Roy B. Zuck received his B.A. from Biola University and his Th.M. and Th.D. at Dallas Theological Seminary. He taught at the seminary from 1973 and served in various roles ending the last few years as the Senior Professor Emeritus of Bible Exposition until his retirement in 1996. He has written 17 books personally and then edited or co-authored over 70 books including Childhood Education in the Church, Teaching as Jesus Taught, and Christian Youth.

Zuck indicates that in the Bible “child and family related words occur more than 8,000 times. Is there any doubt the Bible is family-centered and child-focused?” The number of biblical references on children, the needs of children, the impact of the childhood years on adulthood, and the spiritual openness of children necessitate a resource that provides a comprehensive analysis of childhood and children from biblical texts. Zuck examines a variety of statistics related to children, although dated, still provide a picture of the problems and challenges facing children and families in this current culture. Whereas many in today’s society turn to the government for help regarding families and children he makes the case that “only returning to the Bible’s focus on children – and following its directives for children – can we escape our nation’s moral morass and go in the right direction.”

The Bible presents children as a blessing from the Lord whose formation He oversees from conception onward and then gives them to parents as a gift. Zuck discusses the horrors of abortion and the biblical case against abortion, describing how God forms children in the womb, calls them from the womb, has consequences for someone killing a child in the womb, and His condemning of infanticide.

Zuck makes some interesting calculations about family size in the Bible and concludes that the average family size was approximately six children per household. He summarizes several texts and identifies the tasks of parents toward their children to lead, pray, dedicate, provide, love, enjoy, worship, model, discipline, encourage, and teach them. Zuck expounds upon the responsibility of parents to teach their children because it is such a prevalent responsibility for parents. He discusses the content of what parents should teach as well as the strategy of how parents should teach and the locations of their teaching opportunities. The different growth stages of children are also discussed by examining the different biblical words for children.

The responsibility of children is to honor one’s mother and father among other things as discussed in Scripture. Zuck expounds upon how children should honor their parents and then discusses the different problems children encounter today and draws similarities to how children in biblical times faces the same challenges.

Zuck examines the birth and childhood of Jesus primarily by examining the gospels but he also includes some insights from apocryphal literature. He also reveals how Jesus responds to children, teaches about children, and ministers to children. He concludes his book by discussing the challenging questions and views of baptism and salvation regarding children. He explains eight different views on salvation regarding infants in particular and concludes that “all infants enjoy heavenly bliss not because they are born sinless, or because they mature immediately after death so they can exercise faith, or because they are elect, or had a desire for baptism or salvation or because they did not willingly reject Christ, but because of the redemptive work of Christ on the cross.” He also concludes regarding baptism that it is “a vital sign of regeneration by Christ, a visual symbol of union with Christ, and a veritable sign of dedication to Christ.”

This is one of the most comprehensive books on children the author has read from a biblical viewpoint. Zuck does not expound on every text related to children but appears to have an exhaustive inclusion of texts related to children throughout his book which is accessible through an index of 17 pages worth of biblical references. Not only does he interact with Scripture significantly but he also interacts with a wide variety of other literature ancient and contemporary alike to present his case for children.

Zuck’s treatment of children from a biblical perspective will be beneficial for parents, teachers of children, and educators alike. One will gain a comprehensive understanding of children from a biblical perspective that will equip one to teach, train, and influence children in a way that will result in their transformation and understanding of God as revealed in Jesus Christ. Jesus’ encounters “with children, even very young children, demonstrate that the young, being precious in God’s sight, are to be loved, appreciated, blessed, prayed for, welcomed, and protected. Adults are to become like children and are to learn from them. Heaven will be populated with children – and with adults who have become childlike in their loving response to the Savior.” This book has the potential to help parents and educators not only grow in their understanding of children but also grow in their understanding of Jesus’ admonition for adults to become like little children and thus inherit the kingdom of God.

This is an in-depth review of what the Bible has to say about children and childhood. JKC)