Christian Book Notes

Benge, Janet and Geoff. Christian Heroes: Then and Now – William Carey: Obliged to Go. Seattle: YWAM Publishing, 1998. 216 pp. $8.99. Purchase at Amazon for less.

Introduction

William Carey (1761-1834) is known to many as the father of the modern missionary movement. The Benge’s biography for YWAM’s Christian Heroes series offers a highlighted (and lowlighted) introduction to the young reader.

Summary

We find young William Carey wrestling with his dishonesty while trying to prove his worth as a young man working as an apprentice. Even at this young age, we see the hand of God in his life as he begins to wrestle with the need for the gospel to go into all the world. Quickly, Carey grows into a young man and has is infamous confrontation with John Ryland, Sr. It is in this instance, where Ryland tells Carey to sit down because if God wanted the heathen saved, He’d do something about Himself.

William quickly heeds the call to go to India himself only to find many stumbling blocks in his path. Through the course of his life as a missionary, Carey loses three wives and a number of children due to ill-health. It took 7+ years to witness the first convert. They were able to get the gospels and New Testament translated into Bengali only to witness the printing press burn to the ground. Undaunted, Carey pressed forward even when everyone thought he should pull back. In the end, because of William’s determination, the Baptist Missionary Society was born.

Review

The story of William Carey is fascinating in and of itself. I appreciated how the Benge’s showed how the political elements going on in Britain impacted the missionary work taking place in India. This is an important lesson to be learned by young Christian workers today. Also, toward the end of the work, it was fascinating how they wrote of the interaction between the younger missionaries who eventually set up the Baptist Missionary Society and the “old-grizzled” (my choice of words) missionary veterans. The lesson to be learned here is one that is even more needed today than ever.

I wished they would have offered an explanatory paragraph in chapter five where Carey had his run-in with Ryland. Both men were Reformed in their eschatological doctrine; however, Ryland was the classical “hyper-Calvinist” while Carey was simply a “Calvinist.” This is an important distinction as there is still much confusion over the terminology. What an opportunity to work towards dispelling that confusion. It must be noted, though, that the goal of the book is not necessarily doctrinal and to only be an introduction for the young reader.

Regardless, this introduction to missions work ought to be read by all Christians—the young can start here while the older believer can utilize the recommended resource list in the back.

Recommendation

Once again, the Benge’s offer a wonderful addition to the work on a Christian Hero with this piece on William Carey. If your child has expressed any interest in missions work, beginning with William Carey is a must.

Seeing what he endured for the sake of the Gospel will have one of two effects: either the child will be excited and want to learn how to serve Christ more, or they will be shown a different work for Him who died for us. Either way, your child will be better for reading William Carey: Obliged to Go.

Benge, Janet and Geoff. Christian Heroes: Then and Now—D.L. Moody: Bringing Souls to Christ. Seattle: YWAM Publishing, 2011. 192 pp. $8.99. Purchase at Amazon.

Introduction

Continuing the fine tradition of biographies on Christian men and women from our past, the Benge’s offered us an introduction to D.L. Moody. Janet and Geoff Benge have more than 20 years’ experience as writers. It also helps that their marriage together enables them to work closely. They originally come from New Zealand though now they make their home in Orlando, FL.

Summary

The author’s hook the young reader from the opening chapter as they offer a reflection from Dwight Lyman (D.L.) Moody as he is about to step into a pulpit and preach the gospel to 18,000 people in England. Not bad for a kid growing up in Northfield, MA who was rejected for membership to a church in Boston. The second chapter, however, gets right into it. D.L.’s dad dies unexpectedly thus launching the entire Moody family into a tailspin as they fight to keep their house and health. They moved to Boston where D.L. was saved through the ministry of his Sunday School teacher.

Next, he moved to Chicago where he not only got involved with a successful Sunday School ministry, but also became heavily involved in the local Y.M.C.A. When the Civil War began, D.L. wanted to join and become a chaplain. Instead, he set up a prayer tent at Camp Douglas which began a spiritual harvest of biblical proportions.

As his ministry in Chicago grew, so, too, his ambitions to be a “soul-winner.” The last half of this biography looks at the traveling and the preaching performed by D.L. Moody. He was able to meet Charles Haddon Spurgeon, George Muller, and many other saints while trotting the globe.

