Talking with Your Kids about God: 30 Conversations Every Christian Parent Must Have

Several years ago, I discovered the work on Natasha Crain online. She has a very successful blog called Christian Mom Thoughts. I have gotten to know Natasha over the last few years and I am so happy to see the publication of her second book Talking with Your Kids about God: 30 Conversations Every Christian Parent Must Have. As someone who leads campus apologetic ministries on two college campuses (The Ohio State University (64,000 students) and Columbus State Community College (30,000) students, I am always interested to see people who provide apologetic resources for families. After all, I have had the opportunity to speak to hundreds of students about the existence of God and I can tell when someone didn’t get their questions answered before they got to college. So I am happy to say Natasha’s book does an excellent job of asking the right discussion topics/questions for parents and their kids. I can say without hesitation that nearly all of the topics in this book are the same questions students wrestle with on a college campuses. The chapters are short and concise. But because of the length of the chapters and accessibility, it makes them easy for parents to utilize. She also includes questions at the end of each chapter that can be used for discussion points. Natasha also includes many personal antidotes as well as quotes from atheist/skeptical bloggers and writers. Natasha is in touch with contemporary objections and she also knows the culture. Granted, she has heard plenty of objections on her blog as well. One thing I really appreciated about the book is that not only did Natasha deal with many common objections to God’s existence (both scientific and existential), she also provided some chapters on theology. Yes, theology! Issues such as God’s nature and character were addressed. If there’s anything that makes people reject God, it’s a complete misunderstanding about who God is. Trust me, I see it happen all the time. Okay, so now I will ahead and obviously admit that there is one chapter that stands out above all the rest. And here it is: Her chapters called “How Much Evidence Do We Need to Be Confident God Exists? In it she says the following: “Ratio Christi is an organization that is making a major impact for Christ on college campuses—one of the most challenging environments for young Christians today. Their mission is to “equip university students and faculty to give historical, philosophical, and scientific reasons for following Jesus Christ.” Ratio Christi does so by planting collegiate chapters that facilitate conversations on these subjects. Eric Chabot is the founder and director of the Ratio Christi chapter at Ohio State University, where he’s been engaging with students on the truth of Christianity since 2004. Chabot says that in all the years he’s been involved in campus outreach, he’s heard one objection to God’s existence more than any other: Why won’t God show me a direct sign that he exists? In other words, students feel that despite whatever evidence there is that theoretically points to God’s existence, it’s not enough. Having read the last few chapters, you may think these students aren’t aware of the compelling evidence for God’s existence in nature. And that’s undoubtedly true for many. But for others, the key problem is the amount and type of evidence. They want more in order to believe. An example of this is an agnostic student Chabot video interviewed for his blog. Chabot asked the student, “What would be compelling reasons to believe that the God of the Bible exists?” The student replied: ” I would have to say unambiguous, direct evidence. . . . Some people will use their explanation for God existing as things we don’t know . . . [like] the arguments [that] everything is so fine-tuned, but that doesn’t do much for me. I would very much prefer to have actual, direct evidence of somebody saying, “This directly points to God Himself coming down and speaking.” And at that point I’d have to verify with someone that I’m not hallucinating. . . . It has to be some direct evidence of God, not an extrapolation of evidence from something else.” Yes, I am honored Natasha mentioned us in her book. The blog post she is referring to that we did is our post here. Natasha is a very gifted communicator. I hope you will get this book and use it with your family and congregation. It is much needed! Share this:

I was asked in a book study forum what my three favorite chapters were in this book, and I had to say, I have a very difficult time narrowing it down to just three :). For me, each chapter offers a clear, concise, substantive response to questions that I’ve had to grapple with as they’ve been lobbed in my direction by people very close to me. In many ways, it’s as though Natasha had taken the threads of thoughts that had been dangling in my mind and wove them into a cohesive whole, creating the fabric for conversations I’ve needed to have with my loved ones. I’ve appreciated every opportunity to think through my responses to the skeptic questions posed at the end of each chapter as I’ve been forced to process and synthesize all the things I’ve been learning and reading and attempt to articulate it with clarity and purpose. That exercise has truly been a gift and has been an answer to an urgent need in this season of life. Some of the biggest takeaways for me…. -we may not have all the answers we want, but we do have all the answers we need to make a decision about the existence of God -both believers and unbelievers are looking at the same body of evidence, but are interpreting it differently; it isn’t that there is no evidence for the existence of God, it is that other reasons/explanations are being accepted for the evidence that exists -the atheistic worldview is not one that can be lived out with consistency, there will always be a point of tension at which reality and what the atheist believes to be true about the world will be in conflict -often times those who walk away from the faith are more preoccupied with what they are walking away from, but may not have truly examined what they are walking towards -the relationship between science and faith is often presented as a false dichotomy in both religious & non-religious circles; understanding the substance of the arguments from science for the existence of God are key to providing evidence that is tethered to more than experience or what has been revealed in God’s word as the evidence from nature is more objective. What a gift that God has revealed Himself in the world He has made--He knew our skeptical natures would need more than experience and the written word. -often times the substance of our relationship with God, who is physically invisible, is taken for granted, and needs to be explored and talked about with our children; the nature of prayer; the work of the Holy Spirit; the reality of doubt and how to balance what we want to know with what God has revealed, and articulating all the ways we know God can be trusted; a large part of that is getting to know God as He has revealed Himself, through the intentional study of His Word -Exploring these skeptic objections with our children are more than just an academic exercise (though it may begin that way); but rather preparation for real world interaction with real people who think this way; we are enabling them to see that there are good reasons for belief in God, and equipping them with the information and tools they need to navigate the world in which they are living with hearts & minds that are critically aware and spiritually grounded. Natasha Crain offers parents an exceptional resource!

Talking with your kids about God in a way that encourages them to think more deeply about what they believe and why is so important in today's cultural climate. Parents cannot leave this teaching to the church. But we parents must first equip ourselves in order to do this more naturally when opportunities arise to teach our children about Christianity and its difficulties. Natasha Crain's timely and relevant new book, Talking with Your Kids About God, tackles the difficult questions that skeptics and others put forth regarding Christianity and the beliefs that Christians hold. Some of the most challenging questions are addressed in the most accessible way. The book is well organized and includes 5 parts covering the existence of God, science and God, the nature of God, belief in God, and the difference God makes. Each part includes 6 chapters addressing different questions concerning the topic of that particular section. I mention this because the format was so helpful in that I was able to later return to information that I wanted to reference quite easily. Even though the content is apologetics (which is a subject that often gets very heady), the chapters are written in nice bite size chunks - not too much information at one time. And Crain’s writing style is a pleasure to read. You can tell she’s a brain, but also very personable and it comes through in her words. One of the things (among many) that make this book unique and sets it apart from other books on apologetics are the conversation guides at the end of each chapter. These are useful in reflecting upon what you just read, in actually talking with your kids about God, and even talking with others about God. These guides could certainly be used in a small group situation, or even a Sunday school setting; and are hugely instructive in the art of asking the right questions to provoke thoughtful discussions. I have learned so much having read this and am recommending it to all parents. Equip your children (at any age) with knowledge and truth so that they stand (and know they stand) on solid ground. I was provided with a copy of the book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Natasha Crain’s book, “Talking with Your Kids About God,” is a vital resource for all Christian parents. As a Director of Children’s Ministry at a church (infant – 5th grade), I will be using this resource myself and encouraging parents to do the same. I believe every parent with kids of any age should read this book to equip their children well in the present or future. The book was very easy to read and went pretty quick after I picked it up. Interesting stories and examples coupled with strong, clear, and logical explanations supported by sound evidence made the book informative yet entertaining and enjoyable. She is very thoughtful and knowledgeable about explaining how nature, the universe, life on earth, and morality reveal the existence of God with validity. She also tackles the tough and often misunderstood subjects of religion vs. science, the trinity, the attributes of God, if God is loving and just and what that really means, differing religions, free will, and evil. I really liked that when Natasha Crain discussed a topic, she made information clear (especially regarding any scientific evidence) and that you didn’t have to have a background in biology to understand what she was talking about. I was also very happy that she encouraged readers to present these subjects to their children as young as elementary-age in language and ways they can understand since most apologetic material is usually geared at students and adults. I also loved that each chapter gave specific conversation points that parents could discuss with their children. It encouraged parents challenge children to apply what they’ve learned to their life. With so many teens and college students (as well adults) leaving the church and their faith behind, it’s important for parents to intentionally discuss topics that are covered in her book with their children before they are fed the lies of this world. Equipping children with tools to be able to defend what they believe will only strengthen their faith and help them stand strong when school, teachers, professors, and peers try to attack it. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

I was so excited to read this book but was concerned about some of the reviews stating they thought it was more geared for highschoolers. Having now read it I can say the people saying that either haven't spent much time around this generation of elementary students or highly underestimate both them AND high schoolers because I found this absolutely perfect for my 10 year old and will wait another year before starting it with my then 7 yr old. It is broken down where each section starts with a run down on the concept being presented, essentially educating the parent on the subject so they can confidently discuss it in more bite size segments with their kid later. The conversation starters are very age appropriate and easy to modify according to your child's comprehension level, in my opinion (and, I love my children but they aren't prodigies...these starters are not THAT advanced). I personally think kids can understand a lot more than we give them credit for, but I digress. The author does explicitly state this is not a book to just hand to your kids and to resist brain dumping everything you just read, so my only guess is maybe people didn't read that part of her intro and are expecting their elementary aged child to read these parts themselves? Any way, from someone who considers herself fairly average intelligence I thought this book was very easy to understand and apply for elementary students. It also bolstered my own faith and knowledge of Apologetics as well!

Wish it was set up more for directed family conversations- but it’s more parent read- take notes- then reiterate it to children. Not a bad book- just not why I was expecting and disappointing to have to do the legwork myself - and yes I know it’s my responsibility as a parent- I just hoped this would maybe outline a discussion guide or something to facilitate it. Again- great info- was hoping for a different format.

I honestly feel like I can’t say enough about this book. I enjoyed Natasha’s last book and follow her blog. When she decided to create a launch team to pre-read this new book before it’s official release I jumped at the chance. And this book surpassed my expectations! Talking With Your Kids About God is broken down into 5 sections: The Existence of God, Science and God, The Nature of God, Believing in God, and The Difference God Makes. Each of these sections is broken down into short, manageable chapters, that cover one specific idea. At the end of the chapter, key points are summarized, and conversation points are listed. These concise chapters really give parents the key information needed to enable them to have meaningful conversations with their children. Natasha has a gift for breaking down complex topics into simple and easily understood ideas. The conversation points really help give direction on tackling each idea. This is one of the most approachable books on apologetics I’ve read. I also think that while geared towards parents, this book has a wide range of applications... Sunday school teachers, grandparents, teachers, and the like. But I see this being beneficial for anyone interested in defending their faith! Don’t let the focus on parenting keep you from getting this book. Lastly, as a homeschooling parent, I just want to say that this easily fits into any curriculum. The chapters average 5-7 pages, so it would not be difficult to read a chapter a week and have discussion. I found that I was able to fit in the conversations naturally throughout our weekly work. I’m always looking for ways to bring in a Biblical worldview into our school days, and this really helps! I enjoyed this book so much I bought another copy. This will be one that I give away on a regular basis!!

Talking with Your Kids About God was a wake-up call for me. Packed with insight, statistics and conversation guides, TWYKAG walks you through the common arguments and questions from skeptics and seekers in bite-size, digestible chapters. Does the term apologetics seem mysterious and intimidating? Crain's book makes defending our faith reachable and reasonable. Do yourself a favor and read the table of contents. Crain addresses many issues that skeptics have with Christianity, including topics related to science and suffering, moral law and meaning of life, hope, and the Holy Spirit. One particularly compelling to me is that many will choose to believe or not believe in God based on false information. Walking these challenging topics out with my kids (11, 9, and 7) is doable and engaging with this book. I not only want my kids to know what they believe and it to be personal for them (not just my faith handed down), but I want them to have the ability to THINK for themselves. This book is not a "take this pill and swallow it"- it's got the tough questions from real skeptics as conversation points. Not only do my kids need to be equipped for this, but I need to be equipped and "prepared to give an answer for the hope I have" and with gentleness and respect. Kudos to Natasha Crain for the the sacrifices she made with her family to get this book into the hands of hundreds (hopefully thousands) of other families. Seriously, it's $10 or $11 bucks that's worth skipping coffee or the drive-thru this week. With a 10-min/day or week commitment, this book could truly be life-changing for your family. It really has the potential for that in my own life, as now I am convinced I need to be better equipped to engage myself.

Got this for a moms Bible study group and while it certainly isn’t for younger children, it has excellent research points and it’s very thought provoking. Really like the citations. This is one I will be keeping and re-reading. If you have that combative anti-Christian person who likes to passive aggressively challenge your beliefs, this book will give you peace of mind. ;)

I cannot recommend a better resource as you nurture your children to know about God and His deep character. When your children get older and spend time with non-Christians in sports, at school, in college, etc., they will hear common arguments against the faith they grew up knowing. Soon, they'll start asking themselves if what you're saying about God is true. What will happen to all the hard work you put in? Will they have a firm foundation? "The Bible says so," they might respond. Well, what if their friends laugh and say "the Bible isn't true and science is settled; nothing else is."? Will they be ready for that? Or will they start questioning all they knew? Talking With Your Kids About God is full of common arguments against Christianity. Natasha has made the chapters very easy to understand for parents who may not have a sciencey mind, too! If your children hear the arguments ahead of time, and know how to answer them, they are *drastically* less likely to walk away from what you've taught them. There ARE answers! And they are in this incredible book. At the end of each chapter (which is for the parents to read), there are questions for your children. You get to summarize the chapter to them and then ask the questions, essentially ready-ing them for battle with the opposing world. These are tough questions. But that's GOOD! We want them equipped to handle smart, clever, challenging people who are ready to battle Christianity. Not ONLY for the sake of keeping our kids on God's side, but also for bringing the truth of Christ to a lost world. BUY THIS BOOK!! It's truly invaluable!!

