NIV Kids’ Visual Study Bible

©2017 Zondervan, Grand Rapids

A Study Bible. For Kids. What a neat idea! I know that my children, raised in a Christian home, coming to know Christ as Savior at an early age, and now growing up in a society that no longer values the Bible as much as it did, say 40 years ago when I was a kid, and I have been looking for something that might be a good study tool for them as they come to a place where learning more about the Bible, its lives and times. Perhaps this new offering from the Zondervan publishing group might fit the ticket.

As a book for reference and study use, I would give the publishers fairly high marks for the physical construction of this Bible. It is a hardcover with pretty sturdy binding that includes a built-in place ribbon for marking one’s place when he/she puts the volume down. I can also say that the cover and the contents (“over 700 images inside!” boasts a colorful sticker on the front cover) are vibrant and eye-catching. While the pages aren’t the delicate and precious onion-skin type pages you might find in a high-end, leather-bound copy of the Scriptures, they are thin enough to keep the nearly 2000-page book from being unwieldy.

I think that it would be good to look at what this Bible claims about itself to help in assessing its usability for kids.

First of all as a Bible for kids. The question that comes to mind is, what age and reading level constitutes a “kid”? I would want to settle into the 9 – 12 age range (give or take a year or two), which would place the reader in the 4^th – 6^th grade reading level. Going with the NIV for the text of the book could be argued as a less than stellar decision because of the eighth-grade (estimate) reading level of that version. When you want to reach kids with a study resource, it might be better to use a more readable translation (although going with the third-grade level NIrV might be going a bit too shallow) when Americans often tend to top-out at the sixth-grade level.

The book also says right up front that it is “visual” and announces (albeit with a sticker) the presence of “over 700 images”. I did not take the time to count the images, but the book is packed with them. Some are photographs that illustrate the portion of the Scripture that they accompany. Other images are artists’ renderings. All of these are okay, and seem to be of really good quality, but the images that caught my eye are the charts, graphs, and visuals that give a thumbprint explanation of such things as the difference between the Jewish months/calendar and our modern understanding of the year. From time to time a margin will be dedicated to the “Life Line” of one of the biblical characters (such as Jacob, Moses, or Herod the Great).

Apart from the pictures scattered throughout the pages, what makes this a “study Bible”? Nearly every margin contains some quick and simple commentary on the Scriptures of that page. These comments are rarely more than a simple paragraph, but help in the understanding of the ways and words of the Bible. Also, each book of the Bible is preceded by a full-page background of the book: Who wrote it? Why was it written? What are the major themes? And so on, to help the reader get a better understanding of the book they are reading. At the back of this volume are a table of weights and measures to aid in comparing biblical amounts to modern equivalents, some obligatory maps (the Exodus, Paul’s missionary journeys, and the like), and a couple of indices to help find the “infographics” and maps scattered throughout the text. What’s missing is even a simple concordance to aid the reader in finding the passage(s) he/she wants to study.

Overall, I think this is an excellent effort to put “dig deeper” Scriptures into the hands of boys and girls. I would recommend it for children ages 10-13 (around 4^th – 6^th grade). At a cover price of $32.99 (US) it would be a good investment in the Christian growth of your child or grandchild. I would give the book 4 out of 5 reading glasses for doing a good job of achieving the publisher’s goals.

—Benjamin Potter June 27, 2017

[This book was provided free of charge by the publisher for purposes of this review. The opinions are my own.]

The Harry Potter Bible Study – Jared Moore

 

© 2011 CreateSpace

Jared Moore is the pastor of New Salem Baptist church in Hustonville, KY. I am most familiar with the “Ten” lists and other articles that frequently appear on SBC Voices. Recently, when he was offering copies of his new (now just-released) Bible study utilizing the Harry Potter movies as a connecting point, I was both intrigued and interested, so I signed up for a copy.

