Big Truths for Young Hearts: Teaching and Learning the Greatness of God

Can I start this review with the story of how Big Truths for Young Hearts came to be? It's origin is in the bedside discussions Bruce Ware had with his two daughters when they were children. "I began," Ware writes, "in those early years spending ten to fifteen minutes with each of our daughters at their bedside, going through the doctrines of the Christian faith." What he was doing was teaching them the same systematic theology he taught at seminary, but gearing it toward his children. His daughters are now adults, and they encouraged their father to write a book based on his bedtime talks with them, so he did. The result a good gift to the church, especially to parents who wish to teach the faith to their children. As far as I know, there is nothing else like it--a systematic theology for children. There are, of course, children's catechisms, but catechisms focus more on what is so and less on why it is so. A systematic theology gives us the reasons and tells us how everything fits together. If your kids are like mine were, they want to know the reasoning behind the doctrines, and that's what you'll provide when you read this book to them. Big Truths for Young Hearts contains six sections--Bibliology through Eschatology--but with child-friendly titles instead of the technical theological terms. The section that contains Bibiology and Theology Proper, for instance, is called God's Word and God's Own Life as God. Each section has six short chapters, two or three pages each, explaining and defending a doctrinal truth, finishing up with two questions for discussion and a memory verse or two. There may be a few places, depending on your own viewpoint, where you will disagree with what Ware teaches. He is baptistic, for instance, so if you are a paedobaptist, you'll disagree with some of what he writes on baptism, but I think you'll find he is fair in his explanation of your view. A couple of mothers I know are reading this to children 6-8 years old with good success, but if I were to give a minimum age where I'd expect most children to understand all of the content, I'd go with an age a little older than that--9 or 10, perhaps. Children a few years younger will probably understand enough of the content to justify purchasing the book and choosing appropriate sections to read. But here's the thing: This book is good for everyone. I enjoyed reading it for myself and I'm not exactly a newbie to the doctrines of Christianity. If you hid the cover of the book and changed a few of the illustrations, this would make an excellent resource for teaching teens, young adults or even older adults. There are, you know, more than a few believers who don't know the basics of Christian doctrine, which is why I'd like to see Bruce Ware edit the content of Big Truths for Young Hearts a little and publish it as a simple theology for adults. Big Truths for Young Hearts gets the highest recommendation I've given a book in a long time. (The last book I've recommend

Several years ago my husband attended a worship conference, where he heard a handful of speakers over several days. I don't recall all whom (or is it who?) he heard that weekend, but I do remember one man: Bruce Ware. His name lingers with me because of the impression he left on my husband that evening. This man, incredibly knowledgeable about theology, wowed him with a tapestry of truth. Eventually my husband put his pencil down and surrendered. This man knew more than he could write. When I recently read a friend's blog post about a theology book by Bruce Ware, I was immediately curious, particularly because it is written for young people. This book, Big Truths for Young Hearts, is one we cannot exhaust with one reading. "It is a rich collection of truths that come straight from Scripture and answer questions about who God is, his work in the world, and the hope we can have through a relationship with Christ" (from the Foreword). Its content is accessible to children but not in any way dumbed down for them. It provides a launching point for rewarding reflection, discussion, and application. Consider chapter one, part six: Ware talks about God being all wise, all powerful, and all good all the time. He then invites us to imagine what God would be like if he were all wise but not all powerful or all powerful but not all good. With a god like that, we could have no confidence. But that is not our God. "We have every reason to trust him, then. God plans only what is best (he is perfectly wise), and God cannot be hindered in bringing it about (he's all-powerful), and we know that his plans will work out for our best (he is completely good)" (36). Good, I mean *good,* devotional books for young people are hard to find. This one is *good* and will serve our family for a very long time.

An Evangelical Theology for Kids 10 to 100! Book Review Details Title: Big Truths for Young Hearts: Teaching and Learning the Greatness of God Author: Bruce A. Ware, Ph.D. Publisher: Crossway (2009) Category: Parenting, Theology, Discipleship Reviewed By: Bob Kellemen, Ph.D., LCPC, Author of Soul Physicians, Spiritual Friends, Beyond the Suffering, and Sacred Friendships Recommended: A highly recommended antidote to the dumb-downed, frills, and cotton-candy approach so prevalent in American Evangelicalism today. Review: An Evangelical Catechism for Kids Ages 10 to 100! When someone like Bruce Ware, professor of Christian theology at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and 2009 President of the Evangelical Theological Society, writes a book on theology, I take notice. When he writes it for parents and children--my interest is truly sparked. Big Truths for Young Hearts: Teaching and Learning the Greatness of God is a modern-day Evangelical catechism. Ware's purpose is to equip parents to raise their children to know and love God through raising them to know and love theology. How sad that such a goal seems so foreign in so many Christian circles today. In many ways, as indicated by the precious foreword written by Ware's young-adult daughters, Big Truths for Young Hearts is the "Theology 101" he taught (and modeled and lived) for and in front of his daughters. He's just graciously sharing it with the rest of us. There is no grander testimony than their words, "Dad really believes the things that are in this book. His theology shapes the way he lives, as we have seen many times" (p. 11). There is no greater parental challenge than their challenge to us: "To parents: it may sound cliché, but we followed our father's teaching in part because he practiced what he preached. Like all children, we needed to look up and see our parents looking up at a great God who has great things in store for those who love him" (p. 12). Ware's own testimony about the origin of the book mirrors his daughter's memories. From the time they were toddlers, he tried creatively to teach them the same theology sequence he was teaching his seminary students. Ware has crafted his two-decade-long instruction of his girls into a theology book for parents and children. The book covers the classic core doctrines of systematic theology. (Shh. Just don't tell the children the "theological terms" in the parentheses below!) *Chapter One: God's Word (Bibliology) and God's Own Life (Theology Proper) *Chapter Two: God As Three in One (Trinitarian Theology) *Chapter Three: Creator and Ruler of All (Theology Proper, The Sovereignty and Glory of God) *Chapter Four: Our Human Nature (Anthropology) and Our Sin (Hamartiology) *Chapter Five: Who Jesus Is (Christology) *Chapter Six: The Work Jesus Has Done (Christology/Soteriology) *Chapter Seven: The Holy Spirit (Pneumatology) *Chapter Eight: Our Great Salvation (Soteriology, Election, Sanctification) *Chapter Nine: The Church o

Thank Mr. Ware for writing this book! As a parent, I am intimidated sometimes by what I think I have to know and do to give my child the best life possible. But after reading Big Truths, I was able to focus and realize that you have to keep The Main Thing, the main thing. By breaking these nuggets of truth in a chapter a day format, you aren't overwhelmed. Each topic is relevant, right on point. I have a feeling that I will be passing this book down to my son, when he is ready to read this with his own children. Keleigh Crigler Hadley author of Christian YA fiction - Preacher's Kids: Secrets & Salvation

Bruce A. Ware is able to present Biblical truth in an understandable way without watering-down the Word of God. He does not shy away from discussing topics such as penal substitutionary atonement, propitiation, or the heresy of modalism. Due to Ware's faithful teaching, this book should serve adults as much as it does children. If you know anyone reading The Shack (Paperback), get this book in their hands! I really enjoyed Ware's Big Truths for Young Hearts: Teaching and Learning the Greatness of God. I would encourage all adults to purchase this book and use it to teach the children in your life about the greatness of our God.