Several years ago, I discovered the work on Natasha Crain online. She has a very successful blog called Christian Mom Thoughts. I have gotten to know Natasha over the last few years and I am so happy to see the publication of her second book Talking with Your Kids about God: 30 Conversations Every Christian Parent Must Have. As someone who leads campus apologetic ministries on two college campuses (The Ohio State University (64,000 students) and Columbus State Community College (30,000) students, I am always interested to see people who provide apologetic resources for families. After all, I have had the opportunity to speak to hundreds of students about the existence of God and I can tell when someone didn’t get their questions answered before they got to college. So I am happy to say Natasha’s book does an excellent job of asking the right discussion topics/questions for parents and their kids. I can say without hesitation that nearly all of the topics in this book are the same questions students wrestle with on a college campuses. The chapters are short and concise. But because of the length of the chapters and accessibility, it makes them easy for parents to utilize. She also includes questions at the end of each chapter that can be used for discussion points. Natasha also includes many personal antidotes as well as quotes from atheist/skeptical bloggers and writers. Natasha is in touch with contemporary objections and she also knows the culture. Granted, she has heard plenty of objections on her blog as well. One thing I really appreciated about the book is that not only did Natasha deal with many common objections to God’s existence (both scientific and existential), she also provided some chapters on theology. Yes, theology! Issues such as God’s nature and character were addressed. If there’s anything that makes people reject God, it’s a complete misunderstanding about who God is. Trust me, I see it happen all the time. Okay, so now I will ahead and obviously admit that there is one chapter that stands out above all the rest. And here it is: Her chapters called “How Much Evidence Do We Need to Be Confident God Exists? In it she says the following: “Ratio Christi is an organization that is making a major impact for Christ on college campuses—one of the most challenging environments for young Christians today. Their mission is to “equip university students and faculty to give historical, philosophical, and scientific reasons for following Jesus Christ.” Ratio Christi does so by planting collegiate chapters that facilitate conversations on these subjects. Eric Chabot is the founder and director of the Ratio Christi chapter at Ohio State University, where he’s been engaging with students on the truth of Christianity since 2004. Chabot says that in all the years he’s been involved in campus outreach, he’s heard one objection to God’s existence more than any other: Why won’t God show me a direct sign that he exists? In other words, students feel that despite whatever evidence there is that theoretically points to God’s existence, it’s not enough. Having read the last few chapters, you may think these students aren’t aware of the compelling evidence for God’s existence in nature. And that’s undoubtedly true for many. But for others, the key problem is the amount and type of evidence. They want more in order to believe. An example of this is an agnostic student Chabot video interviewed for his blog. Chabot asked the student, “What would be compelling reasons to believe that the God of the Bible exists?” The student replied: ” I would have to say unambiguous, direct evidence. . . . Some people will use their explanation for God existing as things we don’t know . . . [like] the arguments [that] everything is so fine-tuned, but that doesn’t do much for me. I would very much prefer to have actual, direct evidence of somebody saying, “This directly points to God Himself coming down and speaking.” And at that point I’d have to verify with someone that I’m not hallucinating. . . . It has to be some direct evidence of God, not an extrapolation of evidence from something else.” Yes, I am honored Natasha mentioned us in her book. The blog post she is referring to that we did is our post here. Natasha is a very gifted communicator. I hope you will get this book and use it with your family and congregation. It is much needed! Share this:

I was asked in a book study forum what my three favorite chapters were in this book, and I had to say, I have a very difficult time narrowing it down to just three :). For me, each chapter offers a clear, concise, substantive response to questions that I’ve had to grapple with as they’ve been lobbed in my direction by people very close to me. In many ways, it’s as though Natasha had taken the threads of thoughts that had been dangling in my mind and wove them into a cohesive whole, creating the fabric for conversations I’ve needed to have with my loved ones. I’ve appreciated every opportunity to think through my responses to the skeptic questions posed at the end of each chapter as I’ve been forced to process and synthesize all the things I’ve been learning and reading and attempt to articulate it with clarity and purpose. That exercise has truly been a gift and has been an answer to an urgent need in this season of life. Some of the biggest takeaways for me…. -we may not have all the answers we want, but we do have all the answers we need to make a decision about the existence of God -both believers and unbelievers are looking at the same body of evidence, but are interpreting it differently; it isn’t that there is no evidence for the existence of God, it is that other reasons/explanations are being accepted for the evidence that exists -the atheistic worldview is not one that can be lived out with consistency, there will always be a point of tension at which reality and what the atheist believes to be true about the world will be in conflict -often times those who walk away from the faith are more preoccupied with what they are walking away from, but may not have truly examined what they are walking towards -the relationship between science and faith is often presented as a false dichotomy in both religious & non-religious circles; understanding the substance of the arguments from science for the existence of God are key to providing evidence that is tethered to more than experience or what has been revealed in God’s word as the evidence from nature is more objective. What a gift that God has revealed Himself in the world He has made--He knew our skeptical natures would need more than experience and the written word. -often times the substance of our relationship with God, who is physically invisible, is taken for granted, and needs to be explored and talked about with our children; the nature of prayer; the work of the Holy Spirit; the reality of doubt and how to balance what we want to know with what God has revealed, and articulating all the ways we know God can be trusted; a large part of that is getting to know God as He has revealed Himself, through the intentional study of His Word -Exploring these skeptic objections with our children are more than just an academic exercise (though it may begin that way); but rather preparation for real world interaction with real people who think this way; we are enabling them to see that there are good reasons for belief in God, and equipping them with the information and tools they need to navigate the world in which they are living with hearts & minds that are critically aware and spiritually grounded. Natasha Crain offers parents an exceptional resource!

Talking with your kids about God in a way that encourages them to think more deeply about what they believe and why is so important in today's cultural climate. Parents cannot leave this teaching to the church. But we parents must first equip ourselves in order to do this more naturally when opportunities arise to teach our children about Christianity and its difficulties. Natasha Crain's timely and relevant new book, Talking with Your Kids About God, tackles the difficult questions that skeptics and others put forth regarding Christianity and the beliefs that Christians hold. Some of the most challenging questions are addressed in the most accessible way. The book is well organized and includes 5 parts covering the existence of God, science and God, the nature of God, belief in God, and the difference God makes. Each part includes 6 chapters addressing different questions concerning the topic of that particular section. I mention this because the format was so helpful in that I was able to later return to information that I wanted to reference quite easily. Even though the content is apologetics (which is a subject that often gets very heady), the chapters are written in nice bite size chunks - not too much information at one time. And Crain’s writing style is a pleasure to read. You can tell she’s a brain, but also very personable and it comes through in her words. One of the things (among many) that make this book unique and sets it apart from other books on apologetics are the conversation guides at the end of each chapter. These are useful in reflecting upon what you just read, in actually talking with your kids about God, and even talking with others about God. These guides could certainly be used in a small group situation, or even a Sunday school setting; and are hugely instructive in the art of asking the right questions to provoke thoughtful discussions. I have learned so much having read this and am recommending it to all parents. Equip your children (at any age) with knowledge and truth so that they stand (and know they stand) on solid ground. I was provided with a copy of the book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Natasha Crain’s book, “Talking with Your Kids About God,” is a vital resource for all Christian parents. As a Director of Children’s Ministry at a church (infant – 5th grade), I will be using this resource myself and encouraging parents to do the same. I believe every parent with kids of any age should read this book to equip their children well in the present or future. The book was very easy to read and went pretty quick after I picked it up. Interesting stories and examples coupled with strong, clear, and logical explanations supported by sound evidence made the book informative yet entertaining and enjoyable. She is very thoughtful and knowledgeable about explaining how nature, the universe, life on earth, and morality reveal the existence of God with validity. She also tackles the tough and often misunderstood subjects of religion vs. science, the trinity, the attributes of God, if God is loving and just and what that really means, differing religions, free will, and evil. I really liked that when Natasha Crain discussed a topic, she made information clear (especially regarding any scientific evidence) and that you didn’t have to have a background in biology to understand what she was talking about. I was also very happy that she encouraged readers to present these subjects to their children as young as elementary-age in language and ways they can understand since most apologetic material is usually geared at students and adults. I also loved that each chapter gave specific conversation points that parents could discuss with their children. It encouraged parents challenge children to apply what they’ve learned to their life. With so many teens and college students (as well adults) leaving the church and their faith behind, it’s important for parents to intentionally discuss topics that are covered in her book with their children before they are fed the lies of this world. Equipping children with tools to be able to defend what they believe will only strengthen their faith and help them stand strong when school, teachers, professors, and peers try to attack it. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

I was so excited to read this book but was concerned about some of the reviews stating they thought it was more geared for highschoolers. Having now read it I can say the people saying that either haven't spent much time around this generation of elementary students or highly underestimate both them AND high schoolers because I found this absolutely perfect for my 10 year old and will wait another year before starting it with my then 7 yr old. It is broken down where each section starts with a run down on the concept being presented, essentially educating the parent on the subject so they can confidently discuss it in more bite size segments with their kid later. The conversation starters are very age appropriate and easy to modify according to your child's comprehension level, in my opinion (and, I love my children but they aren't prodigies...these starters are not THAT advanced). I personally think kids can understand a lot more than we give them credit for, but I digress. The author does explicitly state this is not a book to just hand to your kids and to resist brain dumping everything you just read, so my only guess is maybe people didn't read that part of her intro and are expecting their elementary aged child to read these parts themselves? Any way, from someone who considers herself fairly average intelligence I thought this book was very easy to understand and apply for elementary students. It also bolstered my own faith and knowledge of Apologetics as well!

Wish it was set up more for directed family conversations- but it’s more parent read- take notes- then reiterate it to children. Not a bad book- just not why I was expecting and disappointing to have to do the legwork myself - and yes I know it’s my responsibility as a parent- I just hoped this would maybe outline a discussion guide or something to facilitate it. Again- great info- was hoping for a different format.

I honestly feel like I can’t say enough about this book. I enjoyed Natasha’s last book and follow her blog. When she decided to create a launch team to pre-read this new book before it’s official release I jumped at the chance. And this book surpassed my expectations! Talking With Your Kids About God is broken down into 5 sections: The Existence of God, Science and God, The Nature of God, Believing in God, and The Difference God Makes. Each of these sections is broken down into short, manageable chapters, that cover one specific idea. At the end of the chapter, key points are summarized, and conversation points are listed. These concise chapters really give parents the key information needed to enable them to have meaningful conversations with their children. Natasha has a gift for breaking down complex topics into simple and easily understood ideas. The conversation points really help give direction on tackling each idea. This is one of the most approachable books on apologetics I’ve read. I also think that while geared towards parents, this book has a wide range of applications... Sunday school teachers, grandparents, teachers, and the like. But I see this being beneficial for anyone interested in defending their faith! Don’t let the focus on parenting keep you from getting this book. Lastly, as a homeschooling parent, I just want to say that this easily fits into any curriculum. The chapters average 5-7 pages, so it would not be difficult to read a chapter a week and have discussion. I found that I was able to fit in the conversations naturally throughout our weekly work. I’m always looking for ways to bring in a Biblical worldview into our school days, and this really helps! I enjoyed this book so much I bought another copy. This will be one that I give away on a regular basis!!

Talking with Your Kids About God was a wake-up call for me. Packed with insight, statistics and conversation guides, TWYKAG walks you through the common arguments and questions from skeptics and seekers in bite-size, digestible chapters. Does the term apologetics seem mysterious and intimidating? Crain's book makes defending our faith reachable and reasonable. Do yourself a favor and read the table of contents. Crain addresses many issues that skeptics have with Christianity, including topics related to science and suffering, moral law and meaning of life, hope, and the Holy Spirit. One particularly compelling to me is that many will choose to believe or not believe in God based on false information. Walking these challenging topics out with my kids (11, 9, and 7) is doable and engaging with this book. I not only want my kids to know what they believe and it to be personal for them (not just my faith handed down), but I want them to have the ability to THINK for themselves. This book is not a "take this pill and swallow it"- it's got the tough questions from real skeptics as conversation points. Not only do my kids need to be equipped for this, but I need to be equipped and "prepared to give an answer for the hope I have" and with gentleness and respect. Kudos to Natasha Crain for the the sacrifices she made with her family to get this book into the hands of hundreds (hopefully thousands) of other families. Seriously, it's $10 or $11 bucks that's worth skipping coffee or the drive-thru this week. With a 10-min/day or week commitment, this book could truly be life-changing for your family. It really has the potential for that in my own life, as now I am convinced I need to be better equipped to engage myself.

Got this for a moms Bible study group and while it certainly isn’t for younger children, it has excellent research points and it’s very thought provoking. Really like the citations. This is one I will be keeping and re-reading. If you have that combative anti-Christian person who likes to passive aggressively challenge your beliefs, this book will give you peace of mind. ;)

I cannot recommend a better resource as you nurture your children to know about God and His deep character. When your children get older and spend time with non-Christians in sports, at school, in college, etc., they will hear common arguments against the faith they grew up knowing. Soon, they'll start asking themselves if what you're saying about God is true. What will happen to all the hard work you put in? Will they have a firm foundation? "The Bible says so," they might respond. Well, what if their friends laugh and say "the Bible isn't true and science is settled; nothing else is."? Will they be ready for that? Or will they start questioning all they knew? Talking With Your Kids About God is full of common arguments against Christianity. Natasha has made the chapters very easy to understand for parents who may not have a sciencey mind, too! If your children hear the arguments ahead of time, and know how to answer them, they are *drastically* less likely to walk away from what you've taught them. There ARE answers! And they are in this incredible book. At the end of each chapter (which is for the parents to read), there are questions for your children. You get to summarize the chapter to them and then ask the questions, essentially ready-ing them for battle with the opposing world. These are tough questions. But that's GOOD! We want them equipped to handle smart, clever, challenging people who are ready to battle Christianity. Not ONLY for the sake of keeping our kids on God's side, but also for bringing the truth of Christ to a lost world. BUY THIS BOOK!! It's truly invaluable!!

