Donald Ratcliff's Publications

--clicking on underlined titles either gives you the book or article or it will take you to more information on obtaining the book or article--

Published Books or Booklets

Children’s Spirituality: Christian Perspectives, Research, and Applications (senior editor), Wipf and Stock, 2004.

Raising Your Child from Birth to Age Twelve (coauthor with Paul Meier), Spire Books, 1999. Translated into Russian, 2001. [Abbreviated version of Child-Rearing and Personality Development]. Click here to download entire book.

Instructor's Manual for Encountering the Book of Genesis (micropublished, coauthored with Klaus Issler), Baker Books, 1998.

Handbook of Family Religious Education (coeditor with Blake Neff), Religious Education Press, 1995.

Child-Rearing and Personality Development (coauthor of second edition with Paul Meier), Baker Books, 1993. [Also released in paperback as Christian Child-Rearing and Personality Development.]

Complete Guide to Volunteers in Religious Education (primary author with Blake Neff), Religious Education Press, 1993.

Bruised and Broken: Understanding and Healing Psychological Problems (coauthor with Paul Meier and Frank Minirth), Baker Books, 1992.

Handbook of Children's Religious Education (editor, author of one chapter, coauthor of two other chapters), Religious Education Press, 1992. Now distributed by Wipf and Stock (2008).

Teaching Introduction to Psychology and Counseling (instructor's manual, micropublished), Baker Books, 1992.

Introduction to Psychology and Counseling (coauthor of second edition, with Paul Meier, Frank Minirth, and Frank Wichern), Baker Books, 1991. Translated into Korean (2003), Indonesian (2004), and Russian (2008), Arabic translation pending.

Handbook of Youth Ministry (editor with James Davies, coauthored one chapter), Religious Education Press, 1991.

Insights into Child Development (customized textbook, coauthored with Stanley Fitch), C.A.T. Publishing, 1991.

Handbook of Preschool Religious Education (editor, authored two chapters, and coauthored two others), Religious Education Press, 1988. Now published by Wipf and Stock (2008).

Social Problems: Christian Perspectives, Instruction Manual. Hunter Textbooks, 1985.

Using Psychology in the Church. Burgess/Alpha Editions, 1984. Complete book available online: Introduction part 1 part 2 part 3 part 4

Book Chapters

“The Spirit of Children Past”: A Century of Children’s Spirituality Research. In H. C. Allen (Ed.), Nurturing Children's Spirituality: Christian Perspectives and Best Practices, Cascade Books, 2008.

“The Spirit of Children Future.” In H. C. Allen (Ed.), Nurturing Children's Spirituality: Christian Perspectives and Best Practices, Cascade Books, 2008.

Childhood Spirituality: Strengthening the Research Foundation (primary author, coauthored by Rebecca Nye). In E. C. Roehlkepartain, P. E. King, L. Wagener, & P. L. Benson (Eds.), The Handbook of Spiritual Development in Childhood and Adolescence, Sage Publications, 2006.

Video Methods in Qualitative Research. In Paul Camic, Jean Rhodes, and Lucy Yardley (Eds.), Qualitative Research in Psychology, American Psychological Association, 2003.

Social Structure, Groups, and Organizations (primary author, coauthored by Julian Bridges). In Cynthia Tweedle (Ed.), Sociology: A Christian Approach for Changing the World, Triangle Publishing, 2002.

Several topics in the Evangelical Dictionary of Christian Education, Baker Books, 2001.

My Exotic Tribe: Children in a School Hallway.  In Judson Landis (Ed.), Introduction to Sociology, 11th ed., Wadsworth Publishers, 2001.

Psychological Foundations. In Barbara Wilkerson (Ed.), Multicultural Religious Education, Religious Education Press, 1997.

Sociological Foundations of Religious Compassion. In Gary Sapp (Ed.), Compassionate Ministry, Religious Education Press, 1993.

Journal Articles

Sociology and anthropology as promising areas of insight and research for Christian education (with Brian M. Howell). Christian Education Journal, 2008.

Qualitative data analysis and the transforming moment. Transformation, 2008. Also published with some modification in Common Ground, 2008.

"The spirit of children past": A century of children's spirituality research. Christian Education Journal, 2007.

Rituals in a school hallway. ERIC document #457460. An abbreviated version of this document was published in the Christian Education Journal, 2001.

High versus low control during recess transitions at a Christian school.  Journal of Research in Christian Education, 2000.

Peer culture and school culture theory: Implications for educational ministry with children.  Christian Education Journal, 2000.

Stages of Spiritual Development: Crisis Experiences in the Christian Life. Christian Education Journal, 1993.

How Children Understand Religious Concepts. Religion and Public Education [now titled Religion and Education], 1992.

Baby faith: Infants, toddlers and religion. Religious Education, 1992.

Counseling parents of the mentally retarded. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 1990.

