40 Conversations to Help Them Build a Lasting Faith

“Keeping Your Kids on God’s Side: 40 Conversations to Help Them Build a Lasting Faith” covers so many of the questions that are posed by seekers and critics alike. This book has the wonderful capacity of presenting potentially complex issues in a way that is grounded and understandable to the reader who may be unfamiliar with Apologetics. Natasha Crain has given enough detail to flesh out arguments without overwhelming, and addresses the relevant concerns of a thoughtful seeker of Truth with honesty and forthrightness.
Her entertaining personal stories bring relevance and clarity to the questions being posed, and really help to stress how important it is to deal with these topics before they become a point of crisis in a child’s life.
The section on the Creation/Evolution debate is such an important issue in our schools, so it is very useful to have this information to use as a base for conversation, as it will inevitably come up! As the author points out, this is a huge stumbling block to our youth, and needs to be investigated in a safe environment before heading out the door to high school and beyond.
With all honesty, this is a book that I believe is a MUST for the library in every home, and will be the instrument of refreshing many families with the Truth that is to be found in knowing God’s perspective on our upside-down world

While I do not agree with everything written in this book I do agree that frequent and constant communication with kids about God, Faith and Christianity is important. This book provides a great start towards that conversation , if you don't agree with something do your own research and have that conversations, at the end of the book the author provides 10 Tips for having deeper Faith conversations with your kids. I also think this book is great for laying a foundation for your conversation with anyone of any age that you will have about Faith even yourself.

The 40 conversations are broken down into five main categories:-
- Conversations about God
- Conversations about Truth and Worldviews
- Conversations about Jesus
- Conversations about the Bible
- Conversations about science

The book seeks to give the ammo needed to answer questions or start conversations with your kids to strengthen and feed their Faith and relationship with God. I think this is achieved and opens the door for further research and discovery.
I received this book from NetGalley and Harvest House for my honest opinion.

This book is a wonderful guide to help parents prepare their children for challenges to their faith. The author does a great job of tackling 40 questions to Christianity. The questions are grouped into broader categories about God, truth/worldviews, Jesus, the Bible, and science. There is a wealth of information in here---everything from astronomy, biology, history, logic, and so much more. This book provides a beginning foundation to Christian apologetics but the author encourages you to continue your own research because there is so much information out there. I don’t think this book is intended to convert others but to give your children (and yourself) a firm foundation when challenged about Christianity. It's aimed at parents since it is their responsibility to prepare their children. It would be great if the publisher developed a Bible study guide or a book geared to teens using information from this book. I appreciated the author’s conversational tone and easy to understand explanations. I would definitely read more of her writing in the future.
* I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is an essential resource for every Christian parent. Long gone are the days when parents could rely on neighbors, schools, scouting organizations and society at large to reinforce the truths they taught at home. Parents of college-age children are tragically watching their children abandon their faith in droves, woefully unprepared to reason past the Atheist arguments they inevitably encounter. Even more tragically, many parents have no idea how to counter these arguments - much less equip their children to intelligently discern through them - having never studied apologetics themselves. "Keeping Your Kids on God's Side" is a timely, much-needed solution.

Natasha Crain has created a fantastic, easy-to-use resource for parents to grow in faith, confidence and truth together with their children in a natural, non-intimidating way. Discuss important questions such as
"What evidence is there for God's existence?"
"How could a good God allow evil and suffering?"
"Is faith the opposite of reason?"
"Do all religions point to the same truth?"
"Is Christianity responsible for millions of deaths in history?"
"Did Jesus really claim to be God?"
"Does the Bible have errors and contradictions?"
"What are the major pieces of evidence for/challenges to evolution?"
"What is Intelligent Design?"

Now is your chance to inoculate your children against the lies they'll encounter from unsaved friends, popular media, teachers and more. Now is the time to help them develop confidence in their OWN faith, not to grow up relying on their parents' faith. Don't wait for the evangelists of New Atheism to fill the gaps in your children's spiritual knowledge, sow seeds of doubt and pressure them to abandon their eternal hope. Make a vital investment in eternity, both for your family and for those around you who desperately need to hear from loving believers who can answer their questions in a knowledgeable and winsome manner.

This book is an excellent resource for all Christian parents, and anyone working with children in a church environment. In the book, the author covers 40 different very important conversations to have with your children about their Christian faith. Just growing up in a Christian home and going to a Christian church is not enough. Kids need to have a solid understanding of their faith, not just a knowledge of various Bible stories. They need to understand the arguments and know how to defend their faith. This book helps parents talk to their kids about those tough questions that will no doubt come up as they grow and mature. What evidence is there for God's existence? How could a good God allow evil and suffering? How can God judge people who have never heard about Jesus? Why would God need people to worship Him? Why is God so hidden? These questions and so many more are thoroughly answered in this book. Get the book - I recommend a hard copy, personally - and put it on your bookshelf for easy reference when those tough questions come up. Don't be the parent who forces their kids to be Christian without explaining the WHY's and answering their questions. With this book, there's no need for that. Even if you don't know the answers, they are thoroughly researched and explained in Keeping Your Kids on God's Side.