In an age when pop atheism is so easily accessible on large platforms like YouTube, children today see and hear arguments against the existence of God much sooner and more often than most grownups have heard in a lifetime. On the surface these arguments may seem sound, but after discussing the topics covered in this book families can see how the arguments aren’t always what they seem, strengthening their faith, and yours, in the process

The word Apologetics may scare some. It may dredge up ideas of university courses or seminary classes...dry, academic, and difficult. This is truly not the case, as Natasha Crain's newest book Talking to Your Kids About God clearly demonstrates. Using story illustrations that parents can readily identify with, Crain incorporates apologetics into every day life. In 300 pages, she covers the evidences for the existence of God, how science confirms the God of the Bible, the nature of God (trinity, love, and justice), how Christianity is different from other religions, and how all these things apply to us and the world around us. If you have been debating on how to begin the study of apologetics, whether it is because you want to be able to talk to your children about why Christianity is True or you just need to solidify your own worldview, I highly recommend this book as a way to dive in. Enjoy! (I was given a complementary copy for my honest review).

Okay so I was saved just two years ago...Praise God! My husband and I started a ministry page to share our testimonies and after starting the page we started getting blasted by skeptics and atheists (just like Natasha did with her blog). Let me just tell you the value Natasha Crain's book has brought to my life. After just a few chapters I've been able to debate confidently with a few skeptics/atheists and was able to catch them in their tracks with just a few of the points I've learned so far. It has boosted my confidence and the only come backs they had were insults and mockery. THANK YOU THANK YOU for the work you are doing Natasha! Cross Examined Podcasts have been awesome too! Looking forward to reading and learning more! Man, I sure was missing out prior to being a follower of Christ!

This book is excellent. If you're wanting to help others understand hard questions people ask about God, this is a wonderful resource. This book can easily be used across age categories, not just for kids. It's very meaty, and Crain has an easy way of writing very difficult topics in an accessible and engaging way. I was so impressed with this book I went to her website after finishing, and started following her blog, and already have her next book on preorder! I am planning on going through this book together with my kids (I read it for myself first) in the next year.

Amazing book. If you’re hesitating, don’t! Great perspective on today’s society and the struggle/fight that kids are facing today. We need to arm our kids with the knowledge they need to back up what we practice in front of them. Just going to church or even talking about what we were taught may not be enough. Kids are getting hit today with harsh questions and a stronger push to get away from Christian faith. Natasha has great insight on how we can arm them with with information that pertains to today’s questions. This is easy to read print and overal flow. I can see lots of potential in her topics/points that can be discussed and researched further with our kids together. She also gives questions on how to start these conversations with your kids and question’s To ask. Very good.

I think this book has a LOT of great information that is very thought-provoking. Actually I bought it for myself, to what I (a long-time Christian) could glean out of it. It has some really valuable information for EVERYONE. I do have 6 years of college and spent 35 years in education, and I am a little concerned that the actual reading level of this book is FAR ABOVE the average person.

I highly recommend Natasha Crain's Keeping Your Kids on God's Side and Talking with Your Kids about God books. The books were great assets to me when my teen started doubting God's existence. We both used them to learn evidences for our faith, versus our own experiences or emotions.They turned out to be even bigger blessings earlier this year when HE used them to prepare for a debate on the existence of God. He has since continued studying apologetics on his own and wants to teach others. I am thankful for these well written, easy to understand books that contain vital topics for Christian parents to learn and discuss with their children. #priceless

Great book! Highly recommend!

I have been studying apologetics for a while, but I’ve struggled with relating the concepts to my children. Natasha Crain does a great job of summarizing the information and then giving a discussion guide for parents so we can talk to our kids about each subject. Now I am looking forward to going through all 30 questions with my children. I highly recommended this book.

Excellent apologetics book for parents in instructing their kids. 30 chapters examining 30 different subjects. At the end of each chapter are questions to enhance discussions.

Every parent needs to get this book, especially new parents to educate yourselves in how to teach your precious child about God, morals, values and the ability to think for themselves with Godly instruction. Wish I would have had this book when my kids were young. Parents, you only have these first eighteen years to instill knowing God and how the world will try to mold them. Great book!

Good book

Liked what I have read so far.

Natasha Crain has some great ideas to get us talking to our children and grandchildren! I got her other book and really enjoyed it too. More parents having more conversations like the ones she describes and maybe the next generation will actually be using their grey matter!

I believe that all Christians need a better understanding of Biblical truths, and how evidence points toward the one true God. This is a must for teaching our children about the God of the Universe!

I am absolutely loving this book. As a mom, this book equips me with facts and information to help my boys understand the why’s behind what we believe.

Wonderful book for me to teach my five children.

Crain's writing is smart, concise, and relevant for me as a parent trying to raise my children in today's culture. She raises so many questions I take for granted. I highly reccomend it to all parents!

Really helpful. I want to use if for our Sunday School class. Easy to read and absorb and some example from real life to help learn it.

I did not want this on kindle I wanted the paperback book But I don’t. Know how to Reprocess the order correctly 😢

Nice product, just as described

Good read for parents looking to begin integrating apologetics into their discussions with their kids.

Great book! Also check out Keeping Your Kids On Gods Side by the same author.

Excellent book. Very helpful.

Great book

love this book. still reading it

Excellent points, however it does need more scriptural references.

Great audio

Does not provide biblical basis for her arguments, does not use scriptures to support her arguments, the questions are weak and her answers even weaker

Over the last few months, I have read a few books on apologetics and was initially interested in Talking With Your Kids About God because it is both a parenting and apologetics book. As a mother of three (soon-to-be four) children, I believe it is of vital importance that every Christian parent should study apologetics as a means to educate themselves and their children on the ins and outs of Christianity in order to defend personal faith and beliefs in a secular, faithless society. Parents are a child’s most powerful source of influence but we must prepare to equip our children with a strong biblical knowledge that supports the Truth we live by. Failing to do so cannot be an option. Future generations depend on our due diligence. I wasn’t familiar with the author, Natasha Crain, prior to reading this book but I did learn she has a lot of street-cred in regards to apologetics. As a mother of three, Natasha has a widely successful blog called Christian Mom Thoughts, a certificate in apologetics from Biola University, and is the author of another parenting apologetics book – Keeping Your Kids on God’s Side. The Introduction to this book immediately got me hooked. I felt like Natasha was speaking directly to me about something that has reoccurred in my life when in reality she and I struggle with the same issue – gardening! She begins the Introduction by saying her backyard is where plants go to die and oh yes, have I been there! Without giving too much of the book away, I will briefly explain what she was referring to. While the concept of gardening appears to be simple (dirt, seeds, and water), Natasha describes the true complexity of it in three different ways: 1.) Each plant has unique needs, 2.) Plants need more than one ingredient and in the right amounts, and 3.) The environment plays a major role. Natasha goes on to illustrate the similarity between what plants need for physical growth and what children need for spiritual growth. I thought this analogy was genius and it totally struck a cord with me! The Introduction had me hooked and I began to read with vigor and engagement. However, I quickly became glazed over by the intellectual detail portrayed in several chapters. This led me to slow down my reading pace because I was either overwhelmed or felt like the information was way over my head. It took me almost two months to read this book and it was full of peaks and valleys for me. Meaning, there were chapters in this book that were dry for me or too scholarly while other chapters took a unique angle from other apologetics books I had read and therefore seemed to keep my interest. Throughout Talking With Your Kids About God, there was one thing that did stand out to me and that was Natasha’s perspective from questions she received from her blog following. She includes these questions, doubts, and defenses from the viewpoints of both theistic and atheistic people. I found this to be incredibly beneficial because some of the questions and debates offered by atheists and agnostics I wouldn’t have even thought of nor would I have been able to defend if they had come up in one of my personal conversations. I felt this addition to each chapter was well-supported in Natasha’s study of defending Christianity. Moreover, these questions challenged the reader (i.e. parent) to test what they had learned by applying it in a hypothetical response. All in all, this book was well worth the read. It is complied of 5 different topic sections that include the existence of God, the science of God, the nature of God, believing in God, and the difference God makes. There are a total of 30 chapters that address a specific question for parental conversation with your children. In the end of each chapter there are also key points to remember as well as a conversational guide with applicable discussion questions to help you interact with your children while conducting insight dialogue with them. This book is perfect for families with children of all ages and Natasha makes it very easy to navigate and tailor topics to your child’s age and maturity while tackling individual needs or questions. If you want to help shape the next generation and develop strong followers of Christ, I highly recommend you add Talking With Your Kids About God to your reading list! *Please note, I was given this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

If you've read Natasha's first book, Keeping your Kids on God's Side, then you know that this book is going to be filled with practical ways to talk to your children about spiritual matters. And that’s why I’m so excited about Natasha Crain’s latest book, Talking with Your Kids about God. It's even more comprehensive than her first book, and even more than her last book, it feels like she's coaching us through how we have deep conversations with our children. The book is divided into 5 sections, and each section contains: - 3 Keys for maximizing the conversations with our children. These are the 3 “goals” for the sections. - 6 Questions related to the section. This is the meat of the book, as Natasha provides a model for how she has engaged her children with these questions and the answers she’s guided them to. This is where Natasha’s knowledge, style and flow help us as parents and youth workers to understand how best to answer the topics covered. - Each of the chapters (6 questions) ends with a conversation guide designed with starter questions we can ask our children, as well as tips for application. The book's strength is in her connection with the home. Natasha's illustrations are straight from her own family's life: a treadmill accident, a broken scale, a neighbor's ball that rolled into her yard. These help us as parents make connections between everyday occurrences and an opportunity to talk to our children about God. I think this book is going to be helpful for multiple audiences: For parents who aren’t “readers” or are intimidated by the description of the book, please don’t be. I think if you look at the questions she covers, you’ll see how relevant these are to the culture we live in right now. These topics and questions are probably things that we’ve all asked ourselves or wondered. That’s what makes this book so accessible. Natasha takes relevant theological and philosophical topics and not only provides answers for the questions we have, but she trains us on how to approach these questions with our own children. Or maybe you’re a parent with a pretty good grip on apologetics and theology and you’re wondering what value this book could bring in your already stuffed bookshelf? Talking with Your Kids About God is worth reading because the parenting lens through which she discusses these questions with us are designed to help the family slow down and think carefully through what we believe and why. I love that this is a book mainly about asking good questions to our children and being equipped to answer good questions from them. For my fellow youth workers: this is a great resource for doing a Q&A series. We all know it’s good to provide our students with opportunities to ask questions. If we don’t provide that for them, they’ll ask those questions elsewhere and we can’t guarantee that they’ll get the right answers. This book is awesome for setting up a time for us to ask good questions of our students and help them wrestle with the answers. I can’t imagine a better way for students to come to grips with their own faith than asking questions in a safe environment. For anyone in a family ministry or director role: this is a great resource for training parents on how to engage with deeper conversations with their children on spiritual matters. If we could give the churches in our families the tools they need to have rich, spiritual conversations with their children, wouldn’t we jump all over it? This book will definitely provide you with a solid foundation to start.

Talking with Your Kids about God, a 2017 release by Natasha Crain, is an important book for Christian parents. She takes very complex issues and breaks them down into well-reasoned but simple arguments for the truths of scripture. She uses the Socratic method of questions and answers. ‘If this is so, why is it so? If such and such is believed, why is that faulty reasoning? In each chapter, she contrasts between an atheistic worldview and a theistic worldview. Then, at the end of each chapter, she summarizes the “key points,” and has a “conversation guide” with ways to open a conversation with your children on a certain topic, advance the conversation on a certain topic, and apply the conversation.’ For example, from the chapter Can Science Prove or Disprove God’s Existence? She asks these questions: “Advance the conversation: Much of the time when people say that science disproves God’s existence, what they mean is that they believe certain scientific findings…contradict something the Bible says is true. What is an example of one thing in the Bible that science could say something about, and one thing that science could not say something about? (A good example of the former is a historical claim that archeology could weigh in on. A good example is the latter is whether Jesus was resurrected. The resurrection is a miracle. If God exists, He’s not tied to working within the natural laws investigated by science.)” (Talking With Your Kids About God, 30 Conversations Every Christian Parent Must Have by Natasha Crain, Baker Books, 2017, pp. 93, 94). Basically, this book could be called “Apologetics 101” for upper elementary—senior high school students. Naturally, the answers she gives are not exhaustive, but they do provide an important platform for children to seriously examine the basis for their faith and learn how to hold onto that faith in a secular/atheistic environment. As part of the value of the book, the last section of the book discusses the practical implications of living out one’s solidly reasoned Christian faith in the world. 4 stars. ML Codman-Wilson, Ph.D. 11/16/2017 Excerpts “The chance formation of even a single protein—a key component of life—is extraordinarily improbable. And proteins are just one component of a minimally complex cell. Other important cellular-level building blocks of life include DNA and RNA—highly complex nucleic acids that hold and utilize the information needed for a living organism to exist and function. DNA and RNA work together to make proteins. But there’s a problem. They cannot do that without the help of certain proteins. So which came first—DNA and RNA (which make proteins) or the proteins necessary for DNA and RNA to make proteins? These are just some of the many origin-of-life conundrums researchers face because the cell is such a well-oiled, intricate system” (p. 54).

