Curiour 5 year old we need help!

[AzMom81]

Hello everyone! I am a mom of a 3 & 5 year old boys and I did not come from a religious family. I went to sunday school a few times and christmas and easter service. Over the last year I have had the strong urge that I need to go to church and read the bible. I don't know what it is just the thought that I need to be more involved in religion and church. So to the point my 5 year old has come to me with questions about god this week and I don't know enough to teach him so we will have to go to church now. I am excited and all but my husband was raised in a family where his grandmother made them go to a methodist church all the time and it wasn't a positive experience for him. He feels he is gonna be pressured to give money. I want to make this a positive experience for all of us. We have a great church that we are going to try out in Kenosha, Wi next weekend so I hope it works out. I would love some words of advice and encouragement. Also do we need to bring bibles to church? I want to get my son one even though he can't read well yet not sure what is best. I am thinking of a study bible for myself any recomendations?? Thank you for any help!!

Heather

 

[hedrick]

If this is the first time you're there, no one is going to notice it if you don't bring a Bible and everyone else does. Some churches do that and some don't. Ours has Bibles in the pews. We encourage kids to bring them to Sunday School, but most don't. We have plenty of copies in the classrooms.

Your "About me" suggests that your approach to Scripture is what these days is called (inaccurately, in my view) liberal. If I'm wrong, then I'd have a different set of recommendations.

The standard study Bible is the New Oxford Annotated Bible, which is based on the NRSV. The problems is that if you don't know the Bible very well, you don't need a study Bible so much as introductions to what the various books are about, the historical situation, etc. Thus you might be better off to read a couple of books carefully, with a good introduction aimed at those books. If you're not familiar with the traditional translations, you should probably use one that's easier to read. I generally suggest the Good News Bible, although there's a new translation of the New Testament that may be better (just because the scholarship is more recent): The Kingdom New Testament, translated by N. T. Wright.

To start, I suggest a Gospel (probably Matthew or Luke), Acts, and one of Paul's letters (I'd suggest 1 Corinthians). There are a number of good series, including one for the NIV, Barclay's New Daily Study Bible, and N.T. Wright's for Everyone Bible Study Guides. Of these I'd probably use Wright's.

Another possibility which I wouldn't suggest for more conservative readers is a very nice introduction to the Gospels by Harvey Cox. The title is somewhat misleading: "When Jesus Came to Harvard", but it's a really nice walk through the NT, giving much of the background and a lot of thoughtful comments.

There are Bibles specifically designed for kids. 5 is probably a bit young. We don't typically give out full Bibles before the 2nd grade, and even then we choose carefully. Before that, Bible portions, or something like a Bible picture book that focuses on a few stories might make more sense. I don't have specifics, but if you browse in a Bible bookstore you should find something.

Also, talk with a pastor. They may be able to suggest something. Some churches have significant introductory classes for prospective new members, although ours doesn't.

 

[Im a theist]

Righty, just to clarify, im atheist so i could be bias. Now i understand your son is asking about religion. What you see is that asking questions and answering them are very serious. If your son is asking about god, id try to not over inform him or be very bias. I understand you are christian? Well when answering his questions be very non bias in aproach like: "christians believe...". I say this, not to promote anything but because the age of five is to young to form an oppinion on god and we shouldnt pressure this upon him. Its serious. Im open to christianity but the key is to let you child choose his views for himself. Please note having say a non christian son isnt bad, nor is havibg a christian one.

 

[lisah]

I want to get my son one even though he can't read well yet not sure what is best. I am thinking of a study bible for myself any recomendations?? Thank you for any help!!
Heather

I was given a copy of "The Rhyme Bible Storybook" to read to my daughter when she was small. She really loved having it read to her, and I liked the fact that they were simple stories and it was fun to read the stories in rhyme. That's all he really needs at his age anyway . . . something fun and simple.

I have the Jerusalem Bible, a copy of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible), as well as an old King James Bible (I love the "old tongue").

