Today we are reviewing a children’s book written by renowned apologist, William Lane Craig, titled Dr. Craig’s “What is God Like?” God is Spirit: The Attributes of God for Children. Dr. Craig is also the author of On Guard and Reasonable Faith and is a research professor of Philosophy at Talbot School of Theology at Biola University. Marli Renee illustrated the book and is based in California.
God is Spirit is the first of ten booklets written by Dr. Craig as part of his “What is God Like?” series. The series presents theological truths about God(such as omniscience and eternity, yikes!) in child-friendly language, and each booklet contains a memory verse that summarizes the attribute covered by the story. For example, God is Spirit’s memory verse is John 4:24, “God is Spirit.” Pretty straightforward, right?
In each of the booklets, the story follows Brown Bear, Red Goose and their two children, John(a bear) and Charity(a goose). The biologically perplexing family discusses truths about God as they go about daily activities in their home and around town in conversations that focus on the concept rather than a storyline. I appreciated the boiled down wording and the plain delivery of the information. Also wise is Dr. Craig’s decision to devote a separate booklet to each attribute, rather than condensing all of the theology into one or two dense sittings. The illustrations are straightforward like the writing, but are full-page and colorful enough to -hopefully- intrigue a fidgety listener. The wee little goose, Charity, is especially charming.
There is one point in the story where the mother, Red Goose, asks the father, Brown Bear, if it is because God is spirit that He can’t be seen. This struck me as a bit odd, because while the question would be appropriate for one of the children to ask, it seemed a bit strange for the grown(presumably Bible literate) mother to ask such a thing. It is not a major issue, but I will likely substitute one of the children’s names for “mom” when I read that portion to kids. Minor complaints would be that some of the illustrations are inconsistent in quality, and some small punctuation errors were overlooked; though children will likely overlook those things, as well. The overall quality of the booklet was surprisingly good in spite of the very affordable price and the self-publishing route selected by Dr. Craig. Don’t fear the word “booklet”; it is a proper book.
Dr. Craig and Renee manage to convey an important attribute(well, they are all important, aren’t they?) of God in a way that children can digest. Though not an apologetics resource, per-say, these ten booklets will help you lay the groundwork of proper understanding that is essential for biblical understanding and faith defense for your children.
Pick up a copy of this and the other nine booklets here: Dr. Craig’s “What is God Like?” God is Spirit by William Lane Craig, illustrated by Marli Renee
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