Theology for kids.
We Make Books that are
God-Glorifying
God alone is worthy of all glory and people’s greatest joy is found in praising God above all other things. As humans, we are sinfully bent to elevate ourselves to the center of the universe. And so, our greatest need is to be captivated by something bigger than ourselves, namely God. Children are wonderful and special, yet they need to experience the freedom that comes when their own worth is understood in light of God’s infinite worth. Children need to be confronted with the beauty of God to gain a true understanding of their own worth.
Christ-Centered
Jesus Christ taught that the Scriptures bear witness about Him. The correct understanding of Scripture is the one that has Jesus and His work as the central message of Scripture (John 5:39, Luke 24:44). Yet, often Bible stories are confusingly told in isolation from this central message. Children need to be shown and taught, rightly, how all Scripture points to Jesus.
Gospel-Grounded
Salvation is by grace, through faith alone, apart from works. Too often—particularly in children’s literature—moralistic Christian principles are presented as the primary application of Scripture. Yet people cannot obey these biblical morals in their sinful state. Belief in the Gospel is not only a necessity to transform a sinner into a willing, obedient follower of Jesus, but ongoing belief in the Gospel is the vital fuel that propels lifelong obedience to Jesus. Children need to be taught to believe in the Gospel and to keep believing in the Gospel as the foundation for all obedience.
Biblically-Broad
All Scripture is inspired by God and all of it is profitable. Christians need nourishment from thewhole counsel of God for healthy growth and maturity. Too often children are functionally given an abridged Bible when they are not taught from every part of Scripture. Children need to be exposed to all of God’s Word, not just the usual children’s Bible stories.
Doctrinally-Deep
Infants receive all their nourishment from milk, but when they grow they require solid food. As they grow, children will not develop if kept exclusively on milk. However, often children are kept on biblical “milk” under the assumption that they cannot understand or handle certain parts of the Bible simply because they are children. When biblical teaching is kept “lite” for children, they quickly determine that the Bible is inadequate to answer the big questions that their developing brains are searching for. Deep truths can be communicated with clarity, simplicity, and appropriately for children. Children ought to be fed the deep, rich, and beautiful truths of Scripture.
Children love stories and there is good reason for that—this whole world is telling a story. It’s that very story, that very narrative, that is so wonderfully described and illustrated in this beautiful little book. I’m sure it will prove a great resource to parents and a great blessing to their children.Tim Challies, Blogger at challies.com
Little children do not need little truths. What they need is someone to direct their eyes beyond themselves to the brilliant plan, breathtaking might, and bottomless love of the Lord who made them. Their world may seem small, but it is a theater for the King’s glory. Sam Emadi’s poem will help kids stare with wonder at all God has made, and more importantly at the God who made it all.Matt Smethurst, managing editor, The Gospel Coalition
When children (and their parents!) read Bible story books, every turn of the page brings up significant questions. Questions about the most basic ideas – life and death and God’s Law – require careful explanations from Scripture. The Promise of Life is a brilliant guide to help you and your kids wade into the deep waters of those crucial topics. Atkinson’s prose is catchy and faithful, and Marsee’s artwork will make you stop and think.Gloria Furman, author of Missional Motherhood
What our customers say
The Promise of Life is an amazing summary of the whole entire Bible, read through as one solid story (divided into a few different sections) from Adam & Eve to the new heaven & earth! It covers SO much, and even has a scripture index in the back that goes with each page of the book so you can look up more information that helps you interpret some of the illustrations that weren’t directly talked about. The whole thing is easy to read and flows well together.
Every time we pick this up, the kids and I enjoy reading through it!
I knew The Promise of Life was going to be good, but I am blown away by the quality of the content, both textually and visually. Definitely up there with Jesus Storybook Bible. A must have. I am looking forward to owning more in the series.