Not Just for Mothers BOOK REVIEW


"Mama Bear Apologetics" by JENNIFER GUTHRIE


This past summer, I had the opportunity to take part


in a book study on the book "Mama Bear Apologetics" by Hillary Morgan Ferrer. While the title would lead you to believe that this book is only for moms, I assure you it is not. "Mama Bear Apologetics" is a book for any adult who has influence in children’s lives — parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, teachers, pastors, and others.


The purpose of this book is to help parents become


critical thinkers so that they can teach their children to be critical thinkers and give them the tools to build a strong foundation for their faith in God. Through this book, I have learned just how important this skill and knowledge is as a parent and as a believer. “We need to teach our children critical thinking skills and prepare them to de- fend their faith — if not to others, at least to themselves” ("Mama Bear Apologetics," p. 37).


Actually, the full title of the book is “Mama Bear


Apologetics: Empowering Your Kids to Challenge Cultural Lies.”


As you might surmise from the title, this is a book


about apologetics — the defending of the faith. It is geared towards the practical application of apologetics in the lives of everyday people — not just theologians. As I prepared to start this book study, I thought to myself, “How am I supposed to teach my kids apologetics? Am I even qual- ified to do that?!” I was quickly put at ease as I began to read the actual book. It is so practical and easy to read. It was written in such a way that you are not intimidated by all the information you are learning, but rather you are empowered to want to learn apologetics and fight the spiritual war raging in our worldly culture.


We live in a cultural climate that is no longer indif-


ferent to Christian values and beliefs, but openly hostile. Our children are exposed to the lies of the culture on a daily basis through school, social media, books, movies, music, and more. "Mama Bear Apologetics" gives parents and kids alike open eyes to see where the cultural lies are sneaking into the lives of Christians and how to combat that. By equipping ourselves as adults, we can then go on to empower our children so their faith may stand against the spiritual war attacking them through the world. When truth and evidence are behind you, how can you argue with that? And when we are teaching our kids how to learn and discern truths from lies, we are giving them so much more than just a childlike faith, but a founda- tion to build their faith upon. Ferrer says, “A child that


understands how to discover truth is primed for a faith that lasts much longer” (p. 121).


One of the things I liked the most about this book is


that it does not take a hateful or aggressive stance against people, but one filled with compassion for those of op- posing views. Defending one’s faith doesn’t have to mean we destroy another person, but instead dismantle their flawed logic — and doing it with grace, love, humility, and good communication skills. One line I found very convict- ing in this book read, “We are not dealing with enemies. We are dealing with captives. Think of it like a hostage situation.” The idea of seeing people with opposing views and beliefs as captives — misguided and trapped by the lies of Satan — gives one a whole new sense of compassion for them. By seeing the humanity in others, we can better communicate and build bridges with them.


We know that Satan comes like a wolf in sheep’s


clothing. As I read the book, my eyes were opened to just how sneakily Satan has twisted the culture and threaded lies in with truths so that people would be more easily convinced. Once your eyes are opened, you can start the work of fighting against the lies with the power of God’s Truth.


I would recommend that anyone who has any influ-


ence in children’s lives should read this book. Help build the strong foundation of a Christian faith in the children in your lives so that when they have no one to help defend their faith, they can do it themselves and grow closer to God in doing so. In the book, Ferrer says, “Blind faith is easy to lose. Faith grounded in evidence is harder to walk away from.” Ground your faith and ground the faith of your children so that you are not easily shaken when trials and questions come.


Jennifer Guthrie is the wife of a children’s pastor, a


mother to three boys, and a nurse in a crisis pregnancy center. She has a degree in Intercultural Studies and Biblical Studies through Grace University, as well as a degree in nursing. She has a passion for women’s ministry and children’s ministry; she currently leads discussions for women’s Bible studies at her church and is the director of nursery ministries there. In her spare time, she enjoys hanging out with her family, singing, and playing board games.


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