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Soaring Farther Than a Flying Ring

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Nearly seven years ago, I found myself enchanted by Champ Thornton’s Radical Book for Kids, and I couldn’t wait for my kids to grow into it. I even asked for more of it. So when Thornton published his follow-up, The Really Radical Book for Kids, I had to check it out. I’m grateful to New Growth Press for providing a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book follows a similar format to its precursor, with 41 brief chapters on a wide variety of topics. The chapter that most interested me with respect to Bible study are:

  • Chapter 3: Exploring Proverbs
  • Chapters 14-15: Exploring Genesis
  • Chapter 16: Snakes, Dragons, and the Bible
  • Chapter 19: Humor in the Bible
  • Chapter 21: Battles of the Bible
  • Chapter 27: Exploring Romans
  • Chapter 28: Reading the Bible in 3D
  • Chapter 31: Exploring Mark
  • Chapter 33: Two More Battles of the Bible
  • Chapter 34: The Story of Jesus

One of the great strengths of this book is that it seeks to instill hunger for the scriptures. For example, on page 137, in a chapter overviewing the book of Romans, Thornton says straight out, “You can use the circle chart on the next page to get the big picture of the whole letter of Romans. Check it out, then go read Romans in your Bible.” He provides just enough information to help teens grasp the Scripture, and then he sends them on their way to chow down!

Along the way are some fun facts or goofy ideas, showing teens that God’s world is an amazing place to live. For example, chapter 29 offers a few metaphors for using the Bible to view the world: two circles showing the distinction between creature and creator, and a triangle with three corners showing three possible perspectives on any question. And then for fun, Thornton provides directions for making a magic flying ring out of a piece of paper—a flying ring that will go farther than most paper airplanes!

I must note that the final chapter, on the true meaning of Easter, is one of the simplest and best explanations of the resurrection I have seen in a work for young people. It is pure gold.

I confess that this book wasn’t quite as enthralling as the original Radical Book was, but perhaps that’s just because it’s no longer as novel an approach. But with that said, the book is jam-packed with rich, biblical teaching and reflection on the world. I am delighted to pass this on to my teenagers to provoke both consideration and conversation.

I’m happy to recommend it to you. Find it at Amazon or Westminster. And if you don’t have the original yet, Westminster has a special deal on both volumes.

Disclaimer: Amazon and Westminster links are affiliate links, providing a small commission to this blog at no extra cost to yourself. Thank you for helping us to make hard decisions (chapter 4) and continue reviewing great Bible study resources.

Help Your Teens Study the Bible

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Do you have teenagers in your home? Or will you soon have teens in your home? I’m less than 2 months away from the milestone, so I was delighted to see this great advice from Katherine Forster (herself a teenager) in her article “5 Tips for Helping Your Teens Study the Bible.”

  1. Lead by example
  2. Include them in your study
  3. Make it part of the family routine
  4. Provide materials
  5. Remember the Lord does the work

Her first tip is particularly convicting, but all five are timely reminders. See the article for further explanation.

Check it out!

The Best Way to Equip Your Teenagers

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Jen Wilkin offers outstanding advice for Bible study, including how to teach your teens to do it. They don’t need more topical guides geared to their age group. She writes:

Your teen will be exposed to devotional content and topical studies at every turn, and they likely don’t need a resource that is targeted specifically at their demographic. What most are missing are basic tools to help them read and learn the Bible on their own. By guiding them in some basic study methods, you can position them to use devotional and topical material with far better discernment and far greater benefit, as those types of resources assume a first-hand knowledge of the Bible that many teens have not yet developed.

She then gives 6 suggestions for how to go about guiding them in this way.

  1. Choose a book of the Bible to read and discuss together.
  2. Get a copy of your selected book of the Bible that has room for taking notes.
  3. Set a schedule to meet once a week for a 30-minute discussion.
  4. Get a bird’s-eye view.
  5. Prepare for discussion.
  6. Meet to discuss.
  7. Pray together.

Wilkin’s advice is outstanding. Check it out!

Teaching Bible Study to Teenagers

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In answering a question about how to train teenagers to study the Bible, John Piper highlights a critical goal:

…the goal of this teaching is a lifelong habit of mind and heart to approach the Scriptures in a certain way. In other words, being able to do a particular technique is not the goal. Trying to reproduce Piper lab experiences is not the goal. But the habits of mind and the habits of heart that you inculcate, or that you build into your children while working through those techniques — that’s the goal.


I would explain that goal to my children. I’d say, “That’s what we’re after here. I’m not trying to make a little John Piper out of you (or a little whatever out of you). I just want to build into you certain habits of mind and habits of heart so that you will approach the Scriptures fruitfully for the rest of your life.”

Piper describes the importance of creating a cultural setting where you can develop habitual skills with your teens. Then he proposes 7 skills to focus on:

  1. Define the terms.
  2. Find the propositions.
  3. Clarify the relationships.
  4. Determine the main point.
  5. Compare texts.
  6. Face reality.
  7. Apply the text.