Natasha Crain's book is an excellent introduction to Christian apologetics. After reading it, I'm armed with a new level of understanding and information about how to approach and further investigate the questions my family and I have. I feel much better equipped to discuss and respond to the questions my children (ages, 6, 9, 10 and 12) pose on a daily basis. I look forward to using this book to further our family’s Christian education and as a catalyst to dig deeper into some of the questions posed in the book. Crain’s coverage and writing is educational for adults while providing a framework to discuss the challenging questions Christians encounter with my family. Just the other day, while my 7th-grader was studying evolution in his science class, I used chapters from the book to expand on this topic. He found the chapters I directed him to, easy-to-read and informative.
Crain's well-written book includes a significant reference section to further explore the topics she covers and, importantly, a section entitled "10 Tips for Having Deeper Faith Conversations with Your Kids." I look forward to implementing those tips, continuing my journey as a Christian and to having my next conversation with my atheist, scientist, twin brother.

Many Christian parents in the United States today are beginning to look at the culture and realize they are ill equipped to prepare their children for what they will encounter in school, college, and the workplace. "Keeping Your Kids on God's Side" is a great resource for parents and children who want to learn the useful tool of apologetics. Written as a hand's on, practical guide, Crain lists the skeptical arguments your children will most likely encounter from peers and professors and gives you thought provoking answers and resources to help train your child with a ready answer. Do you know why Christianity is Truth? Do you know the historical, scientific, archaeological, and philosophical proofs that confirm Christianity and the Bible? If not, then it is time to begin. Let your search start here.

“Keeping Your Kids on God’s Side: 40 Conversations to Help Them Build a Lasting Faith” covers so many of the questions that are posed by seekers and critics alike. This book has the wonderful capacity of presenting potentially complex issues in a way that is grounded and understandable to the reader who may be unfamiliar with Apologetics. Natasha Crain has given enough detail to flesh out arguments without overwhelming, and addresses the relevant concerns of a thoughtful seeker of Truth with honesty and forthrightness.
Her entertaining personal stories bring relevance and clarity to the questions being posed, and really help to stress how important it is to deal with these topics before they become a point of crisis in a child’s life.
The section on the Creation/Evolution debate is such an important issue in our schools, so it is very useful to have this information to use as a base for conversation, as it will inevitably come up! As the author points out, this is a huge stumbling block to our youth, and needs to be investigated in a safe environment before heading out the door to high school and beyond.
With all honesty, this is a book that I believe is a MUST for the library in every home, and will be the instrument of refreshing many families with the Truth that is to be found in knowing God’s perspective on our upside-down world

I could have sworn I reviewed this before, but here goes again. This is a solid resource for parents wishing a broad, rounded list of topics to discuss with their kids. We are using it this year as a de facto homeschool Bible curriculum as we don't have a formal Bible class this year. The topics conform easily to different age groups depending on your needs, and can be approached again and again as your kids mature into greater understanding. The point isn't to have all the answers. The point is to have a place to start looking. Parents who are apologetics novices will find few resources written by a parent, for parents, in clear language. It's not an end all, be all. It's an excellent way to broaden your horizons and get you thinking, then get your kids thinking. Critical thinking is the cornerstone.

“Keeping Your Kids on God’s Side: 40 Conversations To Help Them Build A Lasting Faith” by Natasha Crain is a book I’ve been highly anticipating for the past year. Natasha is founder of the very popular Christian Mom Thoughts website, the Christian Parenting Blog, and the Apologetics for Parents Facebook group. Natasha is a wife and mother who left her corporate job to make a difference in the lives of families. Her new book is a great step in doing just that.

I’m a father and grandfather and have worked with children and youth ministries for almost 45 years. I’ve seen a lot of Christian books written for parents to help their children. Many are okay, but few are outstanding. Keeping Your Kids on God’s Side is definitely one of the few. It is an outstanding guide for parents and comes at a key moment in history when Christian families are under some of the most intense attacks the world has seen for a long time.

I was raised by Christian parents and spent my childhood and early teen years in church, but was led toward atheism by many of the challenges Natasha Crain has listed in her book.

Natasha has organized Keeping Your Kids on God’s Side in a way that parents can get answers to tough questions quickly. She addresses five categories of conversations: Conversations About God, Conversations About Truth and Worldviews, Conversations About Jesus, Conversations About the Bible, and Conversations About Science. Each category has eight chapters with several pages per chapter; plenty of information to help parents answer their children’s questions without being too much to absorb and use.

