★★★★★ 5
"Do this like like this person did
Format: Paperback
I bought this last year at Bethlehem Seminary bookstore in Minneapolis on a bibliophile impulse. It was so remarkable, that I bought multiple copies here on Amazon to give to leaders and fellow-teachers of our children's outreach program at church. For instead of the typical way of teaching bible stories to children, it proposes a different way, one wrapped around the gospel of grace.
Most of the time, children are taught the stories of David and Goliath, or Gideon, or whatever, to urge them on to moral behavior. "Do this like like this person did, don't do that like that other person did, and God will bless you". And so kids grow up in the church thinking that this is what the gospel is: do good and you'll gain God's favor. This book instead shows how God has always provided a solution for the wretched consequences of the fall.
The writer doesn't recommend we automatically shy away from teaching the difficult stories of the bible, which is so common in children's ministries (like the captivity in Babylon, and the wretched stories in Judges, for instance). Instead, it shows teachers how to teach (AND see for themselves) the mercy of God in each of those bible accounts. It is not a curriculum, though it is very bible literate: for instance, Mr. Klumpenhower points out the not-always-so-obvious parts of a story that point to a coming redeemer. It has practical insights for showing the beauty of God's love and mercy in EVERY bible story, and for those who need further direction and insight, Mr. Klumpenower's website gives curricular-type lesson plans you can use when teaching those stories.
In our church now, we continue to use a national bible-memory program that many churches use. But we use this as the outline for our group teaching times.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking to teach the gospel from the scriptures, instead of just from a formula.
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Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2015
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