—Daniel Clark

Grapple: Preteen Sunday School, Winter 2007-2008

Group Publishing, Inc.; 2007; 80 pp. and a DVD; $89.99 (10 kids), $109.99 (25 kids), $129.99 (50 kids), $149.99 (unlimited kids); http://www.group.com/, http://www.mygrapple.com/

The Grapple curriculum is a 12-week Sunday School plan for fourth-sixth grades that seeks to integrate young people’s hunger for community-based on online experiences with Bible study. In addition to a typical Sunday-morning lesson guide, complete with games, activities, openers, and several video illustrations and countdowns on a provided DVD, it also comes with a personalized Web site. Kids can log on during the week to a Grapple page, where they can interact with each other on a forum, vote on the following week’s games, play several video games, and get announcements and Bible studies from the teachers. Teachers can also download lessons, handouts and Clip Art easily for reproduction. I really like the format, and it certainly appeals to the age group. I do wish the Web page could be personalized more and that kids and teachers could choose their own screen names, but those are minor issues. Other than that, it’s a great product and a great use of current trends to keep kids thinking about Sunday school all week long!

—Matthew McNutt

The Seven Deadly Sins: A Survival Guide

Rebecca DeYoung

Faith Alive Christian Resources; 2007; 71 pp.; $16.95 (leaders guide), $5.95 (student book); http://www.faithaliveresources.com/

Covetousness, lust, envy, gluttony, anger, sloth, and—at their root—pride: the Seven Deadly Sins. Taught in the early church as a means of self-examination, these terms are now rarely heard and even less frequently discussed in the current church. The author believes that weak understanding may increase susceptibility to these vices.

DeYoung’s curriculum successfully introduces this subject to a new generation. Written with the attention spans of young people in mind, the curriculum uses a variety of mediums without trivializing the content and comes complete with everything necessary to present the material. This is as excellent resource for those who want to take their students deeper and is best suited for use with high school-aged youth.

—Dan Kreiss

YOUTH WORKER DEVELOPMENT

Branding Faith

Phil Cooke

Regal, March 2008, 224 pp., $17.99, www.regalbooks.com

Perception is everything. That being the case, the title and positioning copy for this book make it appear repugnant. But Phil Cooke, after acknowledging his title’s branding problem with stories of two offended friends, spins a masterful documentary of how marketing, branding, and perception play powerfully in our world.