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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.

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.