Children’s Bibles: Which One? (Jessalyn Hutto)

In the new issue of Credo Magazine, “Let the children come to Jesus,” Jessalyn Hutto has contributed an article helping parents navigate the plethora of Children’s Bibles on the market. Her article is titled: “Children’s Bibles: Which One?” Jessalyn Hutto is a regular contributor to Credo Magazine. Her passion for theology led her to create the blog DesiringVirtue.com which encourages women to study, treasure, and apply the Word of God to their daily lives. She is blessed to be the wife of Richard Hutto (a Pastoral Resident with Acts29) and the mother of three little boys: Elliot, Hudson, and Owen. She is also a regular contributor to The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood’s women’s channel: Karis. Jessalyn is also the author of the new book Inheritance of Tears: Trusting the Lord of Life When Death Visits the Womb.

Here is the start of her article:

Children are naturally captivated by stories. Their budding imaginations crave tales of thrilling adventure, brave heroes, and sacrificial love as ferociously as their stomachs crave food. Never has a parent had to bribe his or her child into curling up on the couch together to enjoy a good story. Happily, this makes the monumental responsibility of sharing the world-altering, soul-saving gospel with our little ones a joyous and altogether natural task, because the gospel is unmistakably the greatest story ever told.

Therefore, reading the Bible with our children can be a delight, an adventure, even a thrill! Within the covers of our Bibles, God’s story of love toward humanity has been penned for our families to relish over and over again. And yet, diving into the 66 books of the Bible is often an intimidating task for parents—especially if they are just becoming literate in its various genres, themes, and storylines themselves. It can be hard to know where to start, and even harder at times to know how to explain the trickier parts of the Bible to little ears.

This is where I wholeheartedly believe that children’s storybook Bibles can be an asset to parents. While these books should never be used as a substitute for the actual God-breathed Scriptures, they can be used as a helpful supplement in a child’s regular intake of the gospel story. These books can help in two ways: First, they give children a broad understanding of the Scriptures. Because these Bibles typically pick out the most important moments in salvation history, children can quickly develop a firm mastery of the overarching biblical narrative from its beginning to its end. Second, storybook Bibles are helpful as they give parents the tools to explain difficult concepts to children in a way they can easily comprehend.

This is not to say that children’s Bibles can’t also be a detriment to our children at times. For instance, many such books morph the Bible into a succession of moral anecdotes meant to teach children how to act better. While a certain level of familiarity with biblical characters and stories is gained from these books, something dangerous lurks within their covers: a moralistic, works-based understanding of Christianity. This idea that the Bible is primarily about morality is a huge detriment to our children’s understanding of the gospel and should be avoided at all cost. Instead, children’s Bibles should strive to make Jesus’ gospel of grace their primary focus, as this accurately reflects the heart of the Scriptures.

Thankfully, there are some wonderful storybook Bibles that do just that. Below I will give an overview of the four most popular and helpful children’s Bibles currently on the market. These Bibles are all faithful retellings of the Word of God that avoid the trap of moralism.

Read the rest of Hutto’s article today!

Click here to view the magazine as a PDF

Ministry is complex. Business meetings, sermons, youth group, small groups, counseling sessions—the list is endless. In the midst of these many important ministries, sometimes churches can neglect one of the most important ministries of all. That’s right, children’s ministry. This is a dangerous thing to neglect. After all, the children filling our churches will carry on the torch long after we are gone. Therefore, whether or not they are being taught sound doctrine should never be underestimated.

But where does this teaching really begin? It begins in the home, when mom and dad take time out of their busy schedule to sit down with their little ones and tell them about Jesus and the great things he has done for our salvation. If you’re anything like me, this is much easier said than done. Home life can be just as busy as church life. Yet, could there be a more important 15 minutes in the day than when dad and mom read the Bible, sing songs, and pray with their children? I think not. Ironically, in my experience it’s not just my kids who are spiritually nurtured during this family worship time, it’s me too!

Having in mind the importance of teaching our children the core doctrines of the faith, this issue of Credo Magazine brings together some outstanding contributors to teach both parents and those in ministry alike how to better approach children so that they know God in a saving way. Perhaps the words of Jesus should hang as a banner over this issue of the magazine: “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 19:14).

Contributors include: Nancy Guthrie, Sally Michael, Simonetta Carr, Jason Helopoulos, Starr Meade, Jessalyn Hutto, Bobby Jamieson, and many others.