To Lighthouse Trails:

I am coordinator of my church’s children & youth ministries, and I am looking for solid, Bible-based children’s and youth curriculum.

I would appreciate any suggestions you may have.  I am so skeptical of much of the curriculum out there now especially with so much of the emergent ideas creeping in.

Thank you for any input you can offer.

Our Comment:

The publishers on the following list are Christian publishers that have been publishing contemplative and emergent materials for several years: http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/publishers.htm.This list includes Zondervan, NavPress, Thomas Nelson (and Tommie Nelson), and InterVarsity. Baker Books and Multnomah publishers are also on the list as they too now publish that type of material. If curriculum is used from any of the publishers in this list, there will most likely be threads of contemplative/emergent ideas woven throughout much of their material.

The list of publishers on this page –  http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/publishersgood.htm – do not publish contemplative, emergent material to our knowledge. However, many of them are smaller publishers and may not have study curriculum. We do mention Harvest House and Barbour publishing on this list; however we include them with a cautionary note. Sadly, we removed Moody Publishers from this list some time ago.

As with all things, use discernment and weigh all things against Scripture. As Christians, we must “Test all things” and “Try the spirits” through the screen of Scripture (1 Thessalonians 5:21; 1 John 4:1).