Francis Schaeffer and B. F. Skinner. [also available as a PDF document]. Creation, Social Science and Humanities Quarterly, 1988.

Creation, redemption, and sociological theory. [also available as a PDF document]. Creation, Social Science and Humanities Quarterly, 1988.

Teaching the Bible developmentally. Christian Education Journal, 1987.

Predicting the moral development of the mentally retarded. Journal of Psychology and Christianity, 1987.

The symbolic interaction theory of Karp and Yoels. Newsletter of the Christian Sociological Society, 1987.

General psychology in Bible colleges. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 1986.

The development of children's religious concepts: Research review. Journal of Psychology and Christianity, 1985.

Ministering to the retarded. Christian Education Journal, 1985.

The use of play in Christian education. Christian Education Journal, 1986.

A premarital counseling inventory. Journal of Pastoral Practice, 1984.

Assumptions in studying social problems. Journal of the American Scientific Affiliation, 1984.

Music, God and psychology. Journal of the American Scientific Affiliation, 1983.

Behaviorism in the sanctuary. Journal of the American Scientific Affiliation, 1982.

Behaviorism and the new worship groups. Journal of the American Scientific Affiliation, 1982.

Behavioral discipline in the Sunday school. Journal of Psychology and Christianity, 1982.

Behavioral psychology in the Sunday school classroom. Journal of the American Scientific Affiliation, 1982.

Christian behavioural counselling. The Christian Counsellor's Journal [now Christian Counsellor] (British), 1981.

Basic concepts of behavioural counselling. The Christian Counsellor's Journal [now Christian Counsellor] , 1981.

Toward a Christian perspective of developmental disability. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 1980.

Using behavioral psychology to encourage personal evangelism. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 1978.

Published Book Reviews

(approximately 50 in professional journals)

Publication Credits

Credited (in introduction of each book) for significant conceptual or editorial input:

Nurturing Children's Spirituality edited by Holly Catterton Allen (Cascade, 2008).

Bullying: A Spiritual Crisis by Ronald Cram (Chalice Press, 2003).

Psychological Testing by Thomas Hogan (Wiley, 2003).

Empower Your Kids to be Adults by Donald Joy (Evangel, 2000).

Handbook of Young Adult Religious Education by Harley Atkinson (Religious Education Press, 1997).

Observing Children by Anthony Pellegrini (Erlbaum, 1996).

How We Learn by Klaus Issler & Ronald Habermas (Baker, 1994).

Sociology, 2nd ed by George Bryjak and Michael Soroka (Allyn & Bacon, 1994). [also credited in 3rd and 4th editions]

Religious Development in Childhood and Youth by Kalevi Tamminen (Finnish Academy of Science, 1991).

The Love Motive by Jon Tal Murphree (Christian Publications, 1990).

Religion in Childhood and Adolescence by Kenneth Hyde (Religious Education Press, 1990).

Psychology and Christianity, 2d ed., by Ronald Philipchalk (University Press of America, 1988).

Sociology: A Pragmatic Approach, 3d ed., ed. Julian Bridges (Hunter, 1986).

Additional publications and writings:

Experiencing God and spiritual growth with your child (unpublished manuscript, 2005).

Video and audio media in qualitative research  (unpublished manuscript, 1996/2004).

Notes from a course in the psychology of the family, taught at Vanguard University, 2005-2006, and in a somewhat different form at Toccoa Falls College in the 1990's.

Notes from a course in educational research, taught at Biola University, 2001-2004.

Notes from a course in educational psychology, taught at Biola University, 2001-2004.

Adolescent spiritual development, Salt and Light, 2002.

Wrote chapter objectives and developed or revised study questions for Encountering the Book of Genesis by Bill T. Arnold, Baker Books, 1998.

Notes from a course I taught in children's ministries at Toccoa Falls College in the 1990's.

Notes from a course I taught in Western thought and culture at Toccoa Falls College in the 1990's

NAPCE internet news (2). NAPCE Newsletter (Fall, 1996).

NAPCE internet news (1). NAPCE Newsletter (Spring, 1996).

Join the NAPCE computer network. NAPCE Newsletter (Fall, 1995).

Doctoral Dissertation: An elementary school hallway: Social formations and meanings outside the classroom. The University of Georgia, March, 1995. University Microfilms #9531229.

"His Truth Shall Make You Free." Survey of history unpublished manuscript by Edward Coleson with Donald Ratcliff (written in the 1980s).

Coauthor of Children's Church for 4's and 5's, vols. 1 & 2 (junior church curriculum), David C. Cook Publishers, 1990, 1991.

Unpublished booklets on Ratcliff family history (1988) and the History of Mount Olivet Camp in Hinton, West Virginia (1990).

Wednesday Doubleheader. In Fresh Ideas for Family, Youth and Children, W Pub Group, 1984; reprinted by Leadership Books, 2006.

background music by Phil Keaggy

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soli deo gloria