Book Review: Talking With Your Kids About Jesus

Natasha Crain’s newest book, Talking With Your Kids About Jesus, is an essential resource for anyone seeking to provide spiritual guidance to children in today’s cultural climate. It could not have come at a better time as children ask parents big questions in light of the current COVID-19 pandemic. The author makes these critical conversations manageable even for busy parents or grandparents as she provides content broken down into short sections that can be easily digested in just a few minutes a day.

The book is divided into five sections which cover the identity of Jesus, the teachings of Jesus, the death of Jesus, the resurrection of Jesus, and the difference Jesus makes. Each chapter within the section consists of several pages of content followed by a summary of the key points. The author also includes a conversation guide for parents to use as they talk with their children and train them to boldly defend their faith.

While I believe every conversation in the book is essential, I am particularly impressed by the way the author covers several topics. The first is in the section about the identity of Jesus. Crain highlights the importance of ensuring that our kids have a thorough grasp on knowing that Jesus is God, even though He never says those exact words. She provides a solid foundation of Biblical evidences to equip kids to face challenges from others with different worldviews.

In her section on the teachings of Jesus, Crain addresses another crucial topic by examining what Jesus taught about religion. She explains that many today inaccurately portray Jesus as pitting religion against relationship. The author astutely points out that this is a false dichotomy, and describes the profound impact embracing this belief can have on kids in terms of a lowered view of the nature of truth, the authority of the Bible, and the importance of the church.

Crain addresses the relationship between Old Testament animal sacrifices and Jesus’s death in the section on the death of Jesus. She emphasizes the importance of not only teaching kids the fun and memorable stories of the Bible, but explaining the enormity of sin to them through learning about the sacrificial system, and describing how it took the death of an innocent sacrifice to make atonement for it.

The final section of the book describes the difference Jesus makes in the life of the Christian. The chapter on what it means to trust in Jesus is especially timely in the midst of uncertainty and fear related to the ongoing pandemic. She provides helpful answers to the questions of evil and suffering by describing the biblical concept of trust as well as common misunderstandings of what it means to trust in Jesus. Natasha brings clarity to this difficult topic and provides guidance for parents as they discuss current events and personal disappointments with their children.

While I was familiar with Natasha Crain’s work in equipping parents to engage in apologetics conversations with their kids, this was the first of her books that I had the pleasure to read. Natasha has the ability to write about difficult topics in an easy to understand style even for those with no prior apologetics training. She communicates in a winsome manner, and makes parents feel as if they are hearing from a trusted friend. This book is a great resource for parents, grandparents, teachers, or Bible study leaders who desire to give children a clear understanding of Jesus in a world that often paints a confusing picture of the Founder and Perfecter of the Christian faith.

Give Thanks for Goodness’ Sake

Why do I give thanks? While there are many things, people, and circumstances for which I am thankful, 1 Chronicles 16:34 provides the most essential reason of all when the author declares, “Give thanks to the LORD for He is good…” So why should we express gratitude for God’s goodness above anything else? Simply because God’s goodness is the foundational attribute underlying all other things for which we give thanks. A.W. Tozer explains in The Knowledge of the Holy, “The goodness of God is the drive behind all the blessings He daily bestows upon us. God created us because He felt good in His heart and He redeemed us for the same reason.” We would enjoy no other gifts, relationships, or experiences if God were not first of all good. Because of God’s goodness, I am comforted and not fearful of the remarkable power He wields over all of creation. I am encouraged rather than uneasy at His intimate knowledge of my every thought.

What does it mean to say that God is good? The Psalmist proclaims in Psalm 16:2, “I say to the LORD, ‘You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.’” Goodness itself cannot be defined without first looking to God. All that He says, does, and is reflects His goodness. Tracing the movement of His hand throughout history reveals a picture of His good plan and redemptive story that began unfolding at the first sinful act of man. I heard it said recently that the Christian faith is unique because we worship a God who, because of His goodness, became the solution to mankind’s biggest problem. No other religion offers a deity who embodies that kind of self-sacrificial goodness. He was under no obligation to offer Himself up for us, except that He was compelled by His kindness and benevolent nature to do so.

Even creation itself reveals His goodness as He generously surrounds us with amazing treasures that delight our senses and leave us in awe of our Creator. He thrills us with the brilliance of the starry heavens that span across the horizon as far as our eyes can see. He lavishes us with the refreshing fragrance of the rain following an unexpected summer storm. He provides the sweetness of a freshly picked piece of fruit to satisfy our hunger. He entertains us with the melodious songs of birds to awaken us in the morning. He shines the luminescent glow of the sun on our faces to remind us of the warmth of His love. Only a good God would do such things.

