What is the most important thing that a child can learn from his parents? Eight-year-old Caleb and his younger sister Cassie live with their dad and mom. The whole family is striving to be godly. They all regularly attend church services, and every night the parents teach the children about Jesus using the catechism. Caleb’s best friend Angus and his family attend the same church, but their other friend Daniel and his family, who recently moved into the community, don’t go to church. So Caleb and Angus ask Daniel to go to church with them. Will he be allowed to go? How will his parents react? And what will be the result?
The reader needs to be aware that the authors come from a highly Reformed (Calvinistic) religious tradition. Susan Hunt is the women’s ministry consultant for Christian Education and Publications of the Presbyterian Church in America. Her son Richie Hunt is the children’s and youth minister at Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church in Dallas, GA. Bible believers from other religious backgrounds may not necessarily agree with some concepts and practices set forth in the book, such as salvation by praying to ask Jesus into your heart, total hereditary depravity, tithing, keeping the “Christian’s Sabbath,” following the Ten Commandments, and baptizing infants. In fact, many of us would prefer to instruct our children simply from the Scriptures rather than using a man-made catechism.
However, putting the issue of the catechism aside, the thing I really like about this book is that the 36 stories illustrate how the truth of God’s word can be practically applied even in the lives of young children and also how important it is for parents to teach their children what the Bible says. Youngsters have a much greater capacity to learn than a lot of people think, so we shouldn’t wait until they’re older but start from the very beginning to inculcate within them both Biblical morality and Biblical doctrine. Each chapter concludes with a “Let’s Talk” section with questions about the lesson and a “Let’s Pray” section which, rather than having a written prayer to repeat, gives a passage of Scripture and just encourages the reader to pray based upon what that passage says. ( )