The Ology: Ancient Truths, Ever New
Reviews (206)
Beautiful!
I got this book to read with my 4 little ones. We are loving it so far! The illustrations are beautiful, and the content is spot on. I lost the scripture references it has on each page - these would be great to have older children look up the reference to either copy down or use as a reference book.
A wonderful book for all ages
I am going through this book with my children, ages 7 and 8. We enjoy the way Theology is simplified in a way we can easily understand it. We plan to read it over and over, to fully absorb the truths of our faith.
True to scripture, beautifully written, recommend this to all grade-aged kids, well organized. GOSPEL-CENTERED!!
I really like this book for kids (and adults). Our daughter is three -- and though a bit of this is over her head we don't stop teaching. It just gives us as Mom and Dad, more of an opportunity to sit and read with her. It's really geared to start around kindergarten and 1st grade and I feel like that is accurate. Here are some reasons why I like this book (not in any specific order): 1. Practical - I love how it uses up to date everyday life to incorporate the understanding of the big picture. For example, (page 152) "A delicious root beer float as only two main ingredients, root beer and vanilla ice cream. These two ingredients combine to form an amazing dessert. Did you know that faith in Jesus has two ingredients? To become a Christian you need to believe, which means trusting that Jesus is God, died for your sins, and was raised from the dead. And you need to repent, which means you need to turn away from your sin and from going your own way and follow Jesus. This is what the Bible means by faith -- believing and turning. Of course, even faith is a gift from God. We don't do anything to earn faith. The first time you turn to Jesus in faith, you become part of God's family. From then on, we have the Holy Spirit so we can keep believing and repenting whenever we sin. That's what it means to follow Jesus. Have you turned toward Jesus and asked him for forgiveness? [Acts 20:20-21, 2 Chronicles 7:14, Acts 17:30, Hebrews 6:1, Acts 2:38]" [Special note from me: There's more to chapter 42 that is not copied above. I only copied 1/2 of it.] So in this -- the author gives a simple illustration of the root beer float and brings it into a discussion about the topic of faith. This is something that we as parents can do in everyday life and bringing something that we are doing and use it as a teaching opportunity. 2. The questions in the back -- In the back of the book each of the chapters have questions that go along side of the text. For example, the questions in the back for the above portion of 42. Faith is, "How do we know we are truly children of God? What three things did Paul tell King Agrippa he did to make sure he was faithful to the message he was given?" 3. The answers in the back -- Oh the answers! Ever so helpful as we teach our little ones. There's a section for the questions AND a section for the answers. For example, the answers in the back for the above questions, "Question 1's Answer: We know we are children of God if we love him and carry out his commands. 1 John 3:9-10. Question 2's Answer: Paul preached that people should repent, turn their hearts to God, and demonstrate their repentance by their deeds. Acts 26:20." 4. Nicely organized in a logical manner -- There are 71 chapters (or points of topic) that the author covers and 11 major topics the author cover. The major topics are: a. The Ology of God, b. The Ology of people, c. The Ology of sin, d. The Ology of the Promise and the Law, e. The Ology of Christ, f. The Ology of the Holy Spirit, g. The Ology of Adoption into God's Family, h. The Ology of Change, i. The Ology of the Church, j. The Ology of the End Times, k. The Ology of God's Word. I really like how the author organized it. 5. Parents Guide -- As parents we are called to teach our children. The author has explained how we can use this book to best teach our children. 6. Holds attention of myself as an adult and also my 3-year-old -- So I was reaching when I bought this book and was thinking that she would dive deep like I did. But honestly, when we were reading it for the first time she kept asking me to read more and she sat and listened. 7. (Very important to me!) Thoroughly biblical, doctrinally sound, gospel-centered, ... well written and beautifully illustrated. -- Excellent! This book is staying TRUE to scripture and has the big picture in mind as it describes the details with such power and strength. This is huge for me -- it's hard to find good children's books that have some good "meat" and not watered down too much. I want something that is going to make my children think and learn about how awesome our God is! This book is an excellent teaching tool. Over all, I give this book my highest number of stars. I am looking forward to diving deeper and reading this book over and over again. The author did a beautiful job at creating a wonderful story that captures the mind and hearts of little ones and adults. It is a wonderful addition to our resource library for family worship and our family's books of devotion collection. I pray that this book ministers to you and your family as it has ministered to my family and me. Blessings to all.
Buy it now!