Psalm 34:8 instructs us to “Taste and see that the LORD is good.” Goodness is not just a descriptor of how He is; it’s who He is. As humans who reflect the image of God, we can be good for a time, but our imperfect nature eventually claws its way to the surface. In contrast, God is only ever good. God is good because that’s who He is. I am sometimes good because of His Holy Spirit living in me. I can be a good parent for a while, but eventually I’ll lose my temper over some act of childish misbehavior. I can be a good friend temporarily, but at some point I’ll respond selfishly and let my closest companions down. I can be a good citizen for a time, until I’m cut off in traffic or beaten in line for some awesomely amazing Black Friday deal! I can be a good wife for the short term, but I’ll inevitably say something unkind at the end of a stressful day. A.W. Tozer continues in The Knowledge of the Holy, “Divine goodness, as one of God’s attributes, is self-caused, infinite, perfect, and eternal. Since God is immutable He never varies in the intensity of His loving-kindness. He has never been kinder than He now is, nor will He ever be less kind.” What a comforting thought to know that He is so unlike me, and is always only good!

Psalms 23:6 says, “Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD as long as I live.” God’s goodness compels Him to pursue me, allowing me to reap the benefits of a life lived in relationship with Him. His pursuit of me has been relentless no matter where my spiritual journey has taken me. Sometimes He quietly tiptoes up behind me, astonishing me with some extravagant, over-the-top act of goodness. Other times He’s the Good Shepherd who sees me wandering aimlessly into danger and brings me back into the fold for my own protection. At all times He’s my patient Heavenly Father who cradles my hand in His and guides me along the good path. Where else can we find that kind of goodness except in our God?

Because I am confident that God is always only good, I can be thankful no matter the circumstance. On both dreadfully dark nights and breathtakingly bright days I know that I have a Heavenly Father working His good purposes in my life (Romans 8:28). I’m thankful for each breath I breathe, but I know that even if I never drew another breath, God would still be good. I’m thankful for the roof over my head, but I know that if it were to disastrously disappear, God would still be good. I’m thankful for my daily provision of food, but I know that I don’t live by bread alone, and if I were to go hungry, God would still be good. I’m also thankful for my family, my church, my job, my friends, and all things big and small that God provides on a moment by moment, hour by hour, and day by day basis. Apart from all that, however, is God’s goodness. We cannot truly appreciate the good gifts we receive from God’s hand without first understanding how He Himself is good, and giving thanks for that above all.

Book Review: Why I Still Believe by Mary Jo Sharp

In a culture where deconversion stories have become all too commonplace, and often leave faith in tatters, Mary Jo Sharp shines a ray of hope. She brings the reader along on her own journey from atheism, to belief, through doubt, and onward to her destination as a bold apologist for the Christian faith. She draws the reader into her story as she faces head-on the threads of ugliness woven into the fabric of the human experience, and demonstrates in a compelling fashion that even when our stories threaten to become unraveled, we have hope in Christ. Mary Jo then systematically proves how the evidences for the truth of the Christian worldview can be used to weave one’s faith back together again into a beautiful tapestry even in the midst of pain and hypocrisy. She reveals the amazing complexity of the Christian faith, stating that “To reduce Christianity to a neat-and-tidy recipe for happiness is to miss it almost entirely.”

I was eager to read Why I Still Believe because Mary Jo Sharp provided my first serious introduction to apologetics three years ago. I have followed her ministry since then and observed her passion for equipping believers to defend the Christian faith with truth and compassion. I’m impressed by her honest reflections about coming into the Christian faith from an atheistic background, and how despite painful experiences within the church, she still has reasons to believe in a good and gracious God. Through anecdotal snapshots and glimpses into personal conversations, she walks the reader through her experiences as a new Christian and candidly describes the challenges to her faith she faced even as a minister’s wife. Those who have experienced hurt from within the walls of the church will see themselves in her story, and appreciate her encouragement to find hope on the other side of disappointment.

Mary Jo walks the reader through some of the core apologetics arguments she considered while investigating the viability of the Christian worldview. She invites the reader to listen in on her conversations with both scholars and skeptics regarding the existence of God, the resurrection of Christ, the problem of evil, the divinity of Jesus, the moral argument, and the argument from beauty. She ultimately concludes that the Christian worldview is the best explanation for the reality we experience all around us, while honestly acknowledging that a tension exists in the Christian life between how things are and how we know they ought to be.

Reading Why I Still Believe has prompted within me a desire to display a greater boldness in my witness, and to better equip myself to defend the faith. I finished Sharp’s latest book realizing that while each person’s story is unique, we all explore similar questions about the meaning and purpose of life. It has affirmed to me that questioning our beliefs as followers of Christ doesn’t indicate a lack of faith. Rather, it demonstrates complete trust in Him to provide answers to our deepest questions in His perfect timing. The author concludes that “To question my beliefs takes trust…it takes the control away from me and hands it over to God.” This book is an excellent resource for those struggling with doubt and working to reconcile painful experiences, often even at the hands of other believers, with the goodness of God. I recommend it to anyone interested in a refreshingly honest look at how to wrestle well with the ultimate questions of life.