by Nicole Hackett, Student Public Relations Writer
Wanting to make apologetics accessible and understandable for children, Dr. Dan DeWitt, director of the Center for Biblical Apologetics and Public Christianity at Cedarville University, has published his second children’s book, “Why God?: Big Answers About God and Why We Believe in Him.”
“My kids played a big role in me wanting to do a book like this,” said DeWitt. “My daughter once asked me why God made Satan. You might not expect a theologically tough question to come from a 5-year-old, but if you are around children a lot, you learn they are thinking through big ideas and challenging questions.”
DeWitt hopes his book helps parents begin conversations about why they believe in God. To do this, DeWitt was tasked with reducing complex truths to something simple a child could understand.
— Dan DeWitt
“I'm always amazed when I have adults share that the book helped them understand something new too. It's a reminder that we often talk about complex truths without taking the time to do the hard work of explaining and making sure people understand those truths,” said DeWitt.
DeWitt has mostly written for adults but has started to write for children. He is currently writing the third chapter book in a five-book series for young readers call "The Owlings: A Worldview Novella." His first storybook, “The Friend Who Forgives,” was named children's book of the year for 2018 by both Christianity Today and The Gospel Coalition.
“I decided to devote some of my writing to children when I learned that famous atheist author Richard Dawkins is doing the same thing,” explained DeWitt. “I watched an interview with him where he said he was writing children's books because some ‘stupid’ people teach their children that God made the world. I saw that and thought, ‘If God gives me the chance, I want to create resources to help Christian families be prepared to deal with these kinds of attacks on our faith.’"
Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University is an accredited, Christ-centered, Baptist institution with an enrollment of 4,193 undergraduate, graduate and online students in more than 150 areas of study. Founded in 1887, Cedarville is recognized nationally for its authentic Christian community, rigorous academic programs, strong graduation and retention rates, accredited professional and health science offerings and leading student satisfaction ratings. For more information about the University, visit www.cedarville.edu.