The OIA method provides a simple way to package such skills so they sink in and are memorable. Then Piper concludes:

Keep in mind the aim is not to master a technique like arcing or lab with John Piper. That’s not the aim. The aim is lifelong habits of mind and heart that humbly and eagerly ask and answer questions from the Bible.

Agreed. Agreed. Agreed. May the Lord give us and our teens grace to pursue and acquire such lifelong habits.

Check it out!

The Radical Book for Kids: More Fun Than a Homemade Catapult

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If I had a drachma for every new Christian children’s resource that disappointed me, I’d be about as wealthy as that second guy in the parable of the talents.1 I don’t want to be overly negative, but let’s please face the brutal facts of this present evil age. Some resources are all hip and no guts. Others are so theologically self-conscious they can’t avoid sounding pretentious. Yet others are simply ugly or shoddy. As our Master rightly lamented, “The sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light” (Luke 16:8).

And with what shall we compare the delight that erupts when a new resource defies all expectations of mediocrity, planting itself firmly in the soil of young readers, unto the bearing of much good fruit? I’ll tell you. It shall be like the olive harvest on the 15th of Tishri.2 I’m pleased to recommend one such resource to you.

radical-book-for-kidsThe Radical Book for Kids: Exploring the Roots and Shoots of Faith is something of a handbook of the Christian faith for 8-14 year-old kids. With its large size and stunning production quality, it looks and feels like a coffee table book. But it’s the type of coffee table book that’s more fun than a homemade catapult.3 Kids and their parents won’t be able to keep their hands off it, nor would they want to. This book’s 67 short chapters cover a wide, and somewhat random, spectrum of topics ranging from character development to church history to science and theology to practical Christian living to Bible reading skills.

And it’s that last category that interested me the most. How does this book do at helping young people learn to study the Bible for themselves?

Chapter 1 demonstrates the value of being able to summarize the Bible’s teaching, and then it offers such a summary in one sentence: “Through Jesus, God is restoring everything that sin ruined.” Chapter 2 then describes “How to Understand the Bible” by concisely explaining all the main genres of Bible books. Later chapters return to each genre, offering suggestions on how to get the most out of studying them:

  • Chapter 8 on the Pentateuch
  • Chapter 11 on narratives
  • Chapter 28 on wisdom literature
  • Chapter 34 on the Psalms
  • Chapter 41 on the prophets
  • Chapter 56 on the gospels
  • Chapter 59 on the epistles

Along the way, there are chapters on how to read the Bible every day, how we know the Bible is true, famous trips in the Bible, jewelry in the Bible, money, the calendar, animals, and many more. One chapter offers single-sentence summaries of all 66 books of the Bible, and another recounts the full plot line of the whole Bible. Each of these chapters delivers accurate truth winsomely, motivating readers to dive into the Scripture themselves.

Now these chapters won’t satisfy someone looking for a graduate-level education, but they are just great for 8-14 year-olds and their parents. And because parents aren’t perfect,4 I must make two confessions:

  1. I stayed up late reading the book for this review, and not because I was running out of time.
  2. I was surprised by how sad I was when I finished the book. I would love more of it. Lots more.

This book is deep, meaty, biblical, beautiful, delightful, and very sturdy. This thing is ready to take a beating and continue delighting more young disciples.

Champ Thornton has done a great work in writing this book, and New Growth Press has done a great work in producing it. I can’t wait for my kids to grow into it, and I’m happy to recommend it to you.

1You’ll have to read chapter 49 of The Radical Book for Kids to see exactly how wealthy this would make me in modern American currency.
2You need to read chapter 18 to get this one.
3Chapter 65 this time.
4A marvelous chapter 38.

Disclaimer #1: Should a Canaanite with a sickle sword (see chapter 65) visit these here parts, he’ll want to know I notified you all that “New Growth Press generously provided a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.”

Disclaimer #2: Because God is my boss (see chapter 44), integrity demands I disclose the fact that clicks of Amazon links and resulting purchases will provide a small commission at no extra cost to yourself. That way, I can continue learning my Hebrew (chapter 16) and Greek (chapter 52) alphabets.

Teaching the Bible to Teenagers

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This is a guest post by Mark Fodale. Mark loves to influence the next generation, and he has served over 30 years in full-time campus ministry. He also loves teaching and studying God’s word, and he serves as a Teaching Elder in the Presbyterian Church in America. He and his wife Shannon have 4 children. If you’d like to write a guest post for Knowable Word, please see our guidelines.

Though never appearing in the Bible, the word “teenager” can elicit waves of anxious worry in even the most faithful parent or teacher. And too often, this formative time of life gets described as “rebellious,” “uncontrolled,” “distant,” and “exhausting.”

