A solid plan for Scripture memory, exposure to great hymns and catechetical instruction. Book 1: Age 2 to 4th Grade; Book 2: Grades 5 to 8; Book 3: Grades 9 to 12.
Thomas K. Ascol has served as a Pastor of Grace Baptist Church since 1986. He has a BS degree in sociology from Texas A&M University and has also earned the MDiv and PhD degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Ft. Worth, Texas. He has served as an adjunct professor of theology for various colleges and seminaries, including Reformed Theological Seminary, the Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary, African Christian University, Copperbelt Ministerial College, and Reformed Baptist Seminary. He has also served as Visiting Professor at the Nicole Institute for Baptist Studies at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, Florida.
Tom serves as the President of Founders Ministries. He has edited the Founders Journal, a quarterly theological publication of Founders Ministries, and has written articles for various journals and magazines. He has been a regular contributor to TableTalk, the monthly magazine of Ligonier Ministries. He has also edited and contributed to several books, including Dear Timothy: Letters on Pastoral Ministry, Recovering the Gospel and Reformation of Churches and By What Standard? God's World...God's Rules. He is also the author of From the Protestant Reformation to the Southern Baptist Convention, and Traditional Theology and the SBC and co-authoring with Jared Longshore the forthcoming (2021) Strong and Courageous.
He and Donna have six children along with 3 sons-in-law and a daughter-in-law. They also have fourteen grandchildren. See also Tom Ascol.
This is a 135 question catechism question and answer book. Went through with kids 7 & 6, and will try to keep going over it through the years. I liked that the questions had supportive texts so for example: Q:Why did God make you and all things? A: For His glory (Psalm 19:1; Jeremiah 9:23-24; Revelation 4:11 & 5:13. So I would choose one of these supporting passages for the kids to memorize. So they would learn a question and an answer and where to defend it from scripture which I think is extremely important. I hope and pray they will keep these in their long-term memory for life as I wish I had more scripture references in mine as an adult. I am realizing that memorizing scripture is writing it on your heart and is much more important than I once thought.
A beautifully put together catechism and memory book for young children. There are many lifelong biblical truths between the pages with bible verses/passages and hymns that even young minds can understand.
We are going through these memory books with our kids, and love the easy lay out for the questions, corresponding verses, and memory verses. Some days I overhear my 4 and 2 year old quoting verses or asking each other questions from the catechism.
Saturate your kids in scripture! This is one of the best ways to do that.
I'm a huge fan of Founder's Ministry and Tom Ascol. I thank God for both. On the one hand, this is a great tool for parents to disciple their children. I heartily recommend it. On the other hand, I would recommend parents use something other than the ESV for most kids. As a pastor working in a "post-Christian" Appalachian college town, most of the visitors I speak with do not speak "Christian-ese." They need Biblical terms explained to them. They also need a Bible to read where they don't need those terms explained to them. Just my two cents. Still this little book is highly recommended. I'm going to read through the other two TAG books soon and then pass them on to my church's children's pastor.
I grew up in a Catholic household and was initially worried this book would feel too “Catholic,” but it’s really about memorising Scripture and biblical truths, a practice I now see as invaluable. Moving from Catholicism to Pentecostalism and now non-denominational (slightly Reformed maybe, still figuring it out) made me realise how little emphasis many churches place on Bible study or theology. This book is a great resource for parents wanting to equip their kids with God’s Word in a thoughtful, non-legalistic way.
I just skimmed over it, and I absolutely love this book. The catechism is laid out in an easy to memorize format with Scripture references. I felt as though many of the catechism questions answer many of the questions that I covered in theological books as a teenager in nice precise and simple ways. I love the selection of hymns and Scriptures for memorization. Very much looking forward to working through this book with my son.