This study is designed to cover six weeks, and makes use of only the last four of the eight films (the ones based on the last three of the novels starring the wizard extraordinaire). One of the things that I really liked about this book was the outlying concept—instead of lambasting all media, Christians should take an opportunity to measure the media (movies, books, magazines, television, etc.) by Scripture. His admonition—judge the ideas put forth in light of Christ, keep what works, discard what does not. It gives Christians and the Christian community the permission (if that’s a good word) to view/read what their non-Christian friends are viewing/reading and interact with them on a perhaps even deeper level than was originally intended by the creator(s) of the media.

Weeks 1 and 2 provide some background into what Moore is trying to accomplish in the study and are to be read and studied before watching (or re-watching) the movies. He suggests that there is some value in either reading or watching Harry Potter literature/films. He also readily admits that there are some elements addressed in the Potter media that are decidedly not what Christians should espouse or practice (the concept of revenge comes quickly to mind).

The final four chapters deal—one at a time—with each of the final four movies. Those engaging with the books will want to watch the films before reading the lesson—if you’re using the material as a small group study, you will want to watch the movie together then use that viewing as a springboard guided by the questions posed in the study. Moore’s advice: watch the film before reading the chapter dealing with that film because these chapters contain spoilers that might ruin your film viewing.

There are a couple of drawbacks that I find to this study (even if I am excited about the concept):

1) The author suggests that you use this study to engage your non-Christian friends in a discussion (and possibly an evangelistic one) about Christ. He even states that he includes strong gospel presentations in the material. Yes, and no. There are questions that are pointedly written to draw a Christ-accepting decision from the participant. The presentation of the gospel message does not always flow from the discussion material at hand.

2) The discussion surrounding the movies themselves doesn’t start until the third lesson. If you are planning on convincing a group of non-Christians, pseudo-Christians, or baby Christians that you want to have meaningful discussion about the movies (which includes a “watch” party, complete with popcorn and soda) it would behoove you to start watching the movies early on.

3) The questions raised by the author are relevant and poignant, but often through the reading of the material one has to scratch his head at why the author is raising such a question.

4) Probably the most glaring of difficulties I had with this goes back to using the material to present the gospel. Most of the questions raised for discussion deal with issues that would only be important to those who are already Christians or are already in (or open to) a Christian environment. If we really want to bridge the gap between Christians and the outside community, there might be better places to start.

Having said this, I think that the concept and the study itself are good to use—mostly in a setting dealing with churched and Christian young people as a means to open discussions about actively living the Christian life. I think that the material will find its greatest appeal among workers with Middle School students to help them address issues such as lying, revenge, and jealousy. With this in mind, I actually wish he had made the study longer and started with the first movie in the series—including them all. I give the study 3 ½ reading glasses out of five.

 

—Benjamin Potter, November 14, 2011

[An electronic form of this book was made available by the author for the purposes of review. I have not been otherwise compensated for this review all opinions are that of the reviewer.]

Warriors in Hiding: the Surprising People God Chooses and Uses – Doug Munton

©2008 Xulon Press (www.xulonpress.com)

Doug Munton serves as the senior pastor of First BaptistChurch in O’Fallon, Illinois. He is also currently serving as the president of the Illinois Baptist State Association. He wants God’s people to know that God wants them to be a part of His on-going work—even if they don’t know it or want to be a part of it.

Basing his study in the story of Gideon, Munton teaches readers how God knows more about them than they may possibly know themselves. Because of this God “Chooses Surprising Kinds of People,” “Stretches (them) in Surprising Ways,” and “Allows (them) to Make Surprising Choices.” Are you afraid to serve God? So was Gideon, and God chose him. Are you doubtful about how you can be used? So was Gideon, and God used him. Are you unprepared to launch a ministry? So was Gideon, and God blessed him anyway.

With that backdrop, the author uses a variety of life-experience stories, ministry-related illustrations, and amusing anecdotes to develop an inspirational book. You’ll even enjoy the golf story twice if you watch carefully.

This book is a reminder that even when I feel inadequate, unprepared or afraid, God can and will use me. And you can be assured that He will find and choose you as well, if you will but let Him. Four out of five reading glasses.

