"It’s not enough for children to read the bible or have it read to them; it’s not enough that they memorize bible verses. Parents need to teach them what the bible means (Deut. 6:7). They need to learn theology so that they know what the bible is communicating.
Children can begin to learn theology even before they can begin to read. There are lots of ways to teach theology to children. In our house, we use a catechism. (The catechism we use is adapted for young children from the Westminster Shorter Catechism and modified to reflect a more Baptistic understanding of scripture.) Catechisms are a great way to begin teaching children Christian theology and doctrine. (They are actually good for adults too.)
Why is this important? Right at the outset children will be able to learn the answer to a question that plagues lots of people, including some Christians: Why are we here? What’s our purpose on this earth—not just as Christians, but as human beings created in the image of God? The answer to this question is stunningly simple but easy to get wrong if we don’t start with the revelation of scripture. It’s so simple that young children can learn the answer and have it impact the way they live for the rest of their life.
As some Christians have tried to answer for themselves the question of why God created mankind, they sometimes speculate that perhaps He needed someone to love. I’ve heard more than one Christian offer this opinion as a possible explanation. But this is a false view of God, and such a god is not the God revealed to us in scripture. What we believe about even this question does matter. It’s important that we get this answer right, not only for ourselves but for our children too.