All parents would agree: kids ask a LOT of questions! Some questions are easily answered, while others require only a firm “because I said so!” But what about the questions which aren’t easily answered but are critical to our kids forming a strong relationship with Christ? And will our answers fall flat in a world increasingly hostile to biblical views? In her book Talking With Your Kids About God, author Natasha Crain sets out 30 conversations to help parents navigate some of the toughest and most critical questions facing our kids today. I love that Natasha is not only a talented author and apologist but she is also a parent, like me. She gets it because she is living it right along with us. She also understands that parents don’t always have all the answers (just don’t tell our kids). This book isn’t about having all the answers, but navigating through questions and helping kids find their own answers — based not on Flying Spaghetti Monster theories but on rational, scientific, overwhelming proof. Natasha examines everything from evidences for God’s existence, to the aspects of His nature (even the tough ones), to different beliefs about God, and ultimately to the difference God makes in the lives of those who have placed their trust and hope in Him. At the end of each chapter, she sets out helpful Key Points followed by a Conversation Guide to help families open, advance, and apply conversations about the chapter’s topic. I love all of the applicable Bible verses in the “Advance the Conversation” sections! This book is more than a great apologetic resource. It is a vital tool families should not be without in today’s secular world. The world will not shy away from giving kids every “answer” against God and biblical thought. We should not shy away from equipping our kids with the confidence to debate and debunk those hopeless and incorrect views. On a personal note, in the middle of reading this book my young daughter came to me and asked why God punishes people if He loves them. I was glad to have Nastasha’s chapter all about God’s love and His justness. It helped me navigate my daughter’s question and the verses helped us both take a closer look at God’s love and His justness — and why they are both very good things. But this book isn’t just apologetics and Q & A — it’s also great, relatable storytelling! I literally laugh out loud when Natasha described a melt-down her own daughter had and how she stormed to her room labeling her as a “mean mom” who didn’t love her at all. Oh, I’ve been there! But the truth? Sometimes the most loving mom or dad (or Heavenly Father) is labeled as unloving because true parental love is not about being fair, but about being just. This is why my daughter can’t stay up as late as her older brother, but she will always receive the same bedtime prayers and kisses goodnight. She labels it unfair, but in the morning I am justified by her rested nature. God is good! I highly recommend this book for people in every stage of parenting. We can’t start young enough, and late is always better than never when it comes to equipping our kids with biblical answers that will hold up against the unbiblical barrage they’ll face. These truly are “30 Conversations Every Christian Parent MUST HAVE.” **I was blessed to be part of the launch team for Talking With Your Kids About God, and was provided an Advanced Reader’s Copy in return for my honest review of the book.

Having been in ministry for over 30 years first as a youth pastor, then a youth and Christian Education pastor, and finally as the lead pastor of my present congregation, and, having raised two boys who are both attending Christian Universities, and who are making their faith in Christ their own now, I was both asked for and a seeker of books and other resources on raising kids to embrace Christ and live for Him. Now that I have read Natasha Crain’s book Talking with Your Kids About God: 30 Conversations Every Christian Parent Must Have (Baker Books, 2017) I will gladly recommend it to parents who are wanting to have helpful and essential conversations with their kids about the core beliefs of Christianity. Talking with your Kids About God is as an immensely practical book in which Crain offers a process to discuss the thirty topics presented in the book: Open the Conversation Advance the Conversation Apply the Conversation and, as she notes in the introduction this book “is designed to equip you, the adult, with the knowledge you need to have these conversations with your kids. In other words, don’t hand this book directly to your kids-it’s not written for them! This is your guide! The five areas covered in this book are ones which kids raised in the Christian will face as they navigate through their childhood, adolescents, and into adulthood: The Existence of God Science and God The Nature of God Believing in God The Difference God Makes A strength of this book, is that while Crain presents material, well rooted in the Christian faith, to assist the parent/adult in the discussion, she does so to facilitate the discussion rather that tell her audience what to say and how to say it. Such an approach respects the parent and the child and allows for discussion of (and the often times painful wrestling with) the questions and issues. And she presents the material in a fair and even-handed manner. Talking to Your Kids About God would be a great resource for a Sunday School class for parents, from elementary through college, quite frankly, to use as a way to encourage the members to have the conversations and hear how they went. It would also be a helpful resource for undergrad and graduate courses in family ministry, educational ministry, children’s ministry, and youth ministry classes. Note: I received a copy of this book from Baker Book Bloggers in exchange for a review. I was not required to write a positive review.

As a youth pastor, I believe apologetics are important – not just in equipping teens to share their faith with others but even more importantly, in helping them understand what they believe and why. As a parent, I also want my daughter to know what she believes and why. I'm curious about the role apologetics might play in shaping her faith. Because of my experience as both a youth pastor and parent, I was excited to read Natasha Crain’s Talking to Your Kids about God: 30 Conversations Every Christian Parent Must Have. Talking to Your Kids about God is broken down into five parts, each dealing with a major area of apologetics: • The existence of God • Science and God • The Nature of God • Believing in God • The Difference God Makes. Each part contains several short chapters dealing with related subject areas, each designed to give parents both “direction – the knowledge of what to do – and discipline – the commitment to doing it” in having difficult faith-related conversations with their kids. Natasha’s approach to all the issues she discusses in Talking to Your Kids about God is that “apparent conflicts” between the secular world and the Christian community should be acknowledged and discussed – an approach which I very much appreciate. In addition to Natasha’s overall approach to difficult subject matters, I loved several things about Talking to Your Kids about God. First, I love that it’s written by a female. After looking at my apologetics shelf, I realized ALL the apologetics books I own are written by white males. Natasha unashamedly brings her perspective as a mother into her writing. In fact, many chapter introductions feature anecdotes involving her kids that she then relates to apologetics. This breathes life into a subject area that’s often rather dry. Additionally, I wholeheartedly believe it will reach a female audience in a way that I’m not sure many other apologetics books have. I also love that each chapter of Talking to Your Kids about God contains two closing sections: A bulleted list of key points and a conversation guide. The bulleted list of key points provides a succinct summary of the chapter that would make it easy for a parent who hasn’t read it to engage in good conversation about it. Those conversations are also made easy using each chapter’s “Conversation Guide”. I’m normally not a fan of such things but these conversation starters are actually really good. Good enough that I wholeheartedly plan to steal some of the questions to use as discussion fodder in lessons about some of these issues with my youth group kids. For example, in the chapter, “Is what you believe about God simply a matter of where you grew up?” one of the conversation starters is “99% of people in Afghanistan are Muslim. Do you think that if you had been born in Afghanistan, you would be a Muslim too? Why or why not?” Just think about all the directions that a conversation sparked by this question could go! That brings me to yet another thing I appreciated about Talking to Your Kids about God. It’s a book that parents can read and enjoy whole. But it’s also an excellent resource for parents (and youth pastors) to have on their bookshelf and pull out when their kids raise specific questions like – Do science and faith contradict one another? or Are all religions the same? With a quick skim of the table of contents, you’d be able to sit down and in less than 15 minutes, read and digest a chapter that will equip you to have a meaningful conversation with your child. For these reasons, I wholeheartedly recommend Talking to Your Kids about God to both parents and youth pastors alike. For those more familiar with apologetics, it’s an excellent review with fresh, engaging stories. For those unfamiliar with apologetics, it’s a great primer useful in both pastoring and parenting! **************************************************** Disclosure: I received a free copy of Talking to Your Kids about God from Baker Books in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Everything about this book flows clearly both logically and practically. For years I’ve been impressed with Natasha’s ability to lay out ideas in easy to digest blog posts, but hadn’t gotten my hands on her thoughts in long form before. It was a pleasure to see how she breaks down concepts that intimidate many mature Christians into bite-sized pieces and gives us handles to be able not only to understand them ourselves, but explain them to children still in single digits. It took me a bit to think of something I don't appreciate about this book and its more something missing than a problem. The opening few chapters are on how the natural world points logically to God and it left me thinking Natasha was trying to explain that God is the most logical conclusion rather than actual reality. If she had told me she was just beginning to build her case and working from general to specific, I would have been a lot happier. As it is, I was able to explain to my kids how looking only at the created world can lead someone away from atheism to theism, but it takes the Bible to know what the real God is truly like. One of the delightful things about this book is its flexibility. As stated, the book is designed for parents to read on their own and introduce the ideas in their own words, but there’s no reason older students can’t follow Natasha’s writing for themselves. In my own family this spells out to reading many chapters aloud to my teens and then pulling in the younger kids as we get to the root principle we are discussing for the day. The book provides handy bullet points to remind me of the main ideas if I want to just share extemporaneously as well as sets of both easy and more advanced comprehension questions. There are two things I most appreciate about this particular book: the opening stories/analogies and the closing dialogue starters. Analogies are powerful tools to help reach our hearts and make us care about a subject. Natasha’s are always spot on and clarify the point in a compelling way. Then to close out the discussion each chapter gives real world examples of the kinds of thinking the atheistic world will throw out to us. I found these both helped to cement our understanding of the concepts, and gave me a chance to focus on our attitude towards unbelievers. Everyone knows how important it is to practice skills in a controlled environment before the stress of real time fries one’s brain. Imagining how I might talk to an acquaintance who rejects Jesus helps me not get overwhelmed and inspires me to find and hang on Biblical answers now because I’ll be sure to need them later. I’ve used this book as part of our homeschool day for the Bible/logic time and found it generally takes about 10 minutes to work through a chapter. We did break down the chapter on God’s attributes into multiple days because I wanted to take time on each facet alone, but because Natasha includes several verses for these topics, the time spent ended up being the same. With 30 chapters in total, you could easily use the book for a once a week apologetics time for a full school year. Disclaimer: I received an advanced reader copy from Baker as part of Natasha’s launch team. I wasn’t told what to say. All opinions are my own.

Do you really need one more book to read? In our home, we have well over 300 books stacked on our shelves. Between homeschooling and a husband who is a perpetual student of theology and apologetics, the thought of one more book about pushed me off a cliff. I would rather play a game of Uno with my kiddos, or I find myself drowned by the beautiful and endless demands of being a mom. So reading just never makes it into my daily routine. In fact, it rarely even crosses my mind. But we need resources to help us raise our kids. We need resources to help us help our kids navigate a culture that is rapidly changing. Our kids have more questions than ever before, and they are asking the tough questions at a younger and younger age. I cannot ignore the world they are growing up in, and they cannot escape it. So I need to prepare and equip them—even if I don’t think I have the time. We need resources that help parents equip kids to handle challenges to their faith, to be Christ in a broken world, and to tackle cultural intolerance with a biblical worldview. But let’s be honest, most of those resources are super meaty, and you need a dictionary close by as you read. If there was a resource that answered all the tough questions, but in a way that the rest of us could not just comprehend, but apply, that is a book you would make time to read. Well, consider your resource found. Natasha Crain, in her new book, Talking with Your Kids about God, does precisely that. She takes the time to teach us parents the topics and then, in turn, equips us with questions and answers so we can confidently have these conversations with our children and prepare them to be lifelong disciples of Jesus. As parents, we spend a ton of time, energy, and money caring for the physical and emotional needs of our children, are their spiritual needs any less important? “To care for the physical needs of others while ignoring their spiritual needs is like giving a hamburger to a hungry man sitting on train tracks and not telling him a train is coming. The Bible calls Christians to care for both physical and spiritual needs, and ignoring either puts people in serious danger.” - Natasha Crain What’s Inside This book is unique. It is more than a book; it is a training tool. It is broken down into five parts, and inside those parts, there are a total of 30 conversations. Each conversation shares the skeptic’s view and the Christian view. Each of these conversations is just that—conversations. They are meant to spark discussion with your kids, create opportunities to practice and provide teachable moments. Natasha tackles the obstacles and defines all the terms we need to know and includes space to apply the material you just learned. Her dedication to explaining the content goes above and beyond making you truly feel confident you can handle these conversations and teach them to your children. This is not a book you read just once. Nor is this a book that will collect dust on a shelf or serve as a coaster on your coffee table. You will read it again. And again. This is a book families can grow with. You can, at first read it for content and discussion, but then as your children grow and learn you can equip them and encourage them to further the discussion. They can even read the book and then lead the discussions. Think about the future for your family. The opportunity you will have to watch your children grown up knowing what they believe and being able to defend it clearly and gently. When statistics show that the majority of high school students are walking away from their faith, you can be encouraged that starting at any age can truly equip your child to not only know and walk with God but be ready to defend their faith and witness to others. "I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review."

The subtitle to Natasha Crain’s latest book is this: 30 Conversations Every Christian Parent Must Have. After reading the entire book, I fully agree with that claim. But…I’d also say they are 30 conversations most Christian parents are ACHING to have and would be thrilled to start if only they knew how. And that’s why I love this book. It’s a gentle, loving, and intelligent guide for parents who long to have the important conversations but could use a little help. Each “conversation” starts with a message to parents—written in a conversational style that is both comforting and helpful. This is followed by specific suggestions for how to have the conversation with your children (which can be adapted for almost any age child) and ideas for follow-up discussions. For some parents, it’s time we lack. We don’t have time to do the research required to answer all the questions our children have about things such as the relationship between science and faith, or the reasons why all religions aren’t saying the same basic thing, or the cultural differences between Old Testament and New Testament societies. In Talking With Your Kids About God, Natasha has done the research for us…and she has presented the truly important points in a relatable and clear way that doesn’t overwhelm or intimidate. For other parents, it’s not time we need, it’s understanding. If we’re honest, we all have our own doubts about God—we struggle with the problem of evil at times, and I’m sure I’m not the only one who has wondered if God really answers prayer. Trying to give an honest and satisfying answer to children when we’re still grappling ourselves is difficult. And the tendency might be to avoid the conversations altogether, which would be a shame—because it’s the perfect opportunity to dig in together. This book is the perfect place to go in times like these. Natasha gives true answers that are scripturally sound and clear (and comforting) for both parents and children. A couple of my favorite sections are the section on the Nature of God and the part detailing the Difference God Makes. In her discussion of the Nature of God, Natasha covers incredible ground with conversations about what we learn of God in the Bible, His love and justice, how to explain the trinity and why the Bible isn’t exhaustive but is sufficient. The last section of the book talks about the difference God makes in our lives, and this is so important. Natasha discusses the meaning of life, the issue of free will, the problem of evil, how we should treat ourselves and others, and what hope we have as Christians that others are missing. My children are all older now (16, 17, 23), and we still have conversations about God. But as I read this book, I kept saying over and over again, “Man, I wish I had this book when my kids were younger.” This is truly a one-stop resource that isn’t a waste of time, a bunch of shallow or trite answers, or pie-in-the-sky conversations that no real family would ever have. No…this is worth buying for yourself and also as a gift for every baby shower you attend in the future. And…It’s a book you’ll want to keep handy because these conversations will happen far more often than once.

