I have been teaching in children's ministry for over 42 years. For the last 10 years, I have been teaching 1st through 5th graders every Sunday morning. So I can assure you that I am not a novice, I know my bible quite well, and I can also assure you that if you are looking for a children's Christian ministry curriculum that has a solid biblical foundation, this is not the curriculum to invest in. When I read the first lesson I was asked to teach, my thoughts were, "What in the world is this!" Nine months later, I am still asking the same question. The misappropriation of scripture abounds throughout every lesson. There is no doubt in my mind that the people who wrote this curriculum do not know how to rightly divide the Word of God as commanded in 2 Tim 2:15. Before you consider purchasing this be aware that the majority of each lesson is focused on a secular, imaginative narrative--not on the bible lessons. The bible lessons and the monthly memory verses are consistently taken out of context from their biblically intended purposes and woefully misappropriated to accommodate the make-believe narrative and the predetermined Big Idea. Also, the two bible lessons and the memory verse are all contextually unrelated. Occasionally they suggest showing an exerpt of a secular movie (like Disney) to reinforce the narrative.One of those recommendations came with a warning that there might be some unacceptable language in the clip. Why would the authors suggest that teachers show children an inappropriate video! Here are just a few of the multitude of examples of the continuous disconnect and confusion in lessons: The narrative is about going through a jungle looking for jungle animals, but the bible story is about Moses and the children of Israel wandering through the wilderness. How do you mesh a jungle journey with a wilderness journey! By talking about the importance of leadership, of course. (That's what the story of Moses in Exodus through Deuteronomy is all about, right? SMH). One narrative is about career development in the entertainment industry, which reminds the writer about the story of John the Baptist (how so???). And JTB's story somehow connects with Psalm 29--you know, the voice of the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon, shakes the wilderness of Kadesh, and makes the deer give birth. I'm sure the children will have no problem understanding what that means. Besides, what does that have to do with JTB and/or career development in entertainment? If you're going to talk about hearing the voice of the Lord, how about using John 10--His sheep know His voice.The writer suggest that the kids learn about the mathematical Fibanocci sequence (I had to google what that is), and then tell them how it connects to Jesus feeding the 5,000. And what about using space aliens to teach about Peter and John healing the lame man at the Beautiful Gate. One of the Press/Play videos in this same series actually taught that Jesus was a kind of "space-hitchhiker." (Is He just out there floating around?)There are also subtle tones of wokeness in these lessons. Words like follow your dreams/heart, diversity, and "inclusiveness" have come up when misappropriating scriptures. But the lesson that confirmed all of my reservations and critisms about this curriculum is the series on prayer. In one of the activities, instead of having the children actually practice praying to the Lord, it has them using Yoga and Transcendental Meditation positions and techniques (I confirmed this with a very quick google search). Instead of telling the kids to chant 'om,' they "Christianize" it by having them say the word 'prayer' over and over again, as well as saying/thinking about different phrases and words they heard in class about prayer. In other words THE WRITERS OF THIS CURRICULUM THOUGHT IT IMPORTANT TO OVERTLY INCORPORATE HINDU RITUALS AND BODILY POSITIONS INTO A SUPPOSED BIBLE LESSON ON PRAYER. UNACCEPTABLE! INDEFENSIBLE! I am the Lord your God; you shall have no other gods before me. This alone should tell you not to invest in this curriculumAgain, there is no doubt in my mind that the people who wrote this curriculum do not know how to rightly divide the Word of God. If you are a woke, liberal church, or a seeker-sensitive church, you may appreciate this curriculum, as it is light on biblical substance and heavy on make-believe narratives. But if you are set on being obedient to the Great Commission and intent on discipling children to learn, understand, and live according the the Word of God in its fullness, then do not invest any money or time into it. Just open your bible and teach them. Be creative, be active, and above all, be contextually accurate. Cover your lesson in prayer, love the children, and watch the Holy Spirit show up in your classes.
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