About the Book

We teach young believers how to think and have fun along the way.

Theology gets a bad rap. Many Christians view theology as impractical, time-consuming, boring. If your children or students have adopted this view, we hope to change their minds. The Lord Jesus’ teaching was filled with theology but was never boring! Challenging? Yes. Difficult to fathom? Surely. But boring? Never. We trust this book is not either.

Theology is to a Christian what a kata (a “dance”) is to a martial artist. As one learns an “impractical” kata, glimpses of practical lessons flash by. The artist, for example, may recognize a punch or a block. The important change, however, occurs without the student realizing it: his body learns balance, grace, quickness. Fluidity of movement becomes natural. So it is with theology. The student learns facts, true enough, but he also learns reasoning, develops analytical skills, and ties topics together. In short theology provides the foundation for defending against unforeseen spiritual and intellectual attacks.

Theology for Young Believers should not replace Scripture. Rather, the book provides a framework for discussing the Scriptures. Young people are led through illustrations, questions, and exercises designed to promote critical thinking skills. The book also guides the reader through related passages and broadens their understanding of Scriptural principles. Through these exercises, the young person can become a well-grounded theologian and, we pray, a better-equipped servant of the Lord Jesus.

About the Author

Phillip O’Reilly is the youngest of eight children. His mother was blessed with unusual intellect and his father with uncommon commonsense. Dinner time often ended with raucous debate over some “hot” topic. Boyfriends, girlfriends and, later, fiancés and spouses marvelled that siblings could argue so heatedly at table and remain good friends. This upbringing developed an appreciation for civil debate and a capacity for learning and critical thinking. Phillip attended a church pastored by a modern-day Amos, a down-to-earth farmer turned pastor, named Vern Maharry. Pastor Maharry, through deed and instruction, demonstrated common folk should study and can understand the Scriptures. An injury in college diverted Phillip from pursuing police work to graduate school. He enjoyed a short stint at Denver Seminary – as he jokingly says, “We mutually agreed six classes were enough” – and went on to earn a Masters in Political Science and a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Phillip and his wife, Laura, have five daughters and five sons. He has taught at the U.S. Air Force Academy, the University of Colorado, Liberty University, Eastern Oregon University and, most recently, at the Universidad De Piura in Piura, Peru. His goal in teaching his children and his students is to develop the capacity to reason, to assess arguments and to accept truth. Phillip and Laura currently reside in Union, Oregon with their youngest four children. Phillip coaches track and cross country and enjoys hunting as well as an occasional wrestling match with his youngest son.