Witchalls.co.uk

This carefully worded and wonderfully illustrated book is quite possibly the best children's story Bible I have come across.

The Big Picture Story Book Bible is not a children's translation (unlike Bible such as the International Children's Bible), it is more like a children's story book of biblical theology than a version of biblical text - and herein lies it's phenominal strength. Rather than getting bogged down in the detail of the individual narratives, The Big Picture Story Book Bible keeps the detail pointing us to Jesus.

For example, the life of David focuses on God's promise given to David of a forever King (from 2 Samuel 7). The story goes on to show how God's promise to David points us to Jesus, and how David is looking forward to the day when God keeps his promise to send this Forever King.

For me (and for my son, Joshua), the highlight of The Big Picture Story Book Bible is when Jesus has risen and opens up the Scriptures to his disciples so that they could see how the whole Bible points us to Jesus the promised forever King. There is a page which ties up the various key images of Jesus in Scripture: Jesus the serpent crusher, Jesus the perfect sacrifice, Jesus the promised King, Jesus born as a man, Jesus who died on a cross, and Jesus the risen forever King. It is a simple yet fantastic way of showing children how the whole of Scriputre fits together. It also provides parents with a really simple creed-like way of teaching them who Jesus is and what he has done.

This, for me, is what makes The Big Picture Story Book Bible so great. It has simple and easily understandable text, wonderful illustrations, and a transparently clear Bibical theology that could teach some authors of adult books a thing or two!

If you have children between the ages of 1-4 years old, the The Big Picture Story Book Bible is a must have story book Bible to use with your children each and every day.

View The Big Picture Story Bibleon Amazon.co.uk.

This article is the full dissertation submitted towards my BA (Hons) in Youth & Children’s Ministry at Oak Hill Theological College in May 2007. The full title for the dissertation is as follows: A defence of infant baptism in the context of the growing practice of the dedication of children of the church, with particular attention to “discipleship” in Matthew 28:18-22 and the New Testament.

It is my hope to provide an abridged version of this dissertation, one that is a bit more readable for people 'on the ground' (so to speak). For now, the full technical version will have to do.