I just received this treasury of the God Gave Us series and I was so excited to read it with my kids, who just loved the God Gave Us the World book. It, along with two others: God Gave Us Love, and God Gave Us Heaven were included in this hardback treasury (complete with ribbon bookmark I might add.) We enjoyed God Gave Us Love and were again delighted with the adorable illustrations of the bear family as they learn how to love as God loved. Unfortunately, I was really disappointed in the last book God Gave Us Heaven. It starts with the parents explaining to their children what heaven is and how wonderful God made it and it's all fun and cupcakes and parties. I would have no problem with this if the children were believers, but it is made clear that this is a reward they have to look forward to when they one day become Christians. This is no way to share the gospel. Who wouldn't want salvation when heaven is described in such a way? Children need to first understand their sin and God's law. Salvation is meaningless otherwise. Sin, as it turns out, is never mentioned. Instead, the author says that "our bad choices might keep us from him forever". Might? The bible isn't so ambiguous. And nowhere in the bible are our sins referred to as bad choices. Making a right turn in a left lane is a bad choice. Nobody earns hell for that. Lying is a sin, not a bad choice. Cheating is a sin, not a bad choice. This one book, God Gave Us Heaven, ruined the treasury for me. The theology is so bad; it's the one bad apple that ruined the whole bunch.
2 comments:
You want to give it away? I'll be happy to give you my mailing address if you want to mail the treasury to me!:-) We LOVE those books! We have God Gave Us You, & God Gave Us Christmas.
I actually think that for a young children's book it's just fine. Sure I think that we need to teach sin and salvation, but that IS a reward we get to look forward to when we become Christians. We get to spend eternity worshiping our God! How much more fun could it get? Why not get a glimpse of how wonderful heaven is while also learning that our sin would keep us from such a wonderful place if not for the grace of God and the blood of Christ?
"Why not get a glimpse of how wonderful heaven is while also learning that our sin would keep us from such a wonderful place if not for the grace of God and the blood of Christ?"
I wish the book did teach that. :(
But it didn't.
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