Natasha Crain has done an outstanding job in this book which is a followup to her last book, Keeping Your Kids On God's Side. This volume in what will be a series of books for parents in Christian apologetics focuses on the evidence for God's existence, the evidence for the compatibility of science and God, the nature of God and other Christian worldview topics. Apologetics is simply the term for the defense of the faith. In her first book, Natasha identifies some of the biggest challenges to faith that children will face as they go out into the world. As she notes in her book, it is just as necessary to ensure spiritual health of children as their physical and emotional health. Our children will face a world that is post-Christian in nature and parents are those best equipped to ensure a lasting faith in their children. However, parents must have both the intention and direction to ensure their children are prepared to face the challenges that their faith will face in the world today. Each chapter addresses a topic in the Christian worldview that is being challenged by the world. The chapter takes very complex topics and makes them very understandable and accessible to all parents. Each chapter has concrete examples of how the information can be used in real world situations. Biblical references, historical references, and even scientific references are used to further ground each chapter. What I really like about the book is that at the end of every chapter, there is a Conversation Guide that gives parents a way to start a conversation with their children about the chapter topic and then ways to expand the conversation. Open the Conversation gets the topic discussion started by asking children their opinions on the subject. Advance the Conversation delves deeper into each subject with your children. The topical discussions can be modified to suit a variety of age ranges. The final portion of the Conversation Guide is a brief statement called "Apply the Conversation" that presents to the parent a skeptic view (atheist) of the topic. This is presented for parents to raise with their children the views of skeptics in a safe environment so the parent can guide the conversation. Natasha included this section so that parents can prepare their children for possible challenges to their faith that they might face in life. The parent can then guide their children on how to respond to these challenges when they arise in the future. Again, this is a parent led discussion, so any of the conversation applications could be omitted if parents feel uncomfortable with them. The book is divided into 5 sections. Part I: shows the evidence for the Existence of God Part II: discusses the compatibility of Science and God Part III: talks about the Nature of God Part IV: talks about Believing in God Part V: talks about the Difference God Makes A must read for any Christian parent who wishes to ensure that their children are prepared for faith challenges in the world. This would also be a good introductory book for adults who have no apologetics experience and would like to learn more. It would be a good accompaniment to a homeschool or Sunday school curriculum as well. I was given an advance copy of this product in exchange for my honest review.

Natasha has a God given ability to relate everyday experiences to what she is teaching…..how to equip our kids with a confident faith in God. One of the things I most appreciate in the way Natasha writes is how she uses her real life examples to explain the concept at hand. She uses these examples and experiences from life that can be used as opportunities to discuss evidence for God with our kids. The real life examples that Natasha writes with makes understanding the concepts at hand a more logical process and allows me as a parent to look for these everyday occurrences to tie in conversations about God. ‘Talking With Your Kids About God’, has provided me with the groundwork to assist in equipping my kids with a confident faith, and in the process, grown and challenged my faith and my ability to defend my beliefs. The topics in this book are conversations we NEED to be having with our kids and in order to have these conversations with our kids, we, as parents, leaders, teachers, mentors, can’t equip our kids in these areas if we don’t understand the topics ourselves. The chapter lengths in this book are great- short but PACKED with information to equip YOU for these vital and impactful conversations with your kids. At the end of each chapter, Natasha provides a ‘conversation guide’ which includes a general question to open the conversation with your kids, followed by pointed questions to ‘advance the conversation’ and ends with ‘applying’ the conversation which is a more thought provoking application of the chapter concept. This is one of the MAJOR things that sets this book apart from other ‘question’s about faith’ books that I’ve been searching for in the realm of apologetics. Besides Natasha’s ability to explain the material in a way that’s easily digestible, she does all the groundwork in providing talking points, specific questions (and direction for answers) and application of the topic at hand. The starting points for conversations with your kids on these topics is present at the end of each chapter so you don’t have to figure out ‘how’ to approach the topics on your own. The talking points, conversation starters and application points will most definitely lead to other conversations and questions naturally with your kids (as they have in our house), but the main thing here, is she provides fantastic points to get those conversations going and get your kids minds thinking. Not only will your children gain from this, but your ability to stand confident in your faith will result. This is a reference book for our family and will be one we go back to continuously….along with Natasha’s first book, Keeping Your Kids on God’s Side. I can’t recommend this book strongly enough…This book WILL assist in equipping YOU and YOUR KIDS to have a confident faith! I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in return for my honest review.

“In today's increasingly skeptical and hostile world, how can you prepare your kids for the challenge and doubts they will inevitably face?” The above question is one you, as a parent, may be asking yourself. It's a question thoroughly covered as I read through a complimentary copy of the book featured below. As a mom of two grown children, I see that I overlooked some of the important conversations addressed in this book. Our local church has taught many of these topics in our weekly family Bible studies, so my children aren't completely in the dark. However, as a parent, I see the importance of these the following topics through conversations at home: The Existence of God Science and God The Nature of God Believing in God The Difference God Makes How each religion believes regarding “the one true God” vs. “many gods” is one a conversation I would like to have with my older children. They know that there is only one true God, yet the book has shown me how the other religions believe. My children need to be aware of these false teachings with all that is being thrown at them in the world. There are a few more conversations from this book I would like to have with my older children; I have yet to have any of the conversations with my youngest, apart from the fact that there is a God who loves him very much. I am looking forward reading through this book a second time, at a slower pace, to compare the provided answers to God's Word. I didn't find anything that sounded incorrect, but I always try to compare what I'm reading to the truth in God's Word.

“My kids were going to need a lot more from me, and I had to find out what that was.” When it comes to faith, children all come to a point where they want to dig deeper into the questions surrounding faith. How do we know God is real? How does science work with faith? Is it okay to doubt? Why is there evil? Parents can need help to answer their children’s questions and the first step is educating themselves. Talking With Your Kids About God is a book for parents to learn and dig deep into the questions our children will ask us about faith. I was looking at the books available from Baker Book Bloggers and saw Talking With Your Kids About God. I thought it would be a good resource to look at so I requested a copy. I received a free copy in exchange for a fair review. Thirty different questions are covered in Talking With Your Kids About God under the topics of the existence of God, science and God, the nature of God, believing in God and the difference God makes. The book is not watered-down, but really digs into facts, examples and true stories to explain the topic and answer the question. The author even provides key points for each question and a conversation guide for parents for each of the thirty questions. I will be hanging on to this book because I think it is an excellent resource to have on hand as my children get older and grapple with making their faith their own – even though I have a Biblical Studies degree. I really like the conversation guides. I highly recommend this book for any Christian parent.

Natasha Crain's newest book 'Talking with your kids about God' is an essential book for every Christian family and any Christian who interacts with the youth. Scripture clearly commands us parents (Deuteronomy 6:6-7 and Proverbs 22:6) to teach our children what the Bible says and to have these conversations daily. But how do we do that if we don't have a firm grasp on some of these harder topics/questions? This book not only teaches you as a parent how to answer the top questions people have about God but it also helps you understand how to teach it to your children. The Bible tells us in 1 Peter 3:15-16 to always be ready to defend your hope (confidence) in your faith, this book will help you and your children be ready to do so. Simply put as parents we need this book because we can't teach what we don't know/understand. If we as parents don't teach our children to love and honor God the world will teach them not to. As parents we need to be the ones helping our children walk through these tough questions not the world. Natasha gives scripture and references for all her points so you can cross reference. This book is broken down into 30 conversations every parent must have when talking to their children about God. The format is laid out so that it can be easily be used as a resource for years to come, you can easily flip to the topic your child is asking about. These are not one time discussions with your kids, so you will find yourself returning to this resource time after time. The book is written so that a layperson can easily understand it, yet it doesn't sacrifice the research and depth required to answer these hard questions and topics. Natasha gives personal examples, stories and illustrations to help the reader not only understand the information but also to retain it. My favorite part of the book is that the end of each chapter contains a summary with key points, conversation starters and application ideas. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has children in their lives, works with the youth or simply wants to understand apologetics better themselves. #talkingwithyourkidsaboutgod *Disclaimer- I received an advanced readers copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. The opinion stated is my own and I did not receive any compensation in anyway for my review.

After reading Natasha's first book, Keeping Your Kids on God's Side, I was so excited to see a second book, and it definitely meets my expectations! Not only is it a great read, but also our family will be using her book as a reference for years to come. The first time I read through the book I talked with my pre-teen about many of the topics using what Natasha provided and we had several great conversations. The younger siblings even joined in! We will be going through this book multiple times to cover all of the topics as a family. We often hear about an increasing number of kids leaving the church after going to college, and many of them due to not being able to defend their faith. One theory is from a lack of understanding of objective truths in their own faith. Natasha does a fabulous job introducing complex material in a very practical manner and helps parents have meaningful conversations with their kids. Not only is the material provided, but also she walks you through the questions to ask your kids and how to facilitate conversation developing a depth to their understanding. The book is split into 5 parts beginning with the existence of God, working through the compatibility of God with science and nature, talking about how this information should lead us to believe in God, and answering the big questions about why belief even matters. Each of these main parts starts with a story from her life that relates to the topic, leads into an overview of the section, and ends with the key conversations that parents should focus on. One of my favorite parts is the chapter breakdown. The material is introduced, and then thoroughly explained in easy to digest segments. Each chapter closes with two sections: 1) Key Points: a clear summary of the material and 2) the Conversation Guide: the part gives questions (with suggestions on how to answer) to open the conversation, to continue the conversation, and then how to apply the conversation. Therefore, even if you do not feel confident in your own words, Natasha equips you in how to answer these big questions. I know your family will enjoy this book as much as we have, and one that you can refer back to time and time again. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

After reading Natasha's first book I couldn't wait to read this one. I was not disappointed! This book is a resource every Christian parent should have in their library. In fact, buy a couple of copies so you can lend one out and have one close by to refer to. Natasha's writing is down to earth and easy to read for all parents, even those with young children. The research is clear that young adults are leaving the Christian faith at alarming rates. Overwhelmingly the reason is that they have questions, and they don't think Christianity has answers. As parents we must arm our kids with an understanding of the arguments for Christianity. We need to give them this information far before they ever leave home, but most of us just don't know where to start. This book helps parents understand what questions they need to address with their kids, how to initiate conversations and how to continually build on and deepen those conversations. Talking with Your Kids about God takes a large amount of information and breaks it down into short, easy to understand chapters that are filled with well researched Bible verses, quotes, and studies from experts. One of the things I love about this book is that it left me as a parent feeling inspired and hopeful. It is easy for us moms of young kids to feel that apologetics is a topic better left to the academics, and better addressed by people who are more educated or well read than the average parent. Natasha does a fantastic job of encouraging parents that we CAN and should be the ones to navigate tough questions and conversations with our kids. We don't have to be intimidated when our kids ask questions like "why does God seem so harsh in parts of the Old Testament?" or "how should we make sense of evil?" Natasha's book will arm you with answers, and with confidence to engage your kids in challenging conversations and encourage them in their faith. It is a book you will turn to for reference again and again! *I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in return for my honest review.

Talking with Your Kids About God should be giving to every parent at the hospital when their child is born. It is the Swiss army knife of difficult conversations. While the Lord has not blessed me with children, I do my best to shepherd every kid that comes along my path, whether that be in Sunday school, or with my nieces and nephews. One of the most difficult things about having Biblical conversations with kids is knowing how to start the conversation! This book takes the guess work out of the equation, and gives parents (or aunts in my case) a discussion guide (along with hints and suggestions) at the end of each chapter. The book is divided into five parts, with an intro and six chapters each. (Existence of God, Science and God, The Nature of God, Believing in God, and The Difference God Makes) Ministering as an apologist for many years, I can say with confidence that each chapter focuses on a relevant question for Christian faith not only for kids, but adults as well. And I will make a prediction: if you don’t have these conversations with your kids now, your local (or internet) atheist is more than willing to. Natasha’s writing is easy to understand, compacting solid scholarship around helpful analogies and illustrations. I highly recommend this book for a group study. I think parents could learn not only from the material within it, but from each other, and each other’s stories as they all have these conversations with their kids and report back. Not every conversation will be a slam dunk, but this is what living in community is about! Learning together, and sharing the successes and failures. One thing is for sure though, this book is a definite win for any parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, teacher, or youth group leader who is willing to dive into the Christian faith. Our youth are leaving the church in record numbers, and much of that is from a shallow, unchallenged faith that rested on tradition and feelings, and not an objective event in history, and a theology that makes reasonable, rational, sense. I cannot recommend this book enough.

Oh how I wish my parents would have had this book when I was young! Natasha Crain has exceeded all my expectations with this tremendous resource for Christian parents. “Just have faith.” This is the answer many Christian parents offer their children when faced with tough questions about the existence of God, the nature of God, the reliability of the Bible, and the myriad of other queries their children will inevitably ask about their faith. With the massive amount of information (not all true) available to our kids via the internet, and the crushing pressure to live up to a certain ideal thanks to social media, our kids will absolutely, 100%, no doubt about it….question their faith. It’s not a matter of if—but when. This is where Natasha Crain comes in. In her typically relatable, down to earth, clear and concise writing style, she guides Christian parents through answering their kids' questions, but takes it a step further by teaching parents to actually engage their kids in discussion about their faith before they experience their first doubt. Each chapter begins with great storytelling that connects the imagination with the information presented, and ends with a “Key Points” section, followed by a very practical “Conversation Guide.” In the Conversation Guide section, parents are guided through “Opening the conversation, Advancing the conversation, and Applying the conversation.” This provides a fool-proof method for provoking kids to think deeply about their faith, making them ready to encounter the relentless skeptical attack that is coming for them as they grow up. It also promotes an atmosphere where Christian kids feel safe to talk with their parents about difficult topics in regard to faith. As a Christian parent, this is a tradition I want to start with my kids as young as possible. Thanks to this book, I can do that in a way that is engaging, safe, and fun for my kids. (I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.)

