The Gospel for Children: A Simple, Yet Complete Guide to Help Parents Teach Their Children the Gospel of Jesus Christ

by John B. Leuzarder

This book does something we sometimes take for it methodically teaches the Gospel of Jesus Christ to young children. This is of no small importance because, as we learn from the first chapter of Romans, this Gospel is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes. It has a color picture for each major point and then has a page at the end with just the pictures as a memory device to help children recall these truths.

Genres: Childrens

40 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2002

Reviews

[Mikejencostanzo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I haven't been a teacher for over 10 years, but old habits die hard. As soon as I picked up The Gospel for Children my educator-senses started tingling. I got the urge to create lesson plans, worksheets, activities & manipulatives... Why do I do this? I think this is why I never survived as a teacher. I had so much fun planning lessons, and hardly the energy to teach them once it was all over.

All this said, The Gospel for Children is self-described as a "simple, yet complete guide." I would, rather, describe it as a basic scope & sequence--not a complete curriculum. It walks the user through 38 key principles dealing with the six foundational themes of God, the Bible, Sin, Jesus, Repentance & Faith, and Counting the Costs. Each key principle is illustrated by a unique, full-color icon, which author John B. Leuzarder encourages the user to employ as a memory-aid.

The actual theology presented in The Gospel for Children is solidly reformed and evangelical, for those familiar with these categories. It covers all the bases in terms of outlining the gospel in a complete, yet concise way.

However, The Gospel for Children does leave rather a lot of creative application up to the parent or teacher. I have several suggestions for fleshing the material out:
* Print the icons (pages 38-39) onto 8.5x11" label paper, and then cut them out to use as reward stickers for each principle learned.
* Use other resources such as 1001 Ways to Help Your Child Walk with God to match a hands-on activity with each principle.
* Also, consider making use of a children's story Bible to enjoy a corresponding Bible story for each principle (365 Great Bible Stories The Good News of Jesus from Genesis to Revelation, The Jesus Storybook Bible Every Story Whispers His Name, and of course there are many other great examples too...)

Author Leuzarder has done the hard work of distilling the gospel into a teachable outline for his readers. However, this is no out-of-the-box curriculum. It must be used in conjunction with creative prowess from a parent or teacher.

~Jen

[Peter Krol · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a guide for parents, it's pretty good. As a book for children, I'm not as impressed. But if you're looking for a series of bullet points with Scripture proofs to teach your children the comprehensive truths of the gospel, this will work well for you.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book begins with attributes of God and moves into the fall of man, then towards the cross. Each point has a cartoon picture for memory aid and scripture to look up.