Children always have questions about what it means to be a Christian. Do they need a long philosophical answer? Not always and it is simple answers to deep questions that feature in this book. If you have ever wanted to know how to explain the Christian faith to young children in bite-sized chunks then the 114 profound questions and answers, backed by scripture proofs provide an invaluable tool to get you started.
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About the Author
How can a basin of water help you write your first book? Carine Mackenzie wrote her first book, Gideon - Soldier of God, in the kitchen of her home in Inverness, Scotland. A two year old was at her feet playing blissfully with a basin of water. "It was the only way I could be sure of getting some peace and quiet ... and it worked." The two year old is now married with a family of her own and Carine's first attempt at writing has grown too. Her talent for retelling Bible stories has meant that children from all over the world have been given the opportunity to discover Jesus Christ for themselves. The first title written in the kitchen with the assistance of a basin of water has inspired the production of many other books. Carine now has over 50 different titles in print and sales of over 3 million books.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
My First Book of Questions and Answers is a list of 114 Christian teachings about God, Creation, human sin, and other doctrines. According to the author, it is drawn in part from the Westminster Shorter Catechism and Mother's Catechism by John Willison.
Although many Protestant Christians have moved away from using catechisms for training children in the faith, a catechism is a fine choice for children 3-9, who excel at memorization and often take great pleasure in showing off their ability. This list of short answers to weighty questions will help parents answer their childrens' many questions about the world and their place in it, and the knowledge gained through the exercise of rehearsing doctrinal truth will remain with children for the rest of their lives.
This catechism is very easy to use, with numbered questions that for the most part have short, carefully worded and easy to remember answers. They are supported with scripture references. For example, question #14 reads "Can God do everything?" The answer is, "Yes. He can do everything that pleases him. Isaiah 40:13." Parents and teachers can use this at three levels, then: For daily activity, you can simply have children learn the questions grouped under a given theme, adding one at a time until all are mastered. Or, for less regular engagement you can focus on mastering one question, accompanying it with the provided scripture. There is also a a teacher's guide available (Bible Questions and Answers Teacher's...) to help parents and teachers make the most of this resource.
A catechism cannot stand alone as a family devotional activity -- if you have to choose one thing, choose a good children's Bible. But when you want to incorporate doctrine and/or scripture memorization into your family devotions, this is a fine resource.
Although many Protestant Christians have moved away from using catechisms for training children in the faith, a catechism is a fine choice for children 3-9, who excel at memorization and often take great pleasure in showing off their ability. This list of short answers to weighty questions will help parents answer their childrens' many questions about the world and their place in it, and the knowledge gained through the exercise of rehearsing doctrinal truth will remain with children for the rest of their lives.
This catechism is very easy to use, with numbered questions that for the most part have short, carefully worded and easy to remember answers. They are supported with scripture references. For example, question #14 reads "Can God do everything?" The answer is, "Yes. He can do everything that pleases him. Isaiah 40:13." Parents and teachers can use this at three levels, then: For daily activity, you can simply have children learn the questions grouped under a given theme, adding one at a time until all are mastered. Or, for less regular engagement you can focus on mastering one question, accompanying it with the provided scripture. There is also a a teacher's guide available (Bible Questions and Answers Teacher's...) to help parents and teachers make the most of this resource.
A catechism cannot stand alone as a family devotional activity -- if you have to choose one thing, choose a good children's Bible. But when you want to incorporate doctrine and/or scripture memorization into your family devotions, this is a fine resource.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great "first book" for parents wanting to use a catechism with their kids
August 2, 2010
Format:Paperback
For hundreds of years, the training of Christian young people involved the learning of a catechism. A catechism was a set of instructions on Christian doctrine. Essentially, it was a list of questions and answers used to instill the fundamentals of the faith in the hearts of children. Many of the Reformed confessions, such as the Westminster Confession, included catechisms. Martin Luther considered his short catechism to be one of his two most important books. Even the great Baptist preacher, Charles Spurgeon, wrote a catechism for young children.
Being an American and a Baptist, the very notion of a catechism seems incredibly foreign to me. But as I've studied church history and learned of the important role catechisms have played since the Reformation, I've actually been on the lookout for a simple catechism to employ with my own children. Since I've never used a catechism before, I was looking for something easy to use and also quite simple - as my daughters who I'd be teaching, are between the ages of 4 and 7.
Carine MacKenzie's "My First Book of Questions and Answers" is what I found and so far, my children are eating it up. MacKenzie's book is based on the Westminster Shorter Catechism. It consists of 114 questions broken up into 26 topics. The questions are direct and the answers are short and to the point. A Scripture reference is supplied for each answer.
The following topics are covered by the questions and answers. Who God is. Creation and sin. What the consequences of sin is. Salvation. Jesus as Prophet, Priest and King. The Ten Commandments - what they are and what they mean for us. Keeping God's Laws. The Way to be Saved. Baptism and the Lord's Supper. Prayer and Bible Reading. Death, Hell and Heaven.
The book is pocket sized with large font and catchy graphics. It's a bright, cheery book that young readers will like to read. My 7 year old has been reading some of the questions and answers we haven't yet covered.
I've found the catechism format works well as a tool for parents wanting to teach their children. You can easily use the questions to probe how well they understand the answers given in the book. You will be able to have a pulse on what questions your children have when it comes to the gospel. And on another level, my kids think the questions and answers are a lot of fun. It's a game to them, and they are excited about some small incentives my wife and I have planned for them as they learn these questions.
