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Dramatically converted on the stormy seas, a slave-trader-turned-abolitionist penned the best-loved hymn of the Christian faith. A church father was arrested and martyred for teaching the truth about Christ’s incarnation. Captured by pirates and shipped off to Ireland, a priest baptized thousands of pagans, from paupers to princes. Now who ever said church history was boring?
The Church History ABCs is a fun way for kids to learn about great figures in Christian history. Twenty-six heroes of the faith march through the alphabet, boldly telling their stories in language children can understand. This wide range of characters—men and women from across the centuries, from all over the globe—reflects the breadth of church history and reminds children that these great figures of the past were living, breathing people who lived and died for the glory of God.
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Posted March 13, 2011
this is great for adding a little some extra to devotions or homeschool.
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Posted July 21, 2010
Recently I received a copy of the book "the Church History ABC's" by Stephen J. Nichols and Ned Bustard from Crossway. This is a book for children (book says ages 3 - 6) that gives a brief introduction to 27 figures from church history (2 for W). I really enjoyed this book. It offers a wide range of people that emphasize different nuances of what the church believes. I think this book would be very helpful for a Sunday School class, a parent teaching their child, or any other arena where children are being taught about the church. I highly recommend this book.
This is a review copy from Crossway.
Anne-B
Posted July 9, 2010
Stephen J. Nichols and Ned Bustard have published a new book called The Church History ABCs: Augustine and twenty-five other heroes of the Faith. Here is their website for the book: http://www.churchhistoryabcs.com/index.html The book begins with a short introduction and then a brief page on each of twenty-five people who lived as early as 110 A.D. and died as late as 1940. Each letter identifies a person important to church history such as Spurgeon, Martin Luther, or Anne Bradstreet. I was glad that several women were included. At the end of the book, there is a long paragraph about each person that gives more description about who each person was and why they are significant--how they glorified God in their lives. There is also a timeline list of the 25 people. I wish there was also a visual timeline with a few historical events identified to help place these people in history. On the website, there are several coloring pages and activity pages to go with the book. I like the illustrations and the writing.
One question I asked myself was how could I help my kids relate to this book? How could this book be useful to me and my kids? I homeschool and my girls will be in 2nd grade and kindergarten. This year I have decided to start reading through A Child's History of the World by Virgil Hillyer. This book was recommended to me by several people. They read the book withe their children and then had them draw pictures about what they have listened to. One downside to using this book is that it doesn't address history from a Christian perspective or include much of the history of the Christian church. My plan is to read each of the ABCs in chronological order as we get to that period in history in the book. It will help bring in the history of the church for my kids as we learn about the past. One reason I've chosen to teach history this way is that I realized I have been trying to cover too much in our homeschooling and I am trying to simplify. I also have the ValueTales books and I am also going to integrate them into our reading in the same way I'm going to use this church history book.
If I weren't homeschooling, how would I use this book? When would I read it? It would be a good reference book if my kids asked me questions about who these people were. It might spur on discussions about history and the things that happened in the early Christian church.
Honestly, I don't know of any other books on church history, so this is a unique book for children in grades K-5. I would love more--more content, more description. I'd love more of a timeline about history and the part that these people played in it. In short, I'd love a great history book of church history for children. But, this is a good place to start. I did give this book 4 stars, but I would give it 4 1/2 stars. The extras on the website are nice and they really compliment the book. The only reason I've not given it 5 stars is that I just wish there was a broad visual timeline of events in history corresponding to when these people lived to help parents and children put the lives of these people more in the context of history.
You can view a sample and excerpt of the book at this website:
http://www.crossway.org/product/9781433514722
Please note that I received a complimentary copy of this book for review from Crossway Books.
Overview
Dramatically converted on the stormy seas, a slave-trader-turned-abolitionist penned the best-loved hymn of the Christian faith. A church father was arrested and martyred for teaching the truth about Christ’s incarnation. Captured by pirates and shipped off to Ireland, a priest baptized thousands of pagans, from paupers to princes. Now who ever said church history was boring?
The Church History ABCs is a fun way for kids to learn about great figures in Christian history. ...