Here’s an example of one of the categories:

Part 1: Conversations About God

Chapter 1. What evidence is there for God’s existence?

Chapter 2. How could a good God allow evil and suffering?

Chapter 3. why would God command the genocide of the Canaanites?

Chapter 4. How can a loving God send people to hell?

Chapter 5. How can God judge people who have never even heard about Jesus?

Chapter 6. Why would God need people to worship Him?

Chapter 7. Why is God so hidden?

Chapter 8. Is faith in God the opposite of reason?

Do any of these questions sound familiar? If you are a parent or work with children and youth, I’m sure you’ve heard them. You’ll find that to be the case with all five categories. They address some of the toughest questions our kids will ask. Giving them great answers can make a big difference as they make the Christian faith their own.

I highly recommend Keeping Your Kids on God’s Side for every Christian parent, grandparent, pastor, church leader, and adult who works with children and teens.

This book is a must for any Christian parent. The questions addressed in this book do not have simple one-word answers; even for "veteran," adult Christians these answers can be difficult to understand let alone explain to a child. The author is wise in explaining important concepts in laymen terms. Still, some ideologies require a mature intellect and may only cause more confusion and frustration for young minds.

Not only has this book been a guide for my children but I have also found it to be very rewarding to my faith. This book is undoubtedly an excellent read for all Christians, whether theyare a parent or not.

Natasha's book addresses the urgent need of the Christian church to prevent the loss of its young people. 61% of people age 18 - 29 are leaving the church, and most don't come back. The current approach to youth ministry isn't working. We (the church) need to equip PARENTS to equip their kids with the strong evidence for the truth of Christianity.

This book is an awesome resource that provides a great foundation for understanding Christian apologetics.

It is a must have for parents who seek answers to some uncomfortable and tough questions asked by children, as well as a tool to equip parents with an entry level of Christian apologetics.

The book flows so seamlessly, Natasha Crain did an outstanding job breaking down the chapters, painting mental pictures to help readers visualize and gain understanding. Please do not take lightly the role & responsibility you have been blessed with as a parent. If you want a book that will help prepare you and equip you as a Christian parent faced w/ difficult questions asked by your kids, this is the book for you. God bless.

Christian parents are divinely charged to prepare their kids to enter the world beyond Sunday School and Youth Group. I strongly recommend Natasha Crain's Keeping Your Kids on God's Side for parents who need brief but trustworthy answers to the skeptical objections their kids are likely to encounter in that world.

Crain writes with wit and smarts. She also displays that rarest of apologetic traits: true humility. She's no pushover, but she lacks the chip-on-the-shoulder attitude that so often comes with the Christian apologetics moniker. Crain demonstrates intellectual virtue in her method by reading top shelf materials in her quest to better inform her kids, and is not afraid to face the frightening challenges all faithful Christian parents will encounter. While seasoned apologists will find few surprises here, it is rare that so much solid information is found in one accessible resource (and even seasoned apologists will likely appreciate it as a refresher!).

This book provides a valuable resource, not only for me as a parent, but as an educator of young adults. Many times, the hardest struggles are within transitions in our lives; Crain truly encompasses why we need to stay connected to God not only in times of trouble, transition, or pain, but in times of triumph and joy. I use her book (with my notations and post-it notes!!) to teach my students about sin and why God allows 'bad things' to happen to Christians. I truly love Crain's analogies which enables my students to connect and also understand the hows and whys of a sinful world, as she always references and returns to the Scriptures as the foundation of teaching apologetics. I would recommend this book for couples to read too, before or even after they have children, to teach how God is one of love and forgiveness, wonderful book and a MUST READ!

"Scripture is very clear that Satan comes to steal, kill, and destroy. He is doing that within the nucleus of our homes. Natasha's book gives parents the ammunition, grounded in scripture, to be able to assist in fighting the enemy. She lays out answers to common questions in a clear, understandable, and relatable manner. Every parent needs to read this book."
DeeDee
Mom of 3
Children's Ministry Director

This is a wonderful resource for parents, children's pastors, youth ministers, family pastors, and churches. I strongly encourage anyone who has influence over children and teens to read this book. It breaks down the arguments against Christianity in a coherent manner so that parents and adults with or without biblical training can understand. This book would also be great for teenagers with questions about their faith. For a lengthier review, go here: [...]

This is an wonderful, insightful book, meticulously researched, open minded, but Biblically solid. Don't let the title fool you - this is not just for keeping kids on God's side. It should be at the bedside of every Christian who at some time will be called upon to explain their faith.