Like a lot of families, we start our days with Bible reading and devotions. Since Masterbooks sent me The Family Illustrated Bible in preparation for the next Teach the Truth Twitter party, we?ve been using it for our morning family time. My children and I have loved reading this beautifully illustrated volume together! So far, this is my favorite Bible storybook, and we?ve tried several. The language flows well enough to be read aloud without much tongue-tripping (which I am pathetically prone to), and the pictures are rich enough to hold the attention of the little ones long enough for me to read the whole story to them.
Interspersed with all the most well-known passages from the Bible, which are embellished with more descriptive wording than the Bible itself often uses, are informative pages that help shed light on the culture and geography of the areas and people discussed. My oldest son is becoming an avid reader, and I?ve found him leafing through this book several times since it arrived. He keeps coming back to it.
For all its good points?and it?s good enough for me to continue to use it even after I don?t need to review it anymore?I do have a few criticisms to make. The biggest problem, I think, is that there are embellishments. I understand the need to make a story more involving and engaging to draw children in and make it more alive to them, and in fact approve of that, but I would be careful not to allow this book or any other Bible storybook to replace the actual Bible that has been so carefully handed down to us through the ages. It?s important that we help our kids know what is actually from the Bible, and what parts of the narrative we are getting from other sources, such as archeology and other ancient texts, which are not inspired, but come to us through fallible human efforts.
The Family Illustrated Bible does a pretty good job telling the stories of the Bible, but there are some minor inaccuracies in wording that you may have to re-explain to your children, especially on the pages that provide history and geographical background. For instance, on page 28, in the section on Mesopotamia, the author states that ?The Tower of Babel in the Bible was probably based on a Mesopotamian ziggurat.? I don?t know about you, but this sentence sounds an awful lot to me like the writer thinks that The Tower of Babel is just another myth, made up because of the ziggurats, rather than involving a real tower in that area that was meant to reach the heavens. Lots of people think that, of course, but since the Bible teaches it as a literal truth, believers should take it that way.
I encountered a few other vague?and possibly debatable?signs that this book doesn?t take the Bible quite as seriously as it should?like saying that the prophets were people who ?felt? that they were called by God to warn the people of coming judgments. Um, no. The prophets were people who were called by God to warn the people of coming judgments. It?s little things like that?minor miswordings and neutralities where modern thought and the Bible seem to collide?that may or may not cause a Christian parent to look elsewhere for a family Bible storybook.
Personally, I didn?t find these points to be worth putting the book away over, and I?ll continue to use it. Just remember that The Family Illustrated Bible is a supplement, written by a fallible human being, and don?t neglect the real Bible in an effort to make the stories interesting to your kids. I start with the real Bible story, and then use this book to illuminate it. I don?t think there?s anything wrong with adding historical details and atmosphere to the stories to make them come alive in children?s minds, and this book does a good job of that, with only the occasional stumble.
If you?d like a chance to win not only this book, but several other selections from Masterbooks join me and the rest of the Moms of Masterbooks for another #TeachTheTruth Twitter party on August 23 at 8 p.m (central time). Prizes will include:
The Family Illustrated Bible
My Take Along Bible
How Do We Know the Bible is True
The Answers Book for Kids Vol 3: Questions on God and the Bible
Big Thoughts for Little Thinkers
The grand prize this month will be How Do We Know the Bible is True? Collection (ARV $61.95), a 4 DVD set plus spiral-bound workbook. This set is perfect for either personal study or adult small group study!
To participate in the party, follow @masterbooks4u, @mamahall, and the rest of the Moms of Masterbooks on Twitter. Then answer questions and tweet with the hashtag #teachthetruth to be eligible for prizes. I hope to see you there!
The MoM?s on Twitter:
@mamahall
@apichea
@momkaboodle
@getalonghome
@devotionmama
@thejohnsfamily
@faithfamilyfibro
@bowmania
Source: http://getalonghome.com/2011/08/family-illustrated-bible-twitter-party-823/
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