The Book List

If you are choosing a Bible for a child and are having trouble deciding whether to choose a NASB, KJV, NRSV, NKJV, NAB, NIV, CEV, GNT, NLT, NIrV, NCV, click here for information that may help you choose a translation.

This edition, designed for children ages 8 to 12, includes suggested verses to memorize, information about life in Bible times, and age appropriate ideas and activities that can be used to reinforce Bible teachings.  It also includes maps and a small dictionary.  It has a kid friendly design that children enjoy looking through.

This Bible is suitable for a child or an adult.  It includes a center column reference system, 14 maps and charts, and a 2,000 word concordance which has 13,000 entries.  It is available in leather or hardback.

This is a good classroom Bible.  It includes timelines of biblical history, 16 pages of maps, and a 5,000 word concordance which has 35,000 entries.  No center column reference.

Just about every story we read in class includes words the children have not yet learned.  We have several dictionaries and encyclopedias we bring to class.  The children enjoy taking turns finding the new words and reading the definitions to the class.  They also enjoy seeing pictures of things they are learning about.  You might ask your Children's Minister to set up a Children's Reference Library or put a dictionary or encyclopedia in each class.

This dictionary has the same strengths as the Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Dictionary discussed above.  It is tough to choose between the two.

This is a great starter dictionary which provides good summary definitions for quite a few words.  It also includes many pictures, maps, and tables of interesting information, such as the Titles for Jesus in Scripture.  You will not find definitions for all the words in the Bible, but this is a great value for the money.

This five volume set gives good details for a very large number of words and topics.  It includes over 1,500 photographs and illustrations and almost 300 maps.  The only drawback is that it has not been updated since 1976.

This is best used as a teacher resource when preparing for class.  The information is arranged topically which makes it a little more difficult to find information for a specific word.  We primarily use it for the pictures when explaining a new word.  The articles included in the book are good but the lack of summaries make it challenging for children to read.

We believe that an understanding of what life was like in Bible Times is important to understanding the meaning of the Bible stories.  For example, it is difficult to fully appreciate the story of  the Good Samaritan without first understanding what Jews thought of Samaritans at that time.  Allowing the children to experience the culture of Bible times also adds realism to the stories.

There are a number of good books about Life in Bible Times.  This is the one we use.  The articles are easy to read and there are many pictures that we find useful in class.

We like to use maps and time lines in our class because we believe it helps the children understand that the events described in the Bible really occurred.  The children enjoy finding cities on maps and tracing the journeys of the biblical characters.

This atlas includes maps which show where all the major events described in the Bible took place.  The book walks chronologically through the Bible, describing the major characters and events in the Bible.

This book is a must read for anyone in the teaching ministry.  It describes the teaching techniques used by God and Jesus and gives practical suggestions for implementing those techniques.  Learning capabilities of different age groups are discussed along with approaches to teaching the various age groups.  This is the best, most practical book that I have read in a long time.

A person at some point in their life will probably be forced to defend why they believe what they believe about God and religion.  A person who does not have a good intellectual basis for their beliefs may find themselves doubting what they believe.  Moreland effectively describes how and why Christians should develop their minds.  He also points out the importance of helping children build an intellectual basis for their beliefs since these children may one day find themselves trying to defend their faith against a non-Christian college professor.  The book is interesting and easy to read.

These books explain the cultural background of each passage in the Old and New Testaments.  We use the information when explaining the background and setting of the story to the children.

The charts summarize helpful information from both the Old and New Testaments.  The book also includes maps and illustrations of various items discussed in the Bible.

As described above, Moreland presents a good case for the notion that Christians should have good intellectual reasons for believing what they believe.  The following books can be helpful to a person trying to decide what they believe and why.  They give good summaries of the background and theological message of the Bible as well as the various views relating to the doctrines of the Christian faith.  The books also include information that can be used to better explain the weekly Sunday School lesson.