Toddler Theology

We have one children's Bible and the story of Jonah basically starts like this:

God told Jonah to go to Nineveh to tell the people, "Stop doing bad things."

The following excerpt is from the Jesus Storybook Bible

God had a job for Jonah. But Jonah didn't want it. "Go to Nineveh," God said, "and tell your worst enemies that I love them."

"No!" said Jonah. "Those are bad people doing bad things!"

"Exactly," said God. "They have run far away from me. But I can't stop loving them. I will give them a new start. I will forgive them."

This summer we have the opportunity to have many spiritual conversations on the boardwalk in Ocean City. When I think about how Christians are often portrayed on television shows (Freeks and Geeks is one that most people didn't watch, but is a classic example) it reminds me how often we are seen as people who just "stop doing bad things" (aka: follow this list of do's and don'ts & try harder to become a better person).

I had read the first toddler Bible to Logan many times and didn't realize until the other night exactly what was wrong with the theology. As I read the Jesus Storybook Bible out loud to Logan and read the above part, Logan responded by saying "God loves me and you love me too mom!"

Christianity is about a relationship with a loving God. What hope would there be if we were told simply to "stop doing bad things"? Maybe I could manage my sin for some time, maybe I could overcome some things by positive thinking, setting up a three step plan, avoiding certain situations...but simply by trying to be a better person my heart would not be changed nor would I be forgiven for my past sins or present mistakes.

Hope comes when I meet the Savior, the person of Christ. Hope comes when I realize that He can forgive my sins and give me a new start, and He can transform who I am.

The Jesus Storybook Bible goes on to say (when Jonah eventually went to Nineveh):

"Even though you've run far from God, he can't stop loving you," Jonah told them. "Run to him! So he can forgive you."

The people of Nineveh listened to Jonah, and they started loving God. They learned to do what God said and to stop running away from him--just like Jonah.

Many years later, God was going to send another Messenger with the same wonderful message. Like Jonah, he would spend three days in utter darkness.

But this Messenger would be God's own Son. He would be called "The Word" because he himself would be God's Message. God's Message translated into our own language. Everything God wanted to say to the whole world--in a Person.

It's amazing how closely I need to pay attention to what I'm reading to Logan when it comes to learning about God. Even many children's Bibles don't seem to have their theology straight and start teaching kids about religion and how to act, instead of about the most important relationship that they could ever have with the only one who is capable of forgiving them for when they do mess up (which is inevitable...have you spent time with a toddler recently?), and helping to change them at a heart level.