Also by this author: How Do We Know Christianity Is Really True?, Why Does God Let Bad Things Happen?, Who Am I and Why Do I Matter?, How Can I Feel Closer to God?, How Can I Be Sure What’s Right and Wrong?, What Are Hands For?, What Are Ears For? Board Book
Series: Big Questions #2
Published by Good Book Company on May 1, 2021
Genres: Children's, Children's Educational
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Sooner or later, kids have big questions about God, life, faith and the Bible, especially when their friends start asking them about what they believe. A common one is: What happens when we die?
Big questions deserve good answers. This warm, empathetic book looks at what the Bible says to help 9-13s think through this big question for themselves. It tackles common fears and stereotypes about the afterlife, and will excite readers about the promise of the new creation. Lively stories and illustrations make this book easy for this age group to engage with.
Chris Morphew, a teacher and school chaplain from Australia, has written a series of short books to answer kids’ common questions about Christianity. What Happens When We Die? addresses a question that everyone asks, and Morphew writes in an engaging, conversational style, explaining complex ideas in a kid-friendly way without oversimplifying answers to this universal question. He addresses what the Bible really says about earth, heaven, and hell, how we can have eternal life with God, what will happen when Jesus returns, and various related issues. In all of this, he focuses on what the Bible says, making it clear what we don’t know and what additional questions he can’t answer.
This book is about eighty pages long, but covers a lot of information. I am impressed with Morphew’s ability to express complex ideas in a concise way, and he brings in concrete illustrations and real-life examples that kids will relate to. My only critique is that he overuses italics for emphasis, and that is an incredibly minor thing to nitpick. Everything else about this book is perfect, and I would have loved it when I was the target age for it. I also would have found it very eye-opening then, because Morphew dispels common myths of Christian culture, helping readers see past our vague ideas of heaven to understand the significance of the bodily resurrection and God’s redemption of the earth.
This encouraging, compact exploration of the Bible’s teaching about the afterlife is an excellent resource for families, Christian schools, and church groups. The publisher is marketing this book for kids from ages nine to thirteen, but the age range is flexible. Older teenagers who are reluctant readers will find this book’s brevity and conversational style appealing, and there is no content in this book that would make it inaccessible or inappropriate for younger kids. The wide age range suitability would make this an excellent choice for a family read-aloud together, and it can encourage and enlighten adults as well.
