that the late stages of life can be lived fruitfully for God and others.
The author concludes by highlighting the importance of ending well, physically, spiritually, and relationally, as well as the importance of understanding grief. He quotes the timeless advice of Stephen Covey: “Begin with the end in mind” (173). Everyone would do well to contemplate the end of life as an exercise that inspires present change. In other words, live your life the way you would like people to describe you at your funeral. Furthermore, preparing for death is a final act of love for loved ones.
To the praise of Dr. Kiesling, adding adulthood and late adulthood to this comprehensive work on development and discipleship makes it a unique and essential resource for scholars and practitioners. Conversely, a work of this magnitude cannot afford to allocate copious pages on each aspect of development and discipleship for every stage of life. Therefore this book could be considered a scholastic lifespan overview of development and discipleship. Should the reader need more in-depth material, the vast footnotes can direct the researcher to other specialized sources in discipleship and development.