As a parent, I have been waiting for a book like this! As an apologist, I am thrilled with the content. Author Natasha Crain eloquently tackles tough apologetics-related topics that parents need to discuss with their children, including issues like the nature of God, how science and Christianity work together, the problem of evil, and what it means to believe in God. In the past, many parents didn't even realize they should be answering these questions because they thought the church was doing it. Well, the church is not always equipped (as it should be) to answer these types of questions, and parents must do it. Talking With Your Kids About God is a great starting point to get those conversations going. Although the topics are tough, the presentation of the subjects is simple and easy to follow. In each chapter, Crain gives a brief overview of the issue, complete with Scripture references, diving in deeper when necessary for context and understanding. Apologetics can sometimes be intimidating (though it shouldn't be!), and Crain is able to bring it down to a level most people will understand. She then summarizes the key points, offers discussion questions, and even challenges the reader to try to answer a question posed from an atheist (provided at the end of each chapter). This is a great way to get parents and their children to start thinking about how they can defend their faith. One thing I wish Crain would have included in the book is a glossary at the end of the book. Although Crain does define challenging words/ideas throughout the chapters and sections, it would have been good to have also included a glossary for future reference. That said, this book is still accessible to the layperson with no apologetics background. I recommend this book to parents, youth pastors, and others who work with youth. I think it's appropriate for kids 8+, depending on maturity, etc. *Disclaimer, I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated in any way for the book or review and all views are my own.*

One of the reasons Natasha Crain’s Talking with Your Kids about God is such a refreshing and helpful teaching aid, is that it may very well teach you as it helps you teach your children. And by teach, I don’t mean lecture. That’s the beauty of it. She gives you practical discussion points and approaches, as well as applications at the end of each chapter. Opportunities to discuss the material will arise naturally if you’re on the lookout for them. For example, in one of the first chapters of Part 1 The Existence of God, the topic is Where Did the Universe Come From. She provides everything from Bible references to quotes from respected scholars, and she presents it in a bite-sized way. If you’d like to dive in deeper, her footnotes should point you in the right direction. By the end of that chapter, if you hear a skeptic say “I don’t claim the universe came from anything at all and it didn’t appear. The universe just is.” (like the skeptic example does in Crain’s discussion notes), you’re likely to feel more confident to engage them and discuss than you did before you began reading. In the final chapter of Part 2, “What do scientists believe about God?,” Crain clarifies and debunks the claim that 93% of scientists are atheists. If it comes as a surprise to you that that number is thrown around dishonestly, well, I’d highly highly recommend picking up this book. You’ll be better prepared to start a conversation with your child about the nature of science and their place as a believer. I appreciate that Crain explores the reasons why God’s existence can be reasonably believed. The discussion prompts at the end of each chapter will afford our family several targeted ways to start conversations that turn our own sons’ responses into deeper answers. Her biblical and well-reasoned insight is MUCH needed by today's families. So, though I only touched on chapters from Parts 1 and 2 here, the entirety of the book is full of everything you'll need to start having meaningful conversations about God with your kids!

HEY PARENTS. I have a wake up call for you... Depending on which study you look at, 50-75% of young people will walk away from their faith after they leave home and enter their college years. Why? I believe it is because our kids have never been given good reasons to think that Christianity is true and that belief in God can actually be rational and reasonable. As Christian apologist, author, and speaker Dr. Frank Turek says “They’re talked out of it because they’ve never been talked into it!” Well, I for one am tired of seeing young people walk away from their faith, having a faulty understanding of God. That’s why I picked up this incredibly informative resource from popular blogger and speaker Natasha Crain (who’s already written one fantastic book, by the way; “Keeping Your Kids On God’s Side.”) that equips parents with answers to 30 of the most commonly asked questions about God. Not only does it give you the answers so that you don’t have to be afraid of the questions your kids may ask, but it also provides a practical step-by step guide on how to properly approach the subject and then navigate the ensuing discussion with them. Personally, my favorite part of each chapter was where Natasha provides a real life example of a skeptic raising an objection that has to do with that chapter’s subject. You can then talk with your child about the best way to go about answering that specific objection. The more you discuss these important questions about God at home, the more prepared they will be once they encounter real-life challenges. Parents, if you don’t talk with your kids about God, our increasingly skeptical and secular culture will be more than happy to. It is so important that we give our kids good reasons to believe God does exist and that Christianity is true. With Natasha’s help in this book, I am confident that you can give your kids the evidential foundation they need to build a long lasting and God-honoring faith.

Not knowing HOW to answer someone who has a question about or an argument against our faith may be the number one hindrance to Christianity. People ask for meat and we try to serve them a bottle of formula. Our own faith may have never graduated into a confident one that can be understood, fostered, trusted and shared. Now imagine that someone asking for meat is your child. Even if it was enough for us to have “childlike faith”, which is a wonderful thing, it may not be enough for our kids, who do or will have tough questions, either of their own or from others. This is where Talking with Your Kids about God: 30 Conversations Every Christian Parent Must Have proves itself invaluable. It is an apologetics (a defense for your faith) handbook for parents. The relieving news is that Natasha Crain understands that we’re not all theologians, scientists, philosophers, psychologists or logicians. Natasha begins by breaking down five big questions about God into six smaller parts, each of which helps develop the vocabulary that we need to teach to our children in order to understand the spectrum of ideas within it (complete with a conversation guide), then points back to how these proofs help answer the big questions. Our answers to each of these questions will help us have intentional conversations with our kids, understand our own worldview, then prove if it contradicts what God has to say about it biblically. I hope you buy, read and apply Talking with Your Kids about God: 30 Conversations Every Christian Parent Must Have before you have a deer-in-the-headlights moment (or to help you through one)! 2 Timothy 2:15 “Study to show thyself approve unto God, a workman that does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” *Disclaimer: I received an advanced copy of Talking with Your Kids about God by the publisher in exchange for my review. The opinions above are my own and I have not been paid in any way.

So many parents out there have the best of intentions and hearts when it comes to raising their children in the Christian faith. The problem is that a majority of us are so incredibly unequipped when it comes to answering or even discussing the tremendously big, and valid, questions our children will inevitably have. We don't know what we don't know!! And unfortunately the church isn't helping in most cases. Just like anything else in parenting we can't expect someone else to equip our children for us. Luckily, we don't have to go it alone though! As Natasha Crain points out in the introduction of the book, we must become intentional, disciplined and have direction when it comes to our role in our children's spiritual development. "We can't afford to just give it our best shot and see what happens. We have to know what we're doing." "If we just fumble around, speaking about God in whatever terms feel most comfortable to us, we may unintentionally set our kids up for spiritual vulnerability." Crain's writing style is Clear and concise, easy to follow, and down to earth which makes this book ideal for busy parents. It has spiritual depth and knowledge as well which also means that any adult will find it a helpful resource in their own development. Short chapters make for easy reference points should you find yourself in one of those "out of the blue" conversations children seem to throw in our laps! This is a book that should most definitely be on your shelves as it equips you and your children in a very real way, preparing them to have answers and understanding for the faith they have. Either we help give them the foundation of a true Christian worldview on which to build their lives or they become enchanted by some other worldview that seems to give them the answers to their questions. Don't let them think Christianity is a baseless faith, and use this book to help!

I found Talking with Your Kids about God to be a very useful, helpful, and informative resource. Talking with Your Kids about God covers 30 necessary discussion topics. Written from a parent's perspective, this book helps parents talk with their kids about God in a clear, concise, yet in-depth manner. Certainly in today's world, kids have questions. Though they may not always verbalize their questions, they may be thinking about them. Some questions are easily answered, others not so much. Natasha has written a resource that guides parents in having an intelligent conversation about God, matters of Christian faith and belief. As a reliable handbook based on the Bible, it consists of five parts, each containing six chapters. They are short and easy to understand. This is a book for parents to read. Perhaps reading a chapter per day during personal quiet time, looking up the Bible verses in the chapter, then discussing that day's topic with their children. Chapters are summarized with key points, and then flowing into a guide for conversation that includes how to open the discussion, advancing it, and then to practical application. This helps parents ask their children relevant questions, keeping dialogue open by allowing the children to respond. Talking with Your Kids about God is well-researched with documentation. Parents will have a wonderful tool for discussing their beliefs, and yet, provide a solid, factual explanation. I very highly recommend Talking with Your Kids about God: 30 Conversations Every Christian Parent Must Have. It is the resource parents need, and the one families can't be without. *Disclaimer: I am blessed to have been able to read and review Talking with Your Kids about God: 30 Conversations Every Christian Parent Must Have. I received an Advanced Reader's Copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. The opinion stated is my own. I have not been compensated in any way.*

You never know what you’re going to get when you volunteer to read and comment on a book in advance of its release. But in this case I literally could not put the book down! Short of the Bible this might be one of the best books parents will ever read! As parents we need to find ways to counter the secularist agenda designed to diminish our children’s faith in God. It’s everywhere. This is the right book at the right time to not only prevent a faith crisis in our children, but also to help us as parents build a positive case for belief in God, one that can be shared with unbelievers and skeptics of all age demographics. There is no shortage of highly palatable meat within each chapter! In addition to the logical flow of the material itself Natasha concludes each chapter with “Key Points” and a “Conversation Guide”. The guide helps you “Open the conversation”, “Advance the conversation” and, my favorite, “Apply the conversation”. This is a great aid when talking with your children individually or in a homeschool setting. This is a foundational book that helps our young people transition from an inherited faith to a faith they can call their own. It truly is a “must read”, especially in this day & age when writers like Richard Dawkins leave young people with a depressing, nilhistic view. Dawkins mentioned the warning he received from a teacher pertaining to one of his books: "A teacher from a distant country wrote to me reproachfully that a pupil had come to him in tears after reading (The God Delusion), because it had persuaded her that life was empty and purposeless. He advised her not to show the book to any of her friends, for fear of contaminating them with the same nihilistic pessimism” Natasha’s book vaccinates against such damaging pessimism.

Buy this book and keep it next to your Schaffer & CS Lewis books! I have been privileged to be a pre-release reviewer for Natasha’s new book. I must say, this is not the first book on apologetics, evangelism or theology which I have read. I was having trouble putting it down...I was really enjoying Natasha’s style and engaging writing. If you have kids...here are some things to consider: 1. You need to inform, teach and train children in different ways in order for them to understand 2. This book is made to inform and then recursively teach children through the process, 3. The content is accessible to all ages starting in the elementary grades through adult, 4. As a parent concerned about having these conversations, Natasha guides you through a process that builds a foundation 5. The process is a natural process...almost like supper time conversations, 6. You do not need a Doctorate in Apologetics or Philosophy in order to understand the topics 7. This is laid out not only to inform or teach, but to train Each question presented has common arguments that are present in today’s culture. By going through the material the students will hear both sides of each question and older students can be challenged to answer the “Challenge” question with what they learned. This book would be great in any library for homeschool, private school, Sunday school and apologetics/evangelism training. I would recommend having this book as a gift for those who are raising families in the church. It will aid in your ability to communicate your values to your children. All you have to do is read it and then talk about. It.

Talking With Your Kids About God is a beautiful way to begin to think through and develop conversations that will help you find clarity in explaining faith to your child. As society becomes more skeptical and disdainful of our faith, it becomes even more important for us to be able to articulate why we believe. We must think more deeply about the big arguments against God, because when we do, not only can and will our faith be built, but we will also be able to help others think more about their point of view too. It's not about winning or losing a fight. It's about bolstering our faith by building our understanding of who God is on a greater level. In Talking With Your Kids About God, Crain focuses on 5 main areas: the existence of God science and God the nature of God believing in God the difference God makes. Each of these sections will help you think through the arguments for and against faith in that particular area. Crain has also provided several key points, questions for conversation and a question that will help you apply what you've learned. This book is written for parents, by a parent, so that you can build a natural conversation with your child. As I was reading, I was thinking about how it might be helpful even in forming homeschool conversations. This book gives a high level of information regarding the topics at hand and then shows you how to break them down into conversation with your children. This book is going to be an invaluable tool as I seek to teach my daughter how to think about, grow in and understand her faith. I received a copy of this book from the publisher. This review is my own, honest opinion.

