October 2022 Book Club Recommendations

October 03, 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. Some of the links below are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, Foundation Worldview will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.

Book for Adults

Why Does God Allow Evil? Compelling Answers for Life’s Toughest Questions

Clay Jones

It’s a question that has been asked for thousands of years, “Why does God allow evil?” As Christians, we know that God is good. And we know that human rebellion has led to the entrance of sin and death into our world. Yet we still wrestle with this question, usually on a very personal level: “Why has God allowed _______ to happen to me.”

In this book, Clay Jones dives deep into both Scripture and human history, showing how the presence of evil and suffering in the world and in our own lives points directly to the goodness of God.

Book for Children Ages 8-12

Why Does God Let Bad Things Happen

Chris Morphew

Life is hard. Even the youngest of children understand this truth. What is not so obvious is the answer to why life is so difficult. In this book, Chris Morphew explores the question of why God allows evil at an age-appropriate level.

Each chapter is titled with a question about suffering. We recommend that you read through this book with your child, stopping after each chapter to discuss the question posed in the chapter title. After you have finished reading through the entire book, you can discuss the following questions.

Question 1 - What answer does the Bible provide for why bad things happen?

Discussion Guide - Read Genesis 3 and discuss how that chapter makes clear that our first parents, Adam and Eve, rebelled against God. Now, all of their children inherit that sin nature and choose to sin every day.

Question 2 - One clear promise in the Bible is that God will be with us as we suffer. How does this promise bring comfort when bad things happen?

Discussion Guide - Discuss how knowing GOdis with us when we suffer provides the comfort of knowing we are not alone. Read Psalm 34:18 and Romans 8:28. Then discuss how God has promised to be especially close to the brokenhearted and to use all bad things for the ultimate good of His children.

Question 3 - Chapter 6 compare Jesus’ miracles to a movie trailer. How are Jesus’ miracles similar to a movie trailer?

Discussion Guide - Discuss how, just as a movie trailer is a preview for the actual movie. Jesus’ miracles in the gospels, as well as those He sometimes continues to perform, are merely a preview of when He will come back and make everything right.

Bonus Question - If your child has gone through Foundation Studying the Bible Curriculum, ask, “Where on the Bible timeline do we God’s plan for getting rid of sin and death for good?”

Discussion Guide - Put together the Bible timeline. Then, walk through the clues God provided throughout that timeline of His plan for our redemption. (See Unit 1, Lesson 9 for the exact Scripture references for these clues.)

Book for Children Ages 4-7

Fox and the Hard Day

J.D. Camorlinga

James and Ruth have had a hard day. As they discuss the difficulties of their day, Fox appears, interrupting their conversation with several bold claims. “If God was all-good like your Bible says, He wouldn’t WANT bad things to happen. If He was all-knowing, He’d KNOW how to stop them. If He was all-powerful, He’d be ABLE to stop them. So, God must not be all He’s cracked up to be, because bad things happen all the time.” But James and Ruth are not stumped. They help Fox see that God is all-knowing, all-good, and all-powerful, and He has a specific plan for the bad things we encounter.

Question 1 - How did sin enter the world?

Discussion Guide - Discuss how Adam and Eve chose to rebel against God. You can read the account straight from Genesis 3.

Question 2 - What would happen if God always stopped humans before we sinned?

Discussion Guide - Discuss how we would be like robots. We would not have the freedom to love God or make any other choices.

Question 3 - What is God’s solution for stopping all sin?

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. Discuss how there will be no more sin or death in the new heaven and new earth.

Bonus Question - If your child has gone through Foundation Early Childhood Worldview Curriculum, remind your child of the sad truth that all humans miss the mark. Then ask them if they remember what the good news is.

Discussion Guide - Discuss how Jesus hit the mark for us. Now, if we turn from our sin and trust in Him, we are reconciled to God and will live with Him forever in the new heaven and new earth.

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