A Valuable Tool for Children: Jesus.org
As someone who has four kids and works in children’s ministry, there is one thing I have found to be true of (most) all kids – they ask questions! Many times they ask lots and lots and lots of questions. Sometimes they ask questions that we don’t know the answer to. In a children’s ministry setting, or as a parent, the worse thing you can do is try to “fake it” when your kids ask you a question about God or the Bible and you really don’t know the answer.
That is why I am excited to tell you about a great new resource on the internet that can help you find the answers when your kids pose a question you just don’t know the answer to. The name of the site is Jesus.org. It’s a project of the Salem Web Network. Here’s their own description:
Jesus.org offers biblical answers to common questions about Jesus Christ. Many people have questions about Jesus and on this site you will find biblical answers to the most common questions asked about the birth and life of Jesus, his ministry and disciples, and of course the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.
In addition, you will find resources to help you in your daily walk with Jesus Christ, including information about repentance, faith, salvation, evangelism, missions, discipleship, and Christian newsletters.
In one easy-to-use site, Jesus.org offers questions to many of the most common questions about God from authorities in Theology and the Bible throughout the ages. Questions are answered by the likes of:
- John Piper
- John MacArthur
- Chuck Swindoll
- Charles Stanely
- R.C. Sproul
- James MacDonald
- A.W. Pink
- Greg Laurie
- Tim Keller
- James Boice
- Alistair Begg
- J. Vernon McGee
- Alfred Edersheim
- J.C. Ryle
- Matthew Henry
- Bruce Ware
- Hank Hanegraaff
The site classifies questions into six general categories. Those are:
- Birth of Jesus
- Life of Jesus
- Death & Resurrection
- Early Church History
- Is Jesus God?
- Following Jesus
This site is not designed specifically for answering questions posed by kids. In reviewing the answers, it is clear that you will not simply be able to print these answers and recite them to kids in answers to their questions (I would love to see something like that, but that is not the purpose of this site). That said, I think all of us who work with kids know that they are capable of asking deep theological questions. Faced with a question you just can’t answer, this site will allow you to look it up and then answer the questions posed by the kids you teach.
Last summer, I started a series on Dad in the Middle called Questions Kids Ask in an attempt to answer (in more kids friendly language) some of the deeper questions I have had kids ask me. I got through Who Made God? and Why Did God Make Us? but haven’t added to that series in a while. This site has inspired me to get back to that series and tackle some of the questions posed there about Jesus. I will definitely be using Jesus.org as a resource in fashioning those answers for kids.
As those who teach kids, we must be constantly expanding our own knowledge base. Jesus.org will be a valuable tool in that process.