My Rating - If you have time Level - Easy; reads quickly, moderate length (just under 300 pages) Summary The title of the book is a bit of a misnomer. This isn't really a parenting or family book. This might be just because I have a three-year old, but when I see 'kids', I think children under 10 and skew even younger. This book is really a basic apologetics intro that can also be used with maybe high schoolers or fairly knowledgeable middle schoolers. There are discussion questions after each chapter, broken in to two parts 'open the conversation' and 'advance the conversation'. The former could be used for middle school or newer Christians, the latter for high school, but also for discussion in a small group or other Bible Study. Very few people have much knowledge of apologetics, and this book would likely be new to most parents, let alone 'kids'. The 30 conversations are grouped into five equal parts - the existence of God, science and God, the nature of God, believing in God, and the difference God makes. There is an introduction to each part, then the six topics of conversation. Each topic is then summarized in 'key points', followed by the 'conversation guide' which consist of 'open the conversation', 'advance the conversation', and 'apply the conversation'. My Thoughts As stated above, this isn't really a book for kids. Maybe the first two parts would work to discuss with middle schoolers, but the discussion questions certainly seem more advanced. Those two chapters seem to be the strength of the book, as far as a parent is concerned. As parent, it would be worthwhile to read through these, so that you can know the discussions to have with your children as the move on through school and start to learn about so-called conflicts with the Bible and belief in God. I can't really see reading through this book or using the advanced conversation questions with a child that is first learning of the conflict, but reading through as a parent, it would be a good reminder of the conflicts they will face and if you've never learned much in the way of apologetics, this will certainly move you in the right direction. Maybe I'm underestimating people too much, but I think this book is much more suited to a small group/Sunday School/whatever you call it, discussion than something to read with children. In that sense, I can't really recommend this for parents, but I think it is worth checking out as a group leader. The book is fairly basic, but I just don't see that enough adults have ever learned these ideas, so you need to start with them first. Especially the part, 'the nature of God', as this moves out of apologetics and into more of a systematic theology. Two other criticisms I have are that the existence of God, is a pretty good over all part of the book. There are convincing arguments of the existence of a God, but Crain never steps into the realm of the existence of our God, the God of the Bible. Which leads to the most glaring omission in the book, the Bible. There is no major section devoted to 'the truth of the Bible' or 'how do we know the Bible is true' or something else along those lines. For me, this is where apologetics or knowledge of God has to start. One surprising strength of the book, is the final part, 'the difference God makes'. Again, this really lends itself to a discussion group, as it more or less a group of discussion about the impact our knowledge of God should have in our lives. I really enjoyed this section and will likely use it, if not the whole book, with the group that I lead. Overall, a pretty good book. I'm not sure it met the stated goal of discussion with kids. Catechisms are still probably the best thing for that. However, I do think it would work really well as an intro to apologetics, a basic primer on the knowledge of God, and could open up great discussion on the impact this knowledge has on our lives. With the 'key points' and 'discussion guide', I think this book could be repurposed into an interest group study. *I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review More reviews - MondayMorningTheologian.com

I love this book! It strengthened my confidence in my own faith greatly and prepared me to have deep faith conversations. It's packed full of solid, biblically based foundations- I highlighted something on every page! I'm a mom of 3 young kids who accepted Jesus as a teenager. I loved Jesus and based my faith on my experience with him. As my kids started asking harder questions (even at age 3!), I didn't feel equipped to answer them and apologetics seemed overwhelming. Natasha's book changed all that! It's easy to read and concise in her answers to questions skeptics ask- written in a way that we can all understand. It's a great reference tool for the future! It took my simple faith, showed me the evidence to feel confident in God's existence, and gave me practical applications for the everyday with my family. I'm empowered to open the conversation with kids and adults alike because I have so much more knowledge about the evidence and the difference God makes. What challenges me the most is how Natasha takes on our culture and clarifies the difference between similar words used in ways that are misleading. These are things I can use in simple, daily conversations to teach truth. And a reminder to myself to think critically and not be easily swayed by our culture. I also love the "apply the conversation" section at the end of each chapter- perfect for our small group discussions. I recommend this book (and her first book, Keeping Your Kids on God's Side) to all of my family and friends! I received this book at no cost in exchange for my honest review.

I was raised in a Christian home, went to church regularly and even went to Christian schools, but when I left home I was bombarded with hostile attacks on my faith that I wasn't prepared to defend. As a result, it crippled my faith and left it sitting on the back burner of my life for years. But God didn't let go of me so easily. He not only brought me to a place of much stronger faith, but helped me understand that our faith is the SUBSTANCE of things hoped for and the EVIDENCE of things unseen. As a result of both my own experiences growing up and my husband's, we wanted to help our children be better prepared with the well-reasoned knowledge of that evidence so they can be prepared to give an answer for the hope we have as well as to help others find the Way, the Truth and the Life. This resource does just that. This book breaks down 30 common theological, philosophical and scientific topics in a way that allows parents to share these often difficult concepts in a relatable way with their children. While it is geared towards parents, it would be a beneficial addition to anyone's bookshelf. It has become an addition to our homeschool curriculum and will be used and reused for many years to come. I look forward to an audio version of this coming out so I can more readily commit some of the heavier topics to memory. It would also make an excellent resource for a Bible study or small group. You won't regret this purchase!

Natasha Crain runs an excellent website called Apologetics for Parents, and in this book she answers some of the most pressing questions raised by both Christians and atheists. A few decades ago, Francis Schaeffer’s work was described as a stepping stone into apologetics because it helped people with little background get started—especially college students. Natasha Crain’s book is an even easier stepping stone. It is geared toward parents who want to get better equipped to answer their children’s questions. Like her earlier book, Keeping Your Kids on God’s Side, it is for parents who recognize how important it is to prepare their children to meet the objections and criticisms they encounter living in a secularized society. My favorite aspect of the book are Crain’s family-oriented examples and homey illustrations. This is a fun way to learn apologetics. And based on what I hear from other people who have read the book, the stepping stone is working—several readers have become so interested that they are making plans to sign up for MA courses in apologetics, maybe even at Houston Baptist University where I teach. These parents are now oriented toward becoming life-long learners. I call that a success.

Talking With Your Kids About God is not just a book. It's a tool that should be part of every parent's parenting toolbox! This quote from the book summarizes exactly why it is a must have: "...as parents called to the all-important role of leading our kids to know Jesus, we can't afford to just 'give it our best shot' and see what happens, with a possible do-over next spring. Too much is at stake and good intentions are not enough. We have to know what we're doing." Talking With Your Kids About God has opened my eyes and I'm excited about implementing what I've learned as I disciple my children. There are so many things I love about this book! Here are just a few: 1. The conversation guide - You don't have to come up with a way to initiate the conversations you will be having with the kids. It's laid out for you! Yay for less work! 2. Key Points - Forgot what you just read? The key points are reiterated at the end of the chapter! Yay! 3. Analogies - Every analogy is PERFECTLY suited for the point being made. Kids will be able to relate. Yay! 4. Apply the conversation - This is part of the conversation guide. I really like this part because it forces you to immediately think and apply what you just learned. *I received an advanced reading copy of this book for free as part of the launch team. All opinions are my own. I highly recommend this book!

This book is a powerful tool for Christian parents to help equip their children face the challenges to the faith. Preparing our kids to live out their Christian faith in an increasingly secular world is a calling that every parent should be ready to undertake. “If we don’t proactively ground our kids in an accurate, Biblically-based understanding of who God is, they may easily be led astray by ‘information’ that can look and sound plausible but is dangerously deceptive.” Crain’s book consists of short, easy-to-digest chapters that are rich in content. From looking at the evidence for God to examining how science and faith are inter-connected this book helps parents develop a firm foundation. She guides parents to having critical conversations with their kids by supplying questions at the end of each chapter to kick-start the conversation. The book also tackles the common misconceptions about who God is and delves into his character based on Biblical revelations. “When we start thinking that everything between us and God is okay because God is love, we’re on shaky ground.” Her book builds on what she started in Keeping Your Kids on God’s Side and adds layers of new, comprehensive material to make parents think about the evidence for their faith. I highly recommend this book to every parent that doesn’t want their child to become just another statistic that walked away from the church. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Talking with Your Kids about God: 30 Conversations Every Christian Parent Must Have by Natasha Crain is a fabulous resource for parents, pastors, youth pastors, and Christians in general. The book takes on thirty key topics that are sure to come up in some form or another in the life of a child (or adult) and gives key points to consider to breakdown the topics with critical thinking. One of the beautiful elements of the book is that the critical thinking is done in such a way that one does not need a background in apologetics to comprehend the topics and use the topics to talk with kids. Each chapter has key points, sample questions and conversation starts, and ways to consider talking about the topics with kids of various ages. The book makes a great resource for family discussions as well as church programs that work with kids (or even adult classes on apologetics) - though of course the best and most effective way to use the book is as a parent with your own child(ren) rather than relying on others to educate and disciple your kids. Disclosure: I received this book free from Baker Books through the Baker Books Bloggers program. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Talking with Your Kids About God is a very easy read that puts complex ideas and questions into layman’s terms that anyone can understand. Which is perfect since the hope is you will talk about these issues with your kids. Unfortunately in today’s world so many people think that it isn’t important to talk with your kids about difficult issues facing the church and Christianity in general. With kids leaving the church in droves as young adults, they couldn’t be further from the truth. Natasha helps to make this daunting task manageable by breaking some meaty topics into bite sized pieces loaded with personal examples and stories to help bring it to life. Each chapter contains a break down at the end with the key points, conversation starters and application ideas. I loved Natasha’s last book (Keeping Your Kids on God’s Side: 40 Conversations to Help Them Build a Lasting Faith), but my only complaint was I wasn’t sure how to present it to my kids. This book takes care of that and helps you to feel like you can tackle these huge apologetic issues, starting with young children all the way through High School and beyond. I wholeheartedly recommend it to every parent, grandparent, and youth leader. *Disclaimer, I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated in any way for the book or review and all views are my own.*

Having read Natasha Crain's earlier book "Keeping Your Kids on God's Side: 40 Conversations..." I thought, what else could she possibly add? She covered everything! But then I opened this new one. The chapters, topics, and the angle they are covered from are different from the first book. Although Crain again writes in down-to-earth, very teachable language, her evidential conversations and admitted experiences with her own children can lead even the most apologetics-leaning mind to think, "I never thought of explaining it to my kids that way!" Yet, in still another way, this book is sophisticated enough to be talked about with skeptical college students, professors, and grown children who are still lingering on the fringes of their faith or who have walked away. Parents and grandparents, as stated in some previous reviews the last few days, your kids are being taught there is no absolute truth in this world, to do whatever they feel, that any opposition is wrong. Their critical thinking skills are being taken away and replaced with demands by teachers and professors to "think like I think" - and they don't even realize this means not considering other viewpoints. This is the reason for some of the volatile eruptions on college campuses today. With this book, you will learn as much as you teach if you spend time with Crain in the depths of these topics.

Research for the last few years has consistently shown that young adults -- even the ones raised in church -- are becoming religiously unaffiliated in record numbers. Explanations for this trend are varied, but the common thread has to do with an increasing inability to reconcile articles of the faith with the experiences of real life, especially as young kids mature into young adults who live in a culture saturated by a secularist worldview, have friendships with people of other faiths, and are increasingly confronted with moral laxity as a common way of life. It's tempting for parents to leave all the spiritual education responsibilities at the doorstep of the local church, but that betrays the command of Deuteronomy 6:7, where parents are instructed to impress the principles of faith into their children -- "You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise." Natasha Crain does a great job of helping parents connect-the-spiritual-dots between science and the evidence for the existence of God, morality and the existence of God, the harmony between science and God, God's nature, and the difference that believing in God actually makes. Considering that a recent study shows that 62% of religious disaffiliation happens prior to age 18, this is a tremendously helpful resource.

Talking with your kids (or even adults!) about God is downright frightening. The pressure to say "the right thing" or to know everything before initiating a conversation has consistently left me waiting for a "better time" to talk about God. This book is extremely helpful for those of us who need a helpful push in the right direction and want to begin talking the years long conversations about God with our kids. As a new mom, this is immensely important to me and I feel like this book makes the "God talk" a lot more manageable and a lot less intimidating. Ms. Crain gives real-world information on the conversation at hand that allows the parents to get an understanding of what they are going to be talking about before the actual conversation. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the conversations were often built around science and allowed even the most practically minded people to understand. I highly recommend this book and would have any one read it, not just parents. All believers should know what they stand for and the reasonings behind it and this book does just that. Go buy it, read it, and share the Good News! 5/5 stars. This book was provided to me by Baker Publishers in exchange for my honest opinion.

Talking With Your Kids About God is a resource that I wish I had found earlier in my parenting journey. So often as parents we want to pass on our faith to our kids, but we feel we lack necessary knowledge or are at a loss to know where to start. Natasha Crain communicates complex theological, scientific and philosophical ideas so that parents can first understand them and then be able to discuss them with their kids. Each chapter of the book is written around a specific question about God, and provides enough information to give apologetic "newbies" a solid starting point for conversations. To get a feel for the counter perspective, Crain includes some common objections as voiced by every-day skeptics in their own words. The handy, bullet-point reviews and discussion starters found in each chapter are great helps. Ideas for tailoring the questions to be more age appropriate for your child are also included. Crain leads parents into the art of asking good questions, not just giving correct answers, using engaging personal stories. Helping kids work through questions to come to truly understand the answer on their own is an invaluable skill. Parents, grandparents, Sunday school teachers and youth workers will all benefit from this book. (I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.)

As a parent of kids who are old enough to start asking questions about our Christian faith, I HIGHLY recommend this book. Not only has this book given me easy to understand, although not trivial, answers to questions that have come or may be coming from my kids, it has also given me confidence and a deeper understanding of God. I've always felt very intimidated by apologetics since I'm not even close to being an expert in theology and science related topics. This book broke down those topics in a way that I was able to make sense of, and with the help of the Conversation Guide at the end of each chapter I feel prepared to explain to anyone the evidence presented here. Use this book to help explain the tough questions that kids or adults may ask of you, or simply use it as a resource to grow in your own understanding of God. I couldn't put this book down and now that I'm through with it, I can't wait to pick it up again. I can see myself using this book as a reference time and time again. I'm really looking forward to the next books in this series. Thank you Natasha Crain for this invaluable resource. *I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Talking with Your Kids about God: 30 Conversations Every Christian Parent Must Have is a go to resource for every Christian parent’s bookshelf. Crain’s easy to understand narratives offer simple explanations to complex problems. Parents are guided to encourage their children’s critical thinking skills to draw their own conclusions. In a culture that demands absolute evidence that God exists but yet expects complete acceptance of its own fallible theories (such as evolution) Crain walks the reader through taking the evidence that we can see and comparing it to each possible solution to derive at the most probable explanation- that a loving God is behind every aspect of life as we know it. Suggested conversation starters and follow-up questions to help take the discussion deeper will assist parents in equipping their children to intelligently discuss the existence of God with any skeptic. Likewise, parents are equally challenged as Crain presents genuine questions posed on her blog about the topic of each chapter challenging parents to consider how they would respond if the same question were posed to them. Exceptional tool for families! I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. A review was not required but was voluntary and contains my own thoughts and opinions regarding this literary work.