I attended some BSF bible studies that were pretty interesting. I really liked their study on the History of Israel and the Minor Prophets. It is supposed to be a women's bible study/fellowship program that is interdenominational and they have a study for children while you are in classes. It might be something you would like. You can google it for more info.

Well, just some ideas . . .

 

[hedrick]

I answered your question about the Bible. I realize I probably should comment on the rest of your question. In principle you can answer any question based on Scripture. But constructing your own theology directly from Scripture, without reading any other Christians, is tough. To get up to speed quickly you should read some basic theology. I'll suggest a few:

* An introduction to theology and the Christian life that is widely accepted is C. S. Lewis, "Mere Christianity."
* If you're concerned about "apologetics," i.e. how Christianity deals with difficult issues, I suggest Timothy Keller, "The Reason for God."

The following is a weird recommendation, but it's actually the best easy introduction I've seen to theology. It was written as a textbook for high school Sunday School, back when we taught a lot more content than we do today. I'm a bit surprised that it's still in print after 50 years.
* Robert McAfee Brown, "The Bible Speaks to You"

My primary concerns about Lewis are (1) he's not actually a theologian. He doesn't deal with some of the questions that are likely to bother people (2) his work is old enough that it doesn't benefit by the last 50 years of scholarship on Jesus. For a current, well-respected introduction to theology, Alister McGrath is probably a safe choice. There would be two recommendations:
* Christian Theology: An Introduction. This is intended as a text for a first-year college course in theology. It doesn't assume that you know anything about Christianity, but be sure you're up for a college textbook.
* Theology: The Basics: A more basic introduction.

For one of the most attractive visions for what Christianity is about, I suggest

* Brian McLaren, "A Generous Orthodoxy". However this is only appropriate if you're open to a more "liberal" (i.e. more Biblical) approach than is typical.

These books are for you, obviously. There are probably books on how to talk with kids about Christianity, but I'm afraid that's not my area of expertise.

 

[Daughter of His]

Awesome that you love your little ones and will take them to church. That is precisely when I started back to church. At this age it is a wonderful time to tell your guys about God. To teach your children about the Lord and His ways and let that knowledge mature as they do is actually Biblical.

Proverbs 22:6
Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it.

Know that you will grow in your faith along with your children and husband. We all make mistakes along the way and thankfully the Lord is understanding and faithful to forgive us.

My personal preference in for Bibles is NIV w/study guides or NAS w/study guides. One thing that is helpful when reading the Bible is to read a little every day and pray first asking the Lord to teach you through His word.

Best to you, let us know how it goes. Saying a prayer for you!!!

 

[AzMom81]

Well thank you everyone for all your kind words. I actually got him a kids adventure bible and me a womens study bible so I am hoping those will both help us through our journey. We start to church on Sunday morning so I am actually really excited. I really feel like he is guiding me back to church and helping me through a difficult period in my life when I need some direction. I welcome any and all help along the way thanks!!

 

[lucypevensie]

Hi AzMom, I think it's cool that you mentioned Kenosha. I live in the Milwaukee area.

It looks like you are on the right track for a "beginner". I want to suggest a book of Bible stories for children that you can read with your son. Unfortunately, I do not have a specific one in mind, but I can look around. Bible stories might be helpful to you too if you are unfamiliar.

If your sons ask questions about God and you aren't sure what to tell them, just tell them that. "I don't know the answer to that, but I have a Bible and we can get some books and talk to people who do know." You don't have to have all the answers for him, but assure him that you'll be learning along with him.

Introduce yourself to the pastor at the church you visit. Hope you find just what your soul needs

 

[ex-pat]

I also like the Dorling Kindersley children's Bible...too old for your son now, but GREAT for all those little sidebars and pictures and explanations about things unclear in the text (for example, they explain ancient lamps near the story of the wise and foolish virgins...kids don't have a concept of what this meant...to them, you turn on a light switch.)

 

[AzMom81]

Lucy that is exactly what we have done I got us both study bibles and we started reading together. I told him I didn't know the answers to his questions and we are going to figure them out together. I am hoping we will grow together spiritually and it will be a very positive outcome for our family! I am really excited about our first day at church on sunday!