James Spiegel never realized what challenges and adventures he would face in talking about God with his own children. Can we hug God? Will geckos go to heaven? Was Jesus fun to be around? Does God know how many spiders there are in all the basements in the world? These are just a few of the questions that Spiegel has fielded in conversations with his sons Bailey and Sam. Every devout Christian wants to understand God and his ways more fully. But even the fundamentals of faith are layered with profound mysteries. In his teaching and writing, Spiegel deals with these complexities every day. But nothing quite prepared him for the honesty, hilarity, and depth of revelation that he has found in conversations about God with his boys. Gum, Geckos, and God is fascinating and fun. 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. Here is a uniquely incisive look into the most complex issues of faith in a way that's absorbing, engaging, and highly personal.
Gum, Geckos, and God
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Spiegel, philosophy professor at Indiana's Taylor University, takes deep issues of the Christian faith and dumps them smack into real life with a little help from his children. Their questions—Dad, where does God live? Dad, does God speak English? and What does God know?—open the door to discussions about God that solicit satisfying answers from Dad. Spiegel's responses and ensuing comments will satisfy adults as well, especially those looking for beginning and intermediate study on topics such as God's omniscience, the Golden Rule, God's presence and human origin and destiny. Spiegel ponders the great issues of the faith with a light touch, thanks to the innate comedy of kids, but also to his own brand of humor. No doubt some readers will wish for more depth when it comes to doctrinal fundamentals, but rather than exhaustive study, the point is that God touches human hearts through geckos, hide-and-seek tag and the occasional possum. Spiegel shares his own wonder as he fields FAQs from the fertile, imaginative, earthy minds of his children. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
Spiegel, philosophy professor at Indiana's Taylor University, takes deep issues of the Christian faith and dumps them smack into real life with a little help from his children. Their questions-"Dad, where does God live?" "Dad, does God speak English?" and "What does God know?"-open the door to discussions about God that solicit satisfying answers from Dad. Spiegel's responses and ensuing comments will satisfy adults as well, especially those looking for beginning and intermediate study on topics such as God's omniscience, the Golden Rule, God's presence and human origin and destiny. Spiegel ponders the great issues of the faith with a light touch, thanks to the innate comedy of kids, but also to his own brand of humor. No doubt some readers will wish for more depth when it comes to doctrinal fundamentals, but rather than exhaustive study, the point is that God touches human hearts through geckos, hide-and-seek tag and the occasional possum. Spiegel shares his own wonder as he fields FAQs from the fertile, imaginative, earthy minds of his children. (May) -- Publishers Weekly, March 24, 2008
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More About the Author
James Spiegel holds a PhD from Michigan State University and currently teaches philosophy at Taylor University. He is the author of several books, including the award-winning How to Be Good in a World Gone Bad. Spiegel is a frequent speaker at Christian colleges, conferences, churches, and on radio programs. He lives in Fairmount, Indiana, with his wife, Amy, and their four children, Bailey, Samuel, Magdalene, and Andrew.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Both Reflective and Profound. A Fun Read!,
By
This review is from: Gum, Geckos, and God: A Family's Adventure in Space, Time, and Faith (Paperback)
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 and profound, Gum, Geckos and God is the kind of book any reader can enjoy.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Nourished by questions, Spiegel shares family and faith.,
This review is from: Gum, Geckos, and God: A Family's Adventure in Space, Time, and Faith (Paperback)
As a single who wishes someday to be a parent, picking up this book was an experience between my dreams for the future of my family and the memory of my own childhood. Growing up as a Christian, many of the conversations Dr. Spiegel has with Bailey and Sam reminded me of some of the questions I had growing up. Who made God? Where do things come from? How will I recognize Jesus when I see him? Why does God love us? These childlike questions are not uncommon, but the seriousness with which Spiegel takes them is. This is courageous. In this book, Spiegel faces straight on these questions, and in the end produces what I think is a unique catechism, a teaching experience first shared within his family, and now with readers.Often Christians will quip about having faith like a child, but sometimes will not deeply consider the shape and form and fearlessness of childlike faith. Often, we find ourselves squelching the questioning nature of childlikeness, uncomfortable as it can be, and untolerated as it is among our culture. At the books outset, Spiegel, through the story of Socrates, exposes the congruency between Ancient Athens and our own day when it comes to questions. Above all what I think this book gets right is to expose a graceful and tender attitude to the questions of children. This piece of wisdom is a theme throughout the book, the respect for questions; they do not act in disrespect of faith, but rather are the nourishment of it. In this regard, as a single person, this book is about the experience of growing in faith as much as it is about parenting. You won't find any quick fix tips, check-lists, or nifty quote answers to give children the next time they ask those stumper questions. What you will find in reading this book are reflections, thoughts, and conversations that will help you imagine differently. Spiegel engages with readers to help them imagine conversations with their children, and even peers, proceeding in a different direction then they often do. For example, in one scene, Spiegel struggles to find balance between authoritarian dictums and over indulgence, yet maintaining a relationship of trust with his son. Its this kind of seeking an imagination which inspires others not to copy and paste simplistic principles, but virtuously improvise within the dramas of their own families and societies. This book has a catechismic quality to it. Each chapter is made on thematic questions, shifting between conversation and essay and personal reflection. Speigel does a good job sketching the characters of his family, making the dialogues fun and multidimensional. Sam and Bailey keep the conversations lively and the tangents realistic. They are not just mouhtpieces for Spiegel, but real children asking and doing and behaving as children do. But this catechism is not merely interested in baldly answering rote questions for a test. Rather, its relational quality makes for much richer theology than would otherwise take place. The questions Spiegel chooses to entertain in this book are certainly pressing, not only for children, but for adults. Cosmology, Chirstology, Morality and Ethics, Epistemology, Eschatology, and many other theological themes are spoken of in a way that is pertinent, and moldable to different contexts. One gets the feeling that this book is a time-slice of conversations the Spiegels will continue to have with each other for many years to come.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Enjoyable, Thoughtful Read,
By
This review is from: Gum, Geckos, and God: A Family's Adventure in Space, Time, and Faith (Paperback)
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.
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