Have you been looking for a resource to help you discuss the subject of God and Faith to your children? Well, look no further, Natasha Crain’s “Talking with your kids about God” is just the book for you. This book is written with the parent in mind and gives real questions and answers you can use to spur conversations with your kids. No doubt you’ve heard or read the statistics of how many college kids leave the Christian faith after they enter college and run into a “liberal” professor that throws questions at them that they are not prepared to answer and conclude that the “liberal” professor must be right and thus Christianity must be false! This book provides answers to those questions and gives your children the confidence they need to defend their Christian faith before they encounter those hard questions. Natasha has done a wonderful job of taking the lofty subject of Apologetics to a level that parents can use to get their children thinking critically about the Christian faith and preparing them properly before it’s too late. I highly encourage you to read this book and to weave into your daily life with your children to fulfill the Great Commission that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ commanded of us before it’s too late! Don’t hesitate!!

Talking with Your Kids about God, by Natasha Crain, is an outstanding and challenging resource for parents. The author presents not only a Christian worldview on important topics such as: The existence of God, What do scientists believe about God? Do all religions worship the same God? She also challenges readers with an atheist viewpoint on each topic to help parents understand opposing beliefs and how to prepare a defense against them. In addition, she tackles more difficult questions: How can God be three persons in one? Can science explain why people believe in God? How should we make sense of evil? Talking with Your Kids about God is well-researched with numerous end notes and references that enable parents to do further reading on any of her topics. Each chapter ends with a summary of key points and a list of conversation starters and thought-provoking questions geared for different ages of children. Studies have shown that the majority of Christian teens will walk away from their faith after graduating from high school. Natasha Crain’s book is a must-have book for Christian parents who want to prepare their children to defend their faith in the increasingly anti-Christian culture that surrounds us. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Talking to Your Kids about God is a must-have for any Christian parent. For those with inquisitive children, it provides a reference tool and guide for steering children in conversations about God. For those with more reserved children, it provides questions to ask as a springboard for those same conversations. Natasha Crain’s conversational style and insightful analogies make the material engaging and easy-to-read. I love that this book doesn’t just provide answers to questions; it equips parents to teach their children to be logical, critical thinkers as they go through the sections, building on foundational truths as they go along. I have already gone through Natasha’s first book Keeping Your Kids on God’s Side with my 11-year-old, who has always challenged me with the depth of his questions about faith, and plan to use this new book with my children as well. I think it would be fantastic as a study with a group of parents who can share challenges and success stories as they go. This book would also make a great Christmas present for any Christian parent!

I really enjoy reading yet apologetic books are typically difficult to get through. This book is completely different and just fantastic in my opinion. Natasha Crain lays this book out in a very practical manner with solid examples that are easy to understand. One favorite aspect (outside of the content) is the layout. I really love how easy it is to read and love the discussion guide with prompts to ask your kids at the end of each chapter. It’s an incredible resource I would recommend for every parent. I currently have one child that is very small but I call this book “proactive.” Honestly this resource is excellent for anyone dealing with kids or if you have questions you may want answered yourself. It’s hard to navigate how to have a lot of these conversations and I believe it is imperative to have a guide like this. I was given an advance copy of this product in exchange for my honest review.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for agreeing to write an honest review of it. Answering our children's tough questions about God intimidates most parents. Natasha Crain has taken much of the hard work out of having the "right answers." Talking with Your Kids about God is an excellent resource for parents to use in answering questions about how we know God exists, how science impacts our understanding, why we can believe, etc. I really appreciated the structure of the book. It allowed me to understand the basic building blocks of belief in God so that other questions can be answered. The conversation guides at the end of the chapters are my favorite part of the book! I can use these to get conversations started and to encourage my children to think deeply about how to respond to others questions! I'm looking forward to taking time to thoroughly talk with my children using this book as one of the tools!

If I had to recommend only one book for parents to read this year, it would be Talking with Your Kids about God. Most Christian parents think that their child will develop a rock-solid faith by simply attending church on a regular basis, but nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, statistics show that large numbers of young people abandon their faith shortly after leaving home. The good news is that this trend can be reversed when families reconnect and explore deep questions of faith together. Talking with Your Kids about God helps parents develop a solid foundation in apologetics, while also providing relevant illustrations and discussion starters that can be adapted for all ages. This book is one of the best investments you can make toward helping solidify not only the faith of your child, but also that of your entire family. It is a must read! *I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Talking with Your Kids about God: 30 Conversations Every Christian Parent Must Have by Natasha Crain is a book about connecting with your children as you talk about God and Christianity. The book covers subjects relating to the existence of God, God and science, the nature of God, believing in God, and the difference God makes in our lives. The book not only serves as a way for children and parents to begin conversations about God, but it also helps teach children about God and the Bible. My favorite chapter was “What Can We Learn about God from the Bible?”, which highlights seven important attributes of God: holiness, sovereignty, transcendence, omnipresence, omnipotence, faithfulness, and goodness. I also like how each chapter ends with a list of key points and a conversation guide. Talking with Your Kids About God encourages children to think critically about Biblical topics. *I received this book for review*

It walks parents through 30 of the most common questions kids have about God, ranging from His existence to science to His nature and more. I really like how each chapter builds on the one before it, so parents have the opportunity to take their time working through these topics and lay a strong foundation for their kids. Chapters begin with answering a question, then summarizing the key points to remember. A conversation guide follows, which is broken down into three sections: open the conversation, advance the conversation, and apply the conversation. This aspect of the book makes it a wonderful resource for a weekly family night discussion, perhaps one that takes place at the dinner table. An alternative idea is to work through this book with a homeschool group! I received a free copy of this product from Baker Books Bloggers in exchange for writing a review. All opinions are my own.

I so appreciated this book. It is more than a book on apologetics. Natasha not only talks about the importance of knowing what we believe- but how then shall we live that faith out. She brought it in for a landing with the importance of our faith causing our actions. That’s what Christianity should look like. I have struggled for so long with the division in the Church between the Truth side and the Action/Justice side. It not only stains our testimony to the world, but it feels like each side is grabbing half of Jesus and pulling Him apart- all the while claiming to be the Real Jesus. Jesus never made a choice one for the other. He is always All Truth and All Grace All the time. Thank you, Natasha Crain, for bringing such a balanced and practical book on apologetics- good for conversations with children, but also with adults!

One book you will find yourself constantly referencing in your conversations about God! Crain takes the topics often difficult to address and breaks it down in ways you can understand, using everyday examples any parent can relate to. This is not a book that will leave you wondering what you just read but it will leave you with a sense of confidence about what you know to be truth. The readers will be equipped and encouraged to have conversations that once frightened them because it not only presents the information clearly but provides conversation starters to help guide your discussions with your family. There is a wealth of information in this book! She is changing the conversations around the dinner table and inviting those who wish to go deeper to come along on the journey. * I received a free copy of the book from the publisher for an honest review.

My friends with kids in their early 20s wish they had this resource when their kids were young. You can go to church every Sunday and raise your children with Biblical principles, but without a solid understanding of their faith your kids can stray. This book will help provide a solid foundation for your family’s faith so that your kids will grow up able to not only defend their own faith, but also confidently share the Good News. I’ve learned to explain how science and the Bible coexist, to give a great LEGO analogy for evolution, and to confidently provide evidence of God beyond just my personal experience. This book has helped navigate faith conversations our family wouldn’t otherwise have had. The key points and conversation guides were especially helpful. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher for my honest review.

I'm a person who's been "churched" since I was born, however just in the last year I've started studying apologetics. I was very comfortable jumping into this book without having a heavy apologetics background. Natasha Crain does an amazing job of presenting the information concisely and uses many fabulous analogies, making it all easy to understand and also easy to explain to children. The emphasis is truly on how to have natural conversations with your children about the evidence for God, however it's strengthened my faith as well. I cannot recommend this book enough to parents who are seeking to build a firm foundation of the evidence for God in their kids; crucial in the time period we're living in now more than ever. Grateful to have been part of the pre-release team for this book, I'm recommending it to all my friends.

This book is such a great resource for any parent wanting to discuss questions about God, faith, religion, and even our role in this world. It provides answers with solid evidence to so many of the questions we are faced with in life- and are often challenged with by those who don't believe in God. This book will help you as a parent to address these topics with your kids to prepare them- hopefully before they are challenged with these questions- or at least help you as a parent to navigate these waters as your kids begin to face these challenges. This is a book I will definitely read many times as will go back to as my children grow and begin to hear these challenges in life! Thank you Natasha for sharing this wealth of information with us so succinctly!

This book is a great resource for Christian parents who want to equip their kids with the ability to defend their faith in today's culture and handle the tough questions that may come their way. Natasha Crain is a gifted writer who can take complex subjects and communicate them in a clear, down-to-earth manner for parents. I really liked the book's user-friendly format, and a great feature is the list of key points and step-by-step conversation guide at the end of each chapter. As a parent, I found this book to be very useful for not only answering my child's questions about God, but also for guiding conversations that deepen her understanding and faith. I highly recommend it to all parents and Sunday School teachers. I received a complementary copy from the publisher for my honest review.

This book is a must have for the Christian parent!!! In today's society, let's face it, our children are being led away from God, not toward Him. It is up to us – the parents – to teach them the truth. This book is like spiritual warfare – it goes over 30 (yes, 30), different topics with your child that might (probably will) come up if not while they are living at home, when they leave home. It helps you to equip your child on how to deal with the situations and stay strong enough in their faith. I will be holding onto this book for years to come and applying each conversation to my children as they become age-appropriate. This book is a must-have!

Fantastic followup to Keeping Your Kids On God's Side. Talking With Your Kids About God dives deeper into some of the core questions about how we can be confident in what we know about the nature of God, His existence, influence, and action in the universe and in our lives, and what difference it makes in worldview if you believe in Him or not. It's an eye-opening read, and an important, very much needed book. In a category sorely underrepresented, an apologetics book aimed at parents, Crain's work in general and this book in particular stand out. You will not regret reading this book if you care about your kids' faith.

This is a book that should be in every Christian home! My children are adults, but I will encourage them to read this book as well as anyone who works with children and youth. Natasha Crain has given concise, usable "handles" to be worked into any conversation regarding spiritual matters. I will be reading this book over and over and using it as a reference as I teach 4th and 5th grade students in my church. It is a must have!

Natasha's book helps parents navigate the sometimes difficult entry points to discussing God with children. The book is arranged in simple and easy chunks making this a quick reference guide at a moment's notice. The examples given are at a child's level and the questions at the end of each chapter allow me to guide and tailor the conversation to my unique family while letting the kiddos think and express freely. Thanks, Natasha, for such a great resource!

I had the incredible opportunity to read this book with Natasha’s launch team. It’s a must have resource for every family. I loved the practical, down to earth way that Natasha talks to parents. She dives deep but makes it easy to be ready to give an explanation for our faith. My favorite part was the guided discussion questions for parents to discuss with kids. They challenged me! I can’t say enough good things!

This is another amazing offering by Natasha Crain. She writes in an accessible manner about some of life’s most weighty topics. These 30 conversations will equip any young Christian to confront the challenges they will face in life, not just with defense, but with a hopeful answer that will cause skeptics pause.

This book is not just for people with kids. It's for anyone who wants to share their faith. Outstanding!

I downloaded this audiobook hoping to gain some insights on how to share the basics of the Christian faith with children. Instead, what I received was an extensive Christian apologetic suited for a college student. The opening portion of the book is an attempt to reduce tension between the scientific community and the Christian community, asserting that creation as observed by science actually points to a Creator. While the author's work doesn't promote theistic evolution, it also doesn't refute it. So the door is left open for the reader to undermine the authority of Genesis 1-2, since many scientists would dispute their historicity. I gave this title only two stars because it just doesn't accomplish the goal the author sets forth. As someone who has been deeply involved in evangelizing children, this book doesn't provide the tools needed to talk on their level. The approach is far too lofty and technical for them. Also, I've read much better works on Christian apologetics, so in that regard, it is mediocre at best. I do admire the author for being very well learned in science and theology. Her knowledge shines in the book. Unfortunately, that knowledge doesn't translate into a tool that is helpful for talking with kids about God, as the title implies. I recommend looking elsewhere for help in sharing the Christian faith with a child, or defending the faith against many of the challenges brought against it today.

I was really hoping this book could be a conversation starter for my kids about God. This is like a science book with many confusing topics that not only kids but even myself did not understand. Too many big words for the little ones. There are several conversation starters and applying the conversation parts of the book but the problem is unless your child is 17 or 18 years old and extremely educated you are going to be talking in a foreign language to them if you try to apply the conversation topics. Half of the conversation starters confused me let alone a young child. I bought this as an audio book on apple. Very disappointed as this is supposed to be for kids and all honestly this book is way to advanced for kids unless they are seniors in high school. Not recommended for kids under 16, just too confusing. Sorry

The chapters are short and easy to follow. Very well written.

I liked this book because it was comprehensive in its content. It covers a lot of very important topics, adds keypoints and conversation guides at the end of each chapter. I like the easy of read this book was, and how well the author was able to convey her message. I found it very digestible and very helpful in gaining material to start up conversations with not just "kids" (children) yet with anyone. Starting from the universe and going to what should we make of evil, what is our responsibility to others, why does the Bible matter, and many more. Short chapters that are quick to read. This is a first rate book. I have bought this book on ebook and in paper back. For me this is one of my top shelf books that I will refer to over and over. I have read both of her books and she is a great writer, inspiring and encouraging. I recommend this book, it really helps and is very informative.

Do you feel equipped to discuss the relationship between science and God, the evidence that God exists, or the mind-blowing nature of God? Having had the privilege of already reading this book, I can assure you that it's worth every penny. It is a must-read resource for parents and anyone who works with youth. I found Natasha's writing style to be easy to read and her organized chapters were a treat for my OCD tendencies. She explains difficult concepts such as the Trinity with solid doctrine but in an down-to-earth, easy-to-understand manner. My favorite parts are the conversation guides at the end of every chapter. This is a book you'll read and use often. Disclaimer: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated in any way and the views are all my own.

Great conversation starter for all the tough questions about God.