Review

I am aware that there are some who disagree with Moody’s methods and the way he went about preaching. There are others that believe what Moody did for Christianity and the Gospel has been unmatched since by anyone except maybe Billy Graham. Agree or disagree with D.L. Moody, this review is based upon the work of the author’s Janet and Geoff Benge. I found the book to be an interesting read and a joy to see what the Lord did in the life of one young man who had “just enough faith.”

I appreciated the conversational tone the biography took. It was not so much a dry; here are a bunch of facts about the man, biography. Rather, Moody’s life leapt from the pages as the conversations based upon the factual events helps the reader to get into the life of one D.L. Moody.

Recommendation

While there are surely more in depth biographies on D.L. Moody, the Benge’s offer a very nice and succinct introduction for those younger adults wanting to learn more about the true heroes and not just those who hit a baseball or star in movies. Just make sure that you as a parent are familiar with the life of D.L. Moody as your children will certainly want to discuss this man of God.

D.L. Moody is a common enough name within Christian circles. He is, in many ways, the predecessor to Billy Graham insofar as evangelistic campaigns.

Peterson, Andrew.  North or Be Eaten: The Wingfeather Saga–Book Two.  Colorado Springs: WaterBrook Press, 2009.  338 pp.  $13.99.  Purchase at Amazon for $11.19 or less.

Introduction

Read the review of the first book in the series, On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness.
Andrew Peterson is a noted singer (check out his YouTube videos) and song writer as well as an author. He is a storyteller through and through. You can check out his other website, The Rabbit Room, which was inspired by the Inklings–a group of writers in England that included both C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. The Wingfeather Saga is a series of three fantasy books for children thus far that draws the reader into the world of Anniera. For parents that may be concerned about this particular genre of writing (and Peterson’s motives, more specifically) you can read his Note to Parents.

Summary

One week after the first book, On the Edge, ends, North or Be Eaten begins. With the new identities of Janner, Tink, and Leeli, we now race with them as they make their way to the Ice Prairies. Podo, their grandpa, is an immense help though he, too, has secrets to keep. Peet the Sock Man winds up being a family member to the Igiby’s. Nia, their mom, turns out to be more than their mother though the children have no idea. What is more, the children, especially the brothers, must learn to live with each other given their new roles in life.

As their lives are turned completely upside down and they run from the Fangs of Dang, we are introduced to more intrigue and deceit from fiends and foes alike. The question at the beginning of this novel is how long will it take to get to the Ice Prairies. As the story moves along, the question shifts to will they even make it?

Review

Peterson does an excellent job of deepening the characters from the first book (including the main characters). As the layers of the past lives of the adults are peeled away, the children (and the reader) remain on edge as they wonder what could happen or be revealed next.The footnotes–also in the first book–help the reader to understand the fantasy world of Anniera all the more. The drawings of the various creatures, found in the Creaturepedia, help the reader to visualize the Toothy Cow and the monstrous Fang of Dang. It is easy to become frightened as Tink or Janner as they fight these creatures. You definitely need to read these books in chronological order as the characters are given a history that is important to the interaction that is taking place in the story.

Recommendation

It takes a lot of creativity to keep the characters interesting throughout a series and Andrew Peterson is definitely up to the task. Before you read North or Be Eaten–which is worth the read–you need to read On the Edge. I have become a huge fan of this series and cannot wait to review the third book (tomorrow).

Peterson, Andrew.  On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness: The Wingfeather Saga Book One.  Colorado Springs: WaterBrook Press, 2008.  290 pp.  $14.99.  Purchase at Amazon for $6.00 or less.

Introduction

Andrew Peterson is a noted singer and song writer as well as an author.  He is a storyteller through and through.  You can check out his other website, The Rabbit Room, which was inspired by the Inklings–a group of writers in England that included both C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien.  The Wingfeather Saga is a series of three fantasy books for children thus far that draws the reader into the world of Anniera.  For parents that may be concerned about this particular genre of writing (and Peterson’s motives, more specifically) you can read his Note to Parents.

Summary

It is always difficult to write a summary for a work of fiction without giving away the entire plot (trust me).  That being stated, I would like to use the introduction to the series written by Andrew Peterson himself on his website:

It’s a series of five (but possibly three) fantasy adventure novels about the three Igiby children, Janner, Kalmar, and Leeli. At the beginning of the story Janner is twelve, Kalmar (who’s nickname is Tink) is eleven, and their little sister Leeli is nine. They’re accompanied by Leeli’s dog Nugget, their mother Nia, and their ex-pirate grandfather Podo Helmer.

