August 2022 Book Club Recommendations

August 02, 2022

Our goal in the Foundation Worldview Book Club is to provide resources for you to have meaningful, literature-based worldview discussions with the children God has placed in your care. We work hard to choose books with insightful, truth-based themes. However, we know that our subscribers will have different convictions about the content they allow in their homes, churches, and classrooms. We encourage you to read the recommended books ahead of time, to ensure that the content fits within the framework you have already established in your ministry context. Please also note that by recommending a certain book, Foundation Worldview is not endorsing every work published by a particular author.

Book for Adults

Every Moment Holy

Douglas Kaine McKelvey

Evangelicals have by and large abandoned the concept of liturgy, viewing it as nothing more than empty repetition. However, this is not the biblical view of liturgy. God’s people in both the Old and New Testaments recited biblical truths in the form of creed and prayers, and we are wise to begin doing so again today. Every Moment Holy is a book of modern, gospel-centered liturgies that help focus our thoughts on truth and our desires on the things of God.

Book for Children Ages 8-12

The One and Only Ivan

Katherine Applegate

Ivan, the gorilla, has spent over nine thousand days alone in his domain, a circus-themed mall, home to his friends Stella, the elephant, and Bob, the dog. When a new attraction, a baby elephant named Ruby, arrives on the scene, Ivan must use his skills as an artist to save Ruby and his other friends from life at the mall and prove to himself that he is the One and Only Ivan.

Question 1 - Ivan mentions at the beginning of the book that we are all great apes, interconnected and mistrustful family members that have to learn how to live with each other. According to the Bible, what makes humans more than simple animals, and how does this impact the way we view reality?

Discussion Guide - Read Genesis 1:26-28. Discuss how humans have been created and how being made in God’s image separates humans from the rest of creation.

Question 2 - Throughout the book, there is a theme of protecting others. Ivan is always seeking to protect his friends. What does the Bible say about looking out for the interest of others?

Discussion Guide - Read Philippians 2:1-4. Discuss how the commands in these verses relate to the theme of protecting others by looking out for their interests.

Question 3 - In the story, Mack mistreats most of the animals under his care. But, in his eyes, they’re ruining his life by not making him any money. According to the biblical worldview, what are humans’ responsibilities toward animals?

Discussion Guide - Read Genesis 1:26-31 and Psalm 8. Discuss how God has given humans the responsibility of stewarding (caring for) creation. Discuss how this relates to how we treat animals.

Bonus Question - If your child has gone through Foundation Comparative Worldview Curriculum, revisit Ivan’s quote about how we are all great apes and interconnected. Ask, “What evidence is there in the world around us that we did not get here accidentally through blind, unguided evolution?”

Discussion Guide - Discuss how the incredible amount of information found in DNA points to a designer. You can revisit the Scrabble Scramble game from Unit 3, Lesson 2.

Book for Children Ages 4-7

God’s Very Good Idea

Trillia Newbell

Before the foundation of the world, God had a very good idea. God planned to make humans in His image and invite them into His family. The first humans ruined God’s good design, but they couldn’t ruin His plan. This book tells little ones the story of creation, fall, and redemption, as God invites all people to be part of His family.

Question 1 - What was God’s very good idea.

Discussion Guide - Discuss how God created humans in His image to be part of His family.

Question 2 - How did people ruin God’s very good idea?

Discussion Guide - Discuss how Adam and Eve sinned against God and now all humans sin against God and one another.

Question 3 - How did God solve the problem of our sin and continue with His very good idea?

Discussion Guide - Discuss how Jesus died in our place, paying the price for our sin. But he did not stay dead. Jesus rose from the grave and now offers forgiveness and new life to anyone who turns from their sin and trusts Him.

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