I've had this book and used it off and on for nearly two years now. It is such a wonderful resource for Christian parents. Learning theology and doctrine are so important now more than ever in this day and age where biblical truth is always questioned, sometimes within the church. So many people don't know what they believe or how to articulate it. This book does a fantastic job of doing just that. It is systematic theology for youngsters, those with ADHD, those needing a refresher, and believers who were never taught or understood these truths. It's pretty simple--what we believe and why. All backed by multiple Scripture references. What I like about this is that it can be used very lightly, or if you have the time, very heavily. You never have to feel overwhelmed, but there is plenty of information for more in depth study if you so choose. And then when you finish, just start over. This information never gets old. So many programs and books simply teach Bible stories and/or how to live the Christian life, but fail to explain what truly sets us apart from the rest of humanity seeking absolution. Many people reach adulthood never understanding what they believe. How can we share the Good News if we can't explain the basics of our faith or even know what they are? There is SO MUCH essential information that we need to learn and we need to start teaching our children when they are young. Children, rather all believers, need this basic framework upon which to build their lives. If we neglect these areas, the world WILL fill in the gaps, which will lead to errors in thinking and eventually in action. That and we will be susceptible to false teaching. I read this at night along with The One Year Classic Family Devotions book for my children ages 15, 10, and 9. In the morning we use Training Hearts, Teaching Minds by Starr Meade, which is a 6 day a week devotional book based on the Westminster Shorter Catechism, which is also an amazing resource. Also check out The Lamb, by John Cross. That is the same concept as this book in more of a story format. There aren't specified divisions as in this book. Our goal should be to pass on the baton of faith to our children and there are many excellent resources out there. This book is one of the best I've come across. Give it a try and take your time working through the material and discussing it. You'll be so glad you did!
Promotes Great Biblical Conversations -Awesome Easter Gift!
I bought this several years ago, but as I am now rekindling my love of apologetics I thought I would give it a go again with my kids as they are a little older and have been asking some VERY compelling questions about the Bible and Jesus...well, we are 1/3 of the way through and the conversations we have as a result of reading this book before bed are something I look forward to! It has helped us to address deep questions within our children's hearts that I don't know they would have asked were we not already talking about these things. It is so cool to see their minds working and connecting these truths to their hearts as we discuss these things: their minds are blown, as is mine. If you want to give your kids a good solid foundation in critical thinking (yes, even about God- this is essential to a continuing faith!) I would highly recommend this book and LISTEN to their questions. If you can't answer their questions study until you can! Look up all the verses on each page as they OFTEN answer questions that would be raised as a result of reading this book. I cannot say enough good things about the layout and simplicity of this book- the analogies are wonderful and provide such clarity! My 7 year old in particular thinks in analogies and it is as if this book is speaking her language. Great Easter gift and I would recommend for ages 6-12. It's perfect for my 7 and 9 year old but goes way over my 5 year olds head.
Calvinism for children
This book is skillfully written and beautifully illustrated. The writer has a lovely and effective way of communicating to children. The 2 star rating is solely on the grounds of the doctrinal content. If your family holds to reformed/Calvinist viewpoints, this will be a good fit for you. If you don’t know the difference, it would be worth researching the sect before you buy. Our particular family takes issue with several teachings of Calvin and Reformed doctrines. For example, irresistible grace is presented in this book through a magnet analogy. Irresistible grace and unconditional election, stem from Calvin’s idea that people are predestined to Salvation or condemnation by God’s own choosing, a misreading of Romans 8:29-30. This doctrine is viewed differently even among Reformed churches, some hold to it and some don’t, but the general idea is that those whom God has predestined for Salvation can’t NOT believe in Him. The fact that many don’t believe is explained by Calvin/Reformed churches to mean that God has elected those individuals for condemnation rather than salvation. (Since He has decided not to draw some individuals, they can’t respond positively to Him.) Scripture teaches that Jesus draws ALL people to Himself, not just a specific group of “elect”, and that we must personally choose whether or not we believe what He says. (John 12:32, 1 John 2:2,).
Lovely but be warned-- it's a specific theology
This book is a lovely idea-- articulate all the key doctrines of the faith for children. The authors' choice of metaphors to explain each idea is a cute idea as well. My primary hesitation is that this is overtly Reformed theology alone. God's call is irresistible, doubling down on substitutionary atonement theory (i.e. we owe God a debt because of sin), etc. Certainly, all the beliefs expressed are all orthodox, but they just wouldn't fit well into Arminian, Wesleyan/Methodist, Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, or Lutheran traditions. Be warned if of these traditions.
So far, solid well explained book!
We bought this for our family (kids 6-13 years old). It explains Theology including the “Ologies” of God, Christ, sin, redemption, etc. As mom, I’m enjoying it and I feel like my children are understanding well.
Theologically and biblically sound
Rich in theology and doctrine. Love this author!
Highly Recommended Resource for Teaching Children Theology
This is a beautifully illustrated book for children that explains to them the key points of theology, including Who God is, Who Jesus is, and the way of salvation. Written in an easy to understand manner, the doctrines are presented in short chapters with extra Scripture verses for further investigation. At the back of the book are further questions for each chapter to dive a little deeper for older children. While I don't have children of my own, I babysit a lot and see this as an excellent resource to read with children, introducing them to the study of God and understanding sin and the need for a Savior. There is also a CD called "The Ology" by Sovereign Grace Music that can be used to teach some of the key doctrines through fun songs. In the section on salvation, Calvinism is taught in that God is the One Who saves us as we are completely dead and helpless in our sin. There is also a section on the end times, basically on Jesus coming back to judge the world and then the New Heavens and Earth. This is a wonderful book to use with kids in helping to teach them the doctrines of God, salvation, the Bible, and more. The book is also beautiful and appealing with its drawings. I highly recommend using this book, particularly for elementary aged children, to help them in learning theology and being established in what the Bible teaches. It can easily be used as a family devotional. *I received a copy of this book free from the publisher New Growth Press in exchange for my review.
Comments
Post a Comment