An informative religious educational resource limited by its narrow view of Christianity.
A Christian provides life and theological lessons from Genesis geared toward children in this debut religion book.
As the pastor of a small church and director of a private Christian school, O’Reilly wrote this work to provide Sunday school instructors and parents suggestions on how to teach Genesis to kids, with an emphasis on understanding both “ancient” contexts as well as contemporary “applications” that “will inform their day-to-day lives.” To this end, each chapter concludes with discussion questions and “hints” for adult leaders on how to best guide conversations. The book naturally begins with the Creation story and includes a lengthy analysis of the debate between scientists and creationists. While the author claims a “natural reading of Scriptures leads to the conclusion that the earth is not older than 10,000 years,” he leaves room for debate, noting that there is space for Christians to disagree. As the volume continues to work its way through Genesis, often chapter by chapter, it offers mostly standard conservative interpretations. Many of these readings link accounts in Genesis to other biblical stories and to broader Christian themes. The book ends, for instance, with the death of Abraham in Genesis and the fulfillment of God’s promises to the patriarch in the New Testament. Written in a conversational style, with dozens of kid-friendly illustrations by Long and text-box vignettes, the work is approachable but also does not shy away from difficult theological topics, from the nature of sin to the original Hebrew meanings of specific biblical terms. Not only are children exposed to pantheism and other religious systems (which, from the author’s perspective, do not reflect God’s “truth”), but also different denominational views, such as Calvinism. While well versed in fundamentalist Protestant interpretations of the Bible, the volume too often ignores Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox allegorical readings of Scripture as well as more liberal appraisals found outside the realm of evangelicalism. Many in the liberal camp will be put off by not only the book’s literalist approach, but also its devotion of an entire section to characterizing gay sexuality as “the infamous crime against nature.”
An informative religious educational resource limited by its narrow view of Christianity.Pub Date: June 4, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-40-032471-2
Page Count: 184
Publisher: WestBowPress
Review Posted Online: May 24, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A celebration of progressive Judaism and an inclusive primer on Jews making a difference in the world.
This wide-ranging collection of short biographies highlights 36 Jewish figures from around the globe and across centuries.
Explicitly pushing back against homogenous depictions of Jewish people, the authors demonstrate the ethnic, racial, and gender diversity of Jews. Each spread includes a brief biography paired with a stylized portrait reminiscent of those in Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo’s Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls (2016). A pull quote or sidebar accompanies each subject; sidebars include “Highlighting Jewish Paralympic Athletes,” “Jewish Stringed Music,” and “Ethiopian Jews in Israel.” Kleinrock and Pritchard’s roster of subjects makes a compelling case for the vastness and variety of Jewish experience—from a contemporary Ethiopian American teen to a 16th-century Portuguese philanthropist—while still allowing them to acknowledge better-known figures. The entry on Raquel Montoya-Lewis, an associate justice of the Washington Supreme Court and an enrolled member of the Pueblo Isleta Indian tribe, discusses her mission to reimagine criminal justice for Indigenous people; the sidebar name-checks Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Elena Kagan. The bios are organized around themes of Jewish principles such as Pikuach Nefesh (translated from the Hebrew as “to save a life”) and Adam Yachid (translated as the “unique value of every person”); each section includes an introduction to an organization that centers diverse Jewish experiences.
A celebration of progressive Judaism and an inclusive primer on Jews making a difference in the world. (resources) (Nonfiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 24, 2024
ISBN: 9780063285712
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2024
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