—Benjamin Potter, October 26, 2011

One Precious Pearl – Robert Lloyd Russell

© 2010 Infinity Publishing, West Conshohocken, PA

Every so often an author or publisher will stumble across this review blog and read one. Having done so, they might contact me to see if I’d be willing to review their book. If it sounds like something of interest to me, I’ll bite. That’s what happened a little over one month ago. And the result was a pleasant Bible study on a little addressed parable. Robert Russell is a Bible teacher and management consultant who takes his study of the Scriptures seriously. He has written other articles and books including a previous volume in this study series, and has edited a collection of the words of Missionary/Martyr Jim Elliot.

One Precious Pearl: God’s Design for His Church studies the parable known as the Pearl of Great Price found in Matthew 13. The author acknowledges that this particular parable has often been neglected in favor of other parables surrounding it, but insists that this simple parable is one that holds an ocean of wisdom for the church. Dividing the study into two sections, Russell presents background to the parables of Matthew 13, and then draws some lessons from the Pearl of Great Value.

One conclusion that is not necessarily part of the main-stream of thought, but bears credence since this is a lesser-dealt-with parable, is the idea that the Pearl is a reference to the Church (rather than the popular Kingdom; or the less than likely Salvation). In part II of the book, Russell compares the Church to a valuable pearl at length, and brings a new light—might I say, a new luster—to the images Jesus is presenting.

The chapters are kept short (between two to five pages in length) for easy access to the material. Even slow readers like Yours Truly can finish the entire book in a relatively short time. Such arrangement of the chapters makes the book ideal for devotional reading or for personal or small group study. The ideal audience for this book (and its companions in the Christian Concepts Series, one would assume) are Bible teachers, preachers, and students of the Scripture who are interested in learning more about specific passages. This book will find a worthy spot among my study materials and I’ll have another excellent resource the next time I’m preparing a study or sermon from Matthew 13. And you can, too. (four out of five reading glasses)

—Benjamin Potter, December 30, 2010

[Disclaimer: This book has been provided to the reviewer, free of charge, for the purpose of review. All opinions about the work are the reviewer's.]

Life Unhindered: Five Keys to Walking in Freedom – Jennifer Kennedy Dean

© 2010 New Hope Publishers, Birmingham

Prayer is certainly important part of Jennifer Kennedy Dean. It must be, considering that she is the author of Live a Praying Life (among others) and the Executive Director of The Praying Life Foundation. With this new book, this respected author and speaker is adept at Bible study as well.

In Life Unhindered Dean studies in depth Hebrews 12:1-2:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Dividing the scripture into its phrasal parts, she develops (as promised by the subtitle) five keys to being set free to live an unhindered life:

1. His Platform (focusing on the previous chapter in Hebrews in response to the mention of the “cloud of witnesses” to which the “therefore” refers).
2. His Provision – how Christ empowers His followers to rid themselves of entangling sin.
3. His Power – the strength that He gives to run the race of Life.
4. His Presence – reminding readers that Christ dwells with and in us.
5. His Promise – finding the freeing release of the promises that are embodied in the Word of God.

The book itself is an inspiring reminder of how God wants us to live our lives free of the struggle with sin in which all of us find ourselves. Dean takes great care to handle Scripture wisely, and her attention to research is evident in the writing. The book includes the chapter-ending questions for thought that have become so popular in works such as this one, as well as a leader’s guide attached as an appendix in case someone might desire to use this book as a group study. I would suggest that the reader—whether as an individual or as part of a group—keep a copy of the Scriptures handy as Dean takes you on a tour of the Bible in her effort to unify the study.

There is a drawback to this kind of study, though, and one that many preachers often run into in the course of preparing sermons that remain true to the Scripture. And that danger is working overtime to break down the Bible verses being studied. To compound this sin (that sometimes cheapens rather than deepens what we can learn from the Bible), Dean decided to alliterate her points—which is another trap into which preachers fall.

That said, the opening chapters (which focus on the “cloud of witnesses”) may be the most valuable part of the study—and worth the purchase price of the book. I would recommend this study with four out of five reading glasses.

—Benjamin Potter, September 4, 2010

“Become a New Hope Book Review Blogger. Visit www.newhopepublishers.com for more information.”