Summary: "Equips parents to guide their young children through all major doctrines in an understandable, chapter-a-day format. Sure, it’s easy to teach your children the essentials of Christian theology when you’re a theology professor. But what about the rest of us?
With Big Truths for Young Hearts, Bruce Ware, (you guessed it!) a theology professor, encourages and enables parents of children 6–14 years of age to teach through the whole of systematic theology at a level their children can understand. Parents can teach their children the great truths of the faith and shape their worldviews early, based on these truths.
The book covers ten topics of systematic theology, devoting several brief chapters to each subject, making it possible for parents to read one chapter per day with their children. With this non-intimidating format, parents will be emboldened to be their children’s primary faith trainers—and perhaps learn a few things themselves along the way."
My Thoughts: The idea of systematic theology for children may seem dry to some, but this book does a good job of keeping deep subjects as simple as possible without talking down to the audience. This would be a wonderful study for homeschoolers to work through with their children. Simply read aloud a section at a time, usually three to four pages, and then use the discussion questions to dig deeper with your children. Memory verses are also included, making this a complete option for your Bible study time.Bruce Ware covers the major doctrines, including God's Word and God's Own Life as God, God as Three in One, Creator and Ruler of All, Our Human Nature and Our Own Sin, Who Jesus Is, The Work That Jesus Has Done, The Holy Spirit, Our Great Salvation, and The Church. He is a professor of theology at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and so comes from a Baptist perspective doctrinally.
Too many times our Bible time with our children can become simple stories of Biblical characters. While there is much to be learned in these beloved stories, it is very important that we not forget to teach doctrine so that our children will be able to grasp their faith for themselves and understand what they believe and, most importantly, why they believe it. Scripture references are included throughout and I would suggest looking them up with your older children and enabling them to begin studying and learning from an early age.
Big Truths for Young Hearts is available at Crossway or your favorite online or local bookstore. Be sure to check out the Crossway blog for other great books.
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