Theology for Babies
by Cynthia S. Fischer
Who said theology is only for adults? Hold on tight, while I introduce two books of the seven-member Baby Believer board book series written by Danielle Hitchen and illustrated by Jessica Blanchard, founders of Catechesis Books and creators of this series. They are published by Harvest House Publishers.
First Bible Basics: A Counting Primer may look captivating to a young counter, 1-10 being the number of our fingers and toes, but the adults with whom I’ve shared it are more than awed. I will let a few pages speak for this small but “weighty” board book.
2 Natures of Jesus
“Veiled in flesh the Godhead see,
Hail the incarnate Deity.
Pleased as man with men to dwell,
Jesus , our Emmanuel.”
From “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” written in 1739 by Charles Wesley
This is not a simplified version of numerals and Scripture. Each number holds significance in our Christian faith. Each number is supported by a Scripture verse, a fact statement, or if you can believe this, Charles Wesley and St. Augustine make an appearance as well. Curious? First Bible Basics: A Counting Primer will grow in richness as your child grows. And it won’t hurt that it will wake up the nodding adult reader with a bit of rich theological wisdom from Athanasius and the Chalcedonian creed. I love that there is no attempt to explain the mystery of the Trinity or the nature of Jesus. Rather these rich nuggets of our faith are given for us to wonder and imagine how these truths can be.
Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: ‘I am the first and I am the last: besides me there is no god.’” Isaiah 44:6
The only thing I would change is the title. This is more than First Bible Basics. It is God’s Beautiful Math or Ten Numbers that Tell of God’s Love. In any case, it is a superb introduction into the mystery of our Triune, Creator God, and the means and ways of providing us his message from the Pentateuch to the Gospels with 10 Hebrew numerals for the ten commandments if your youngster needs a bilingual challenge. If this doesn’t wet your theological taste buds, nothing will.
After all that rich pondering, you may need to get up and stretch. You’ll love Psalms of Praise: A Movement Primer. I’m a fan of “Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes, Clap your hands and Praise Him.” It’s perfect for my 1 1/2 year-old grand twins who score about 50:50 on the “Where is your nose?” question. But Psalms of Praise is a great next step. This book combines postures of worship with verses from the Psalms and lovely illustrations. Before you’re done reading it you will have likely done some jumping and dancing too. You have connected with a truth that many of us would do well to remember: Physical movement is linked to our praise to God. Take a look:
“Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!”
Psalm 95:6
“That’s beautiful, but my child won’t understand the verses?” you counter.
“Not all at once,” I say, “Children are spiritual beings. They are not too young to experience God’s presence when they are still, or too proud not to bow down to God in prayer.” I found this out quite by accident when I was teaching The Children’s Sanctuary, a curriculum I write for young children. When we prayed as a group they all placed their heads to the ground, the yoga child’s pose! I didn’t tell them to do that. I certainly didn’t model that. I can only maneuver the child’s pose on a yoga mat with my stretch pants on. How did they know this? I do not know. Perhaps it came from their hearts. But they do this week after week.
“I run in the path of your commandments, for you have set my heart free.” Psalm 119:32
The illustrations in all these books appear as water colors, are not heavily stylized, and represent diverse ethnicities-Jesus, Adam, and Eve are not Caucasion. Psalms of Praise, is a board book full of postures toward our Almighty, Creator God designed for young children, which is most all of us, isn’t it?
https://www.catechesisbooks.com/shop