The Answer Book for Kids series covers a lot of different topics including creation and the fall, dinosaurs, space and astronomy and more.
In this particular volume, Ken Ham and Cindy Malott answer real kids’ questions on sin, salvation and Christian life.
There were a lot of really good questions that can encourage our kids to think deeper about the issues but also may lead them to ask some even better questions.
For example, “when a soldier is in war and he kills someone is he breaking God’s commandments?”
In the answer, the authors distinguish between hate and anger leading to murder and a soldier following orders and killing out of defence.
Another child asked why animals die if humans are the ones who sin. The authors address this issue by saying that Adam was designed to be the leader of the whole earth and because of his error the entire world is captivated by sin.
One great element was the introduction of the fact that the Bible is many different books written in different genres. It is important that all of us understand what style the book is in before we determine whether it is fact, such as history or more creative, like poetry or songs.
Unfortunately, I found the answer to the question “How do we know other religions aren’t true” to be disappointing.
The authors respond simply by saying “if they don’t agree with the Bible they are not true!” They advise children to use two tests on another religion to determine the truth:
- If they believe Jesus is God
- If they believe salvation is through Him alone
These are all weak answers for such a major question. All a sceptic would need to do was to question the authenticity of the Bible and the argument fails. Thus, this section doesn’t properly equip kids to defend their faith and really doesn’t help them think deeper on the issue.
It is an okay book to have in your collection but there are other books that are similar in style that better equip the young heart to follow Christ, such as Kathryn Slattery’s If I Could Ask God Anything or The Awesome Book of Bible Answers for Kids by Josh McDowell and Kevin Johnson.
