Gum, Geckos, and God: A Family's Adventure in Space, Time, and Faith

Gum, Geckos and God is a fun look at theology in the context of the family. Speigel unpacks some of the deepest theological issues such as original sin, atonement, sovereignty, and heaven through the thoughtful, winsome, and sometimes hilarious conversations he and his wife have with their children. I felt affirmed and challenged in my own personal theological understanding throughout. With each passing chapter, I felt increasingly drawn into the journey of the Speigel family. While not an outright parenting manual, there is certainly a lot to be learned through the honest glimpses into the Speigel household. Despite not yet having any children of my own, this book served as a great big-picture overview of what it means to have a Christ-centered family.

I really enjoyed this book. It is a strange kind of book to be published in today's world. There are "God & family" books by the thousands, parenting books by the millions and philosophy/theology books (that most people never read) by the zillions. But this is the first book I've ever seen that is somehow all of these. Perhaps it says something about our age that we feel the need to section off different parts of our lives as if they have nothing to do with each other. Dr. Spiegel rightly realizes that you cannot separate intellectual life from "real life." What do I like about this book? 1. It is endearing. And it's funny. Getting to see James Spiegel and his wife Amy guide their children through their questions about life brings these questions home. Watching this process helped me understand myself and my own search for truth. Aren't we all, in a way, children searching for answers? We "adults" like to think we know everything and can figure out the cosmos---but isn't this more childish than the "naive" questions our children ask us? 2. It provides case studies in parenting. You don't have to agree with all of James and Amy's decisions as parents to have your thinking stimulated about your own parenting (present or eventual). 3. It has plenty of ideas to chew on. Spiegel is all over the map from the bible to Socrates to Heiddegar to Confucius and the list goes on. But many of the ideas that arise in this book come straight from Spiegel's conversations with his kids which is pretty gnarly. 4. Finally a book about the family and God that is dynamic! Looking through the shelves at the local bookstore it seems as if nonfiction writers have never read Plato---don't they know that there is another way to write nonfiction besides the (almost always) boring treatise? [There are, of course, writers who can write dynamic treatises--Rousseau, Kierkegaard--but there are not many, especially these days.] It is so crazy to me that Plato sits at the head of western civilization and yet so few writers have followed his example! Spiegel, like Plato, employs diaglogue in investigating questions about God, the world and human beings. Isn't it about time someone did?

The title of Spiegel's latest work is unlikely for a book that seriously explores doctrines of the Christian faith, "especially where contemporary ideas, both within and outside the church, have strayed from orthodoxy." Instead, judging by the name, one might expect heartwarming stories of family pets and camping adventures. Gum, Geckos and God attempts to do both. It may sound like an unusual concept, but at the beginning Spiegel describes his roots in academia, from a PhD in Philosophy, to his current position as a Philosophy professor at a Christian, liberal-arts college. Spiegel describes how his wife and four young children changed his perspective: "While it used to be that my family played a role in my academic life..."now, Spiegel states, "...my work in philosophy and theology has informed my role as a father." Later, Spiegel shares that "the greatest practical value of my vocation as a Christian philosopher is how it equips me for this daunting task" of training his children to be wise. The strength of Gum, Geckos and God lies in it's holistic focus. By using the everyday questions of his children as his launching point, set in the mundane surroundings of small-town life, Spiegel roots his discussions in practicality and avoids the temptation of getting lost in theory, even though the questions are heavy and complex. The chapters move from "What is God like?" and cover such territory as "How Can God Fix Us?" and "Who Gets to Go to Heaven?" Spiegel encourages his children to explore their own questions at greater depth and offers his own distinctive, philosophically-rooted thoughts on each matter. The answers Spiegel offers are thought-provoking, and don't necessarily give a cookie-cutter, Sunday-school response. This book is easy to read, and both refreshing and thought-provoking. At times, the transition from childhood anecdotes to explanations of orthodoxy and theory can feel a little rough, perhaps because spoken conversation is generally not geared towards teaching in the same way as a literary work or classroom. Even so, both the stories of the family and the theoretical passages are written in a manner that is easy to navigate, and the originality of the book lies in its attempt to tear down the barriers between a study of theology and the real lives of families. The descriptions of conversations Spiegel has with his kids hearken back the earnest questing of childhood to know more about the world. In Matthew 18:3, Jesus says, "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." I recommend this book to parents, to burnt out students of theology and seminary, to people who get frustrated with the "in-house" jargon of the church, and to adults who used to be kids. There is much to be learned from the questions of children. As Spiegel points out, "I never knew that topics as wide ranging as bicycles, gum, and baseball all lead to God. But as my children have shown

I don't think it takes very many years of child raising before every parent realizes that he is in over his head. I am no stranger to this feeling. As I was walking my eight-year-old son to school just last week he turned to me and said, "Dad, why is it that people think killing one another will solve the world's problems?" My first instinct was that it would be a simple question to answer. But a moment's reflection made me realize that a proper answer would have to touch on all kinds of issues of theological significance. Thankfully my son is quite a good listener and we were able to turn his question into a good chat. Author James Spiegel, professor of philosophy at Taylor University, did not realize the challenges he would face in talking about God to his children. Perhaps as a philosopher he felt he would be equipped to answer. But he quickly learned that even seemingly simple questions are often difficult to answer adequately. What is God like? Why does God love us? Why is it hard to be good? If heaven is so great, why am I afraid to die? These questions offer ideal opportunities to teach children while challenging our own assumptions about the Christian faith. These questions, and the answers to them, are the subject of Spiegel's new book, Gum, Geckos and God: A Family's Adventure in Space, Time and Faith. As Spiegel says, "If you can probe the sticky topics of faith and life's meaning with a kid while he probes the sticky recesses of his nasal cavity, then you can discuss theology with anyone." Parents will enjoy this book as they will no doubt realize that they have faced many of the same questions and have struggled to provide adequate answers to them. These words may well sound familiar from your experience: "Whenever Amy and I see an opening for some theological discussion, we dive right in. Sometimes we land in the deep well of our kids' hearts, gaining insights into their perspectives on life and God. Other times we hit dry land." This is not a book that seeks primarily to teach parents how to communicate to their children about Christian topics, though certainly through example it models ways of doing so (try "Everyday Talk: Talking Freely and Naturally about God with Your Children" by John Younts for that purpose). Instead it is, as the subtitle indicates, a sort of adventure with the family. The back cover says rightly, "As you read, you'll step into a new depth of Christian doctrine as you come to know and enjoy the Spiegel family and follow their journey of spiritual growth." The book teaches rich theology and in a way that is engaging and deeply applicable. It wonderfully mixes narrative with teaching, humor with depth. Spiegel's background in philosophy allows him a unique perspective on the issues. Though his answers are generally simple, he avoids being simplistic. The reader will not only absorb some ideas for talking about faith with his children, but he'll grow in his understanding of doctrine as well. Both reflective

Centered on conversations that Spiegel has with his young children about the Christian faith, Gum Geckos and God effectively takes topics that can often be abstract and difficult and presents them concretely and clearly. Questions that his kids ask (and that we've all wondered about) such as "What is God like?" (chap. 1), "Why do some people not believe in God?" (chap. 5), and "Why is it hard to be good?" (chap. 8) are addressed through the family's dialogue and Spiegel's thoughtful, personal reflections. The result is a book that's delightful to read. It's engaging and insightful throughout with plenty of humor and tenderness mixed in.