They live in a world called Aerwiar, which is exactly like our world–except they don’t have electricity or gunpowder, and there are all sorts of creepy animals, like sea dragons and toothy cows. Janner, the eldest, is about to discover that the ordinary little town where they live is anything but ordinary. In fact, he and his family are at the center of a great mystery that will change their lives forever.

I hope you’ll get your hands on a copy of the book and join the adventure. But beware of the toothy cows. They’re horrifying.

Review

I readily admit that I am not a huge fan of fantasy (except for the Narnia series).  I also readily admit that I was hooked by the storytelling of Andrew Peterson.  While the story does give credit to a Maker throughout, On the Edge does not read like a Christian allegory.  Rather, it reads like a brand new fantasy with and undercurrent of Christian flavor much like a hybrid of Lewis’ Narnia and Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings though not favoring one over the other.

There will be pages that you will be laughing out loud (quite literally) and other pages where you cringe at what may happen next.  In the end, you will not be able to guess the twists and turns of the story line (in my estimation, that is one of the most difficult aspects of writing a work of fiction–keeping the reader completely off balance).  There are chapters that will leave you breathless and chapters that will have you questioning everything you know about Igiby’s.

Since I am reviewing the first three books of this series this week, I will leave more review for the next two books.

Recommendation

As I said earlier, I am not a huge fan of the fantasy genre.  Andrew Peterson’s book On the Edge has shown me that there is much treasure to be discovered.  The creativity of the various creatures and the story line kept me riveted to my seat for some time.  If you are like me and not that big a fan of fantasy, then take my word that you will enjoy this series even though the series is written for a decidedly younger audience (10-15 year olds).  For those who are fans of fantasy, then you need to add this series to your must read list.

Mackenzie, Catherine. What God Says…. Scotland: Christian Focus Publications, 2010.$1.99.  Purchase at Amazon.

Introduction

From the back cover of all the books: “What God says is important. Listen to him. Take your pens and crayons and create some Bible Art with these Bible verses about an important word called _________.” That blank is filled in with the particular word featured in that particular coloring book in What God Says series. Thus far, the words include holiness, salvation, repenting, redemption, resurrection, and creation. Other titles in the series include God is Forever (eternal), God does a Swap (justification), God is Always Fair, and God does it Right.

Review

Each little coloring book consists of approximately 10 verses designed to be colored by children in Sunday School or even church. With most of the verses there is a small picture to be colored as well. For example, the passage from Romans 5:9, “Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God” includes a picture of a first aid kit.
The very last page is designed for the parents to read to their children. The last page helps to tie together the verses that were colored (or are being colored) in the book. For example, the book entitled God does a Swap has a very clear gospel presentation on the last page. The book entitled God is Forever discusses the eternality of God as well as the eternality of our soul and also includes a clear gospel presentation.

Recommendation

The What God Says series is perfect for Sunday School, church, home school situations, and, perhaps more ideally, an excellent gospel tract to send home with children who visit your church. Imagine a child visiting your church and being sent home with a coloring book that they will undoubtedly want to color in. Inevitably, mom or dad (or the guardian) will pick it up to look at it. At the very least, they would wind up reading a few verses and could very well make it to the back of the book and read the last page where they will be presented with the gospel.
While this does not take away our responsibility to evangelize, it does become a great aid to preach to the masses that otherwise would never give you the time of day. I recommend strategically purchasing books to give away in your Awana program or various other children’s ministry outreach events. I would also recommend purchasing some for your children as you seek to teach your children to sit in the worship service.

Dragons: Legends & Lore of Dinosaurs.  Green Forest: Master Books, 2011.  24 pp.  $17.99.  Purchase at Amazon for $12.29 or less.

Introduction

What kid does not fantasize about dragons?  Boys want to slay them and girls are held captive by them.  But, from where did these mythological (?) creatures derive?  Are they real or made up by some culture?  Do they have a connection to dinosaurs?  These questions and more are answered in the pages of Dragons: Legends & Lore of Dinosaurs.

Summary

More like a coffee table book than a chapter book, Dragons looks at the legends found on every inhabited continent in the world.  The reader is then treated to a discussion on the connection between dinosaurs and dragons.