Distinctions of Truth78 Curricula
Distinctions of Truth78 Curricula
Though each curriculum in our scope and sequence will differ somewhat based on age and particular focus, the Truth78 Sunday School, Youth, Midweek Bible, Intergenerational, and Backyard Bible Club curricula all share the following distinctions.
A Big Vision of God
Our curricula aims to acquaint children and youth with the incomparable majesty of the triune God by digging deep into His divine character as revealed throughout Scripture. We believe that children and youth should be taught the beauty and grandeur of His manifold perfections. In completing our scope and sequence, students will have learned and explored, with increasing depth, more than 20 distinct attributes of God.
The Centrality of God in All Things
Every lesson in every curriculum aims to magnify the triune God above all—His name, fame, honor, and glory. We believe that children and youth will find their greatest joy when they esteem God most. Therefore, the lessons use language, illustrations, and applications that point students toward God-adoration. Furthermore, the curricula challenge them to see that every aspect of life is to fall under the centrality of God and His sovereign rule.
Doctrinal Depth, Accuracy, and Clarity
We believe deep, biblical truths and doctrines can and should be taught to children. Doing so requires teaching truths in an accurate, clear, yet child-friendly manner. To that end, every lesson in our curricula is carefully reviewed by a highly qualified and experienced theological editor.
Faithfulness to the Gospel
The central message of the Bible culminates in the Person and work of Jesus—the gospel—in which He brings sinners near to God. The gospel is simple yet amazingly profound, freely offered yet extremely costly, and should be communicated as such. We believe this is best done by repeatedly drawing attention to essential gospel truths found throughout Scripture: God is the sovereign Creator and Ruler, God is holy, man is sinful, God is just, God is merciful, Jesus is holy and righteous, Jesus died to save sinners, etc. Every lesson presents one or more of these essential truths, and every curriculum, as a whole, clearly and explicitly presents the gospel.
A Serious and Sober View of Sin
In order to fully embrace the gospel, children must first come to an appropriate understanding of the true nature of sin and the offense that it is to God’s holiness. Sin is no trifling matter. It is not simply a matter of “mistakes” or disobeying rules. Its consequences go far beyond a broken friendship with God. Our curriculum takes our total depravity very seriously, as well as God’s righteous wrath and condemnation. Therefore, lessons dealing with sin and God’s judgment use texts, illustrations, and explanations that convey these truths in an appropriate tone and manner. Students are challenged to think deep and hard about their standing before God and Jesus’ call to repent and believe.
Interactive Engagement with Scripture
Using an age-appropriate, step-by-step approach, the lesson format trains students to interact with the text using proper Bible study methods. This process begins in earnest in first grade, and increases in depth and rigor as children age and mature. Furthermore, we incorporate an interactive teaching style, carefully laid out for teachers, which serves to develop critical thinking and reasoning skills aimed at a deeper understanding of the things of God and the ability to rightly apply the Word of God.
Age-Appropriate Visuals and Illustrations That Enhance the Learning Experience
Key truths are often more easily grasped and better understood when explained in conjunction with concrete visuals and illustrations. Our curricula offer numerous color visuals and suggested illustrations to enhance the learning process. This provides students with opportunities to be actively involved in the lesson. These visuals and illustrations are age-appropriate, yet also treat the subject matter in an honoring manner.
Personal Application That Encourages a Proper Response in the Mind, Heart, and Will
Each lesson in our curricula ends by encouraging students to personally embrace and apply the truths learned. Through carefully constructed questions, we offer adult leaders practical, specific suggestions to challenge the children in their faith and spiritual walk. Our goal is to encourage genuine faith that is increasingly evidenced by love for God, spiritual fruit, and good works. We also offer questions that specifically challenge unbelievers to consider the truths of Scripture.
Excitement for God's Global Purposes
We desire that our children and youth come to know, love, and actively participate in God’s mission among the unsaved and unreached. Every curriculum includes specific, age-appropriate components that focus on evangelism and world missions.
Maximizing Classroom Time with Biblical Teaching and Spiritual Discussion
We believe that time in the classroom should be structured to emphasize biblical teaching and application. However, depending on the age group and time availability, additional hands-on activities may be warranted. Therefore, each lesson suggests further optional activities for the classroom. They have been developed to either reinforce lesson themes or introduce some other valuable faith-building endeavor: missions, Bible skills, Bible memory, etc.
Assistance for Parents in Discipling Their Children
We provide parent resource pages, often called Growing in Faith Together (GIFT) Pages, to accompany curriculum lessons. Not only do these pages outline the Scripture and main themes presented in the lesson, but they also give suggestions for further spiritual discussion in the home, as well as simple activities to reinforce the lesson.
