Children Desiring God Philosophy & Distinctions

God-Centered

We believe God is the main character in all of life, and that “from him and through him and to him are all things” (Romans 11:36). Everything that God has done, and all that He is doing and ever will do are for His glory. The whole universe and every single person exist for the glory of God, to exalt Him (Isaiah 43:7). Our materials aim to reflect this by putting God at the center of all things.

Bible-Based

We believe the Bible is the inspired, inerrant, authoritative Word of God, and that it is through the revelation given to us in the Bible that we learn who God is, what He has done, His good purposes, how He saves His people from their sin, and how we are to rightly respond to Him (2 Timothy 3:16-17; John 20:31). Thus, it is crucial that we teach children to correctly read and understand the Bible, encouraging them toward thoughtful examination of the text, integration of the text with the other teachings of Scripture, and guidance toward rightly interpreting the text.

Doctrinally-Sound

We believe in teaching children all the essential doctrines of the Christian faith (Colossians 1:28; Acts 20:26-28; Titus 2:1). Therefore, we strive to incorporate the five building blocks of the whole counsel of God into our scope and sequence: a Bible-story based chronological introduction to the Bible, a biblical theology of the main storyline of the Bible, a systematic theology of foundational doctrines, an exposure to the Bible as moral instruction and ethical theology, and an explicit presentation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. (Note: We present a reformed theological perspective.)

Depth

We believe in giving students big truths expressed and explained in easily understood terms and illustrations. Difficult doctrines are not to be avoided, but are to be taught in a manner that is age-appropriate and creatively engaging in the hope that the Holy Spirit will grant understanding and growth through the faithful teaching of the Word (Acts 20:26-28; 2 Timothy 2:7).

Incremental

We believe in presenting the whole counsel of God precept upon precept (Isaiah 28:9-10). Each title in our scope and sequence has been prayerfully written to focus on a certain aspects of God’s truth at an age-appropriate level, to first lay a foundation and then construct a study sequence that will draw children deeper and deeper into the magnificent and multifaceted character and work of God.

Application

We believe in teaching that engages the mind, yet aims for a right heart response to the truth. It is our intention to interact with the Word in such a way as to inform the mind and increase knowledge, but then to persist in challenging the student to personally embrace and practically apply truth to his own life (James 1:22-25). It is our prayer and aim in ministry that students come to saving and living faith.

Partnership with Parents

We believe that parents are the primary teachers of their children, and that it is our privilege to help churches partner with them (Deuteronomy 6:6-7). To that end, we aim to develop curricula to help churches consistently and systematically present truth in the corporate church setting and reinforce the teaching of parents in the home. As important as the church classroom teaching is in the life of children, parents have the most opportunity to bring truth to bear on the daily life experiences they share as a family. It is in these daily experiences that the Word can be tried and found true. Therefore, it is essential that the church equip and encourage parents in their God-given role to disciple their children. To that end, we provide Parent Resource Pages with each study to help inform parents of what is being taught in the classroom, so that they may follow-up as appropriate with their child throughout the week.

Stewardship of Resources

We believe it is incumbent on churches to be responsible stewards of the resources God has given to them. To that end, we strive to offer resources that have been specifically designed for durability and re-use. Though in the first year, an average church will spend approximately the same amount of money, or slightly more than it would have spent purchasing a curriculum package from another publisher, subsequent years are much less expensive since only our student materials are consumable. Teacher’s materials, including visual classroom aids, are printed and packaged for years of re-use.