I should add a word about the theology behind this book. The baptism and lord's supper section is generic enough to be accepted by Presbyterians and Baptists alike. There is a Reformed bent to the questions throughout, which I appreciate. However, any of the questions and answers could easily be edited by a conscientious parent.
"My First Book of Questions and Answers" is an ideal "first book" for parents seeking to use a catechism (like myself). You will find it to be a great little tool for instilling biblical teaching into the hearts and minds of your young children. Even though this book is quite small, if used by prayerful parents, it promises to have an eternal impact. May God bless the use of this book in the lives of many Christian parents and their children!
This book is part of a line up that Carine MacKenzie has of 7 "My First" books. The other titles are "My First Book of Bible Prayers", "My First Book of Christian Values", "My First Book of Memory Verses", "My First Book of Bible Promises", "My First Book about Jesus", and "My First Book about the Church". I encourage you to check them all out.
Disclaimer: This book was provided by Christian Focus Publications for review. I was under no obligation to offer a favorable review.
Being an American and a Baptist, the very notion of a catechism seems incredibly foreign to me. But as I've studied church history and learned of the important role catechisms have played since the Reformation, I've actually been on the lookout for a simple catechism to employ with my own children. Since I've never used a catechism before, I was looking for something easy to use and also quite simple - as my daughters who I'd be teaching, are between the ages of 4 and 7.
Carine MacKenzie's "My First Book of Questions and Answers" is what I found and so far, my children are eating it up. MacKenzie's book is based on the Westminster Shorter Catechism. It consists of 114 questions broken up into 26 topics. The questions are direct and the answers are short and to the point. A Scripture reference is supplied for each answer.
The following topics are covered by the questions and answers. Who God is. Creation and sin. What the consequences of sin is. Salvation. Jesus as Prophet, Priest and King. The Ten Commandments - what they are and what they mean for us. Keeping God's Laws. The Way to be Saved. Baptism and the Lord's Supper. Prayer and Bible Reading. Death, Hell and Heaven.
The book is pocket sized with large font and catchy graphics. It's a bright, cheery book that young readers will like to read. My 7 year old has been reading some of the questions and answers we haven't yet covered.
I've found the catechism format works well as a tool for parents wanting to teach their children. You can easily use the questions to probe how well they understand the answers given in the book. You will be able to have a pulse on what questions your children have when it comes to the gospel. And on another level, my kids think the questions and answers are a lot of fun. It's a game to them, and they are excited about some small incentives my wife and I have planned for them as they learn these questions.
I should add a word about the theology behind this book. The baptism and lord's supper section is generic enough to be accepted by Presbyterians and Baptists alike. There is a Reformed bent to the questions throughout, which I appreciate. However, any of the questions and answers could easily be edited by a conscientious parent.
"My First Book of Questions and Answers" is an ideal "first book" for parents seeking to use a catechism (like myself). You will find it to be a great little tool for instilling biblical teaching into the hearts and minds of your young children. Even though this book is quite small, if used by prayerful parents, it promises to have an eternal impact. May God bless the use of this book in the lives of many Christian parents and their children!
This book is part of a line up that Carine MacKenzie has of 7 "My First" books. The other titles are "My First Book of Bible Prayers", "My First Book of Christian Values", "My First Book of Memory Verses", "My First Book of Bible Promises", "My First Book about Jesus", and "My First Book about the Church". I encourage you to check them all out.
Disclaimer: This book was provided by Christian Focus Publications for review. I was under no obligation to offer a favorable review.
8 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I got this because I realized that there were pieces of the Christian faith that are basic that we didn't go over with our kids. We are using this book where every night at dinner I introduce the next question and answer, and read the bible verse they have with each one. Then I ask the kids all of the questions so far and they say back the answers.
My only complaint is that the Bible verse selected for each question is not always the best choice, and explaining why the verse says that can be challenging.
My only complaint is that the Bible verse selected for each question is not always the best choice, and explaining why the verse says that can be challenging.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Christmas gifts
This book will be part of the Christmas gifts for the kindergarten class of the church daycare. Kids are always asking questions and this little book is a good starting point for... Read more
Published 5 months ago by W. J. Belgie
5.0 out of 5 stars
AWESOME RESOURCE
My family has been using the Westminster Shorter Catechism with good result with our children but it's also been slow moving. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Mathew Sims
5.0 out of 5 stars
Priceless
I love this little book. I am using it to teach some of the basics of Christianity to my 3 year old. The phrases are easy to memorize, and they will remain with her forever. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Dog Walking Mommy
3.0 out of 5 stars
basic Protestant catechism with bad scripture references
This is a basic protestant catechism for little kids. The questions and answers are fine. The provided scripture proofs are terrible - so don't buy it for those. Read more
Published on March 30, 2011 by Slava
5.0 out of 5 stars
YES!
This book has been fantastic to go through with my kids! Not only does it give us a chance as a family to discuss these topics but it reminds my husband and I of the basics of our... Read more
Published on February 16, 2011 by MickiMouse
5.0 out of 5 stars
great books quick deliver
I have purchased several of these little books in the past to pass out to young moms I teach. It's simple & direct, easy to help children learn the doctrines of our faith. Read more
Published on January 18, 2011 by Shirley Buzzoni
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