But amazingly, King Solomon viewed the teenage season as one of great opportunity and promise. As his father David had taught him, so he taught his son (Prov 4:3-9) and imparted wisdom to a generation of youths about to assume their roles in society. To borrow a phrase from Paul David Tripp, the teen years are an Age of Opportunity.

What can we glean from Solomon’s wisdom to help us shepherd our teens and spur them to know and love God’s Word?

Yo tampoco (2011), Creative Commons

Yo tampoco (2011), Creative Commons

1. Lead With Your Life

Avoid the temptation to coerce your child into spiritual disciplines. Threats, power plays, guilt manipulation, comparison with other people’s children, and even shouting may seem to work at getting your teen into God’s word. But they don’t really work.

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. (Prov 15:1)

Lead with your life. In other words, use the power of imitation rather than the threat of intimidation.

What does this look like?

  • You study the Word, regularly, passionately, personally.
  • You listen diligently to sermons as they are preached, or to Bible studies as they are taught. You take notes. You make clear applications to your life.
  • You share what God has been teaching you in His word, not to manipulate your teen into engaging with the Bible, but to honor Christ in your life.

Your teens are watching and (believe it or not) listening to you. And what they hear and watch at this stage is not primarily your words but your life. Are you giving them an example to emulate? Are you leading with your life?

2. Persuade With Vision

In the early chapters of Proverbs, Solomon tells of wisdom’s beauty and promise:

If you turn at my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make my words known to you. (Prov 1:23)

Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding, for the gain from her is better than the gain from silver and her profit better than gold. (Prov 3:13-14)

The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight. Prize her highly, and she will exalt you; she will honor you if you embrace her. (Prov 4:7-8)

Solomon persuades with a picture of the future—the overwhelming beauty of wisdom, the unsurpassed joy and benefit in gaining wisdom, and the devastating cost of rejecting wisdom. As you interact with your teenagers, talk about life. Life, both in the here-and-now and in the future. Show them the benefits to be gained then from studying God’s word now.

As I interacted with my teens, I often asked, “What kind of man (or woman) do you want to be someday? What kind of a parent or spouse do you long to become?” As they voiced their dreams with wide eyes, I would then say, “What you do now with God’s word will either help you or cripple you in that pursuit.”

Paul David Tripp says it well:

Keep conversations interesting and to the point … Make the moments of wisdom and correction interactions rather than lectures. Some of us carry invisible portable lecterns with us, which we are ready to set up in a moment. Leave them in the closet. Instead, ask stimulating questions that will cause the teen to examine his actions, his assumptions, his desires, and his choices. Help him shine the light of the word on them. Surprise him with truth. Let wisdom sparkle before his eyes … Engage your teenager in a stimulating conversation that doesn’t flash your authority or the right you have to tell him what to do. Rather, talk to him in a way that lifts up truth and points out its beauty.

3. Seize the Opportunity

The teenage years are a time of transition: from childhood to adulthood, from immaturity to maturity, from irresponsibility to great responsibility, and from more parental oversight to less overt control.

Do you see these transitions as overwhelming threats, or tremendous opportunities?

My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments. (Prov 3:1)

The season before you, as you consider your teenager, is one of unparalleled opportunity—the opportunity to walk with your teen as he or she transitions into adulthood. The opportunity build depth into a relationship that will reap benefits in the years to come.

With each of my teens, I scheduled a season of weekly breakfasts to discuss a key issue in their lives. For one, it was a pattern of unbridled anger. For another, the fear of man vs. the fear of the Lord. At these breakfasts we studied the word intentionally and with specific application. And we reaped a harvest of trust, accountability, and tangible growth in Christ.

So, seize the opportunity. Again, Paul David Tripp:

Pursue your teenager. Daily express your love. Don’t ask questions that can be answered with a yes or no. Ask questions that require description, explanation, and self-disclosure. Don’t just relate to them during times of correction. Don’t only catch them doing something wrong; catch them doing something right and encourage them … Enter the world of your teenager and stay there. Don’t ever let them view you as being outside their functional world. Teenagers will reject grenades of wisdom and correction lobbed from afar by someone who has not been on site for quite a while.

“A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver” (Prov 25:11). Spend time. Craft special outings. Let them into your life. Listen eagerly and humbly. And pray. Pray for apples of gold from God’s word. And pray for settings of silver in which to place them.

We are called to labor with a vision for launching our teens into God’s world. By God’s grace, they can become men and women who know and cherish God through his word, and who seek to obey him in all things.

Bible Reading Advice for a Teenager

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In writing this advice to a teenager, John Piper has something to say to all of us:

You are right to read it every day and seek to let it permeate all your thoughts and feelings…

I think it is good to always be reading through the Bible as a whole…

In addition, it is good to focus on some unit of Scripture for going deeper, like a book or the Sermon on the Mount, or Romans 8…

With regard to prayer, this is absolutely crucial, and I am glad you are doing it. God hears our prayers and helps us be humble enough and alert enough and in-tune enough to grasp what he says.

The full article is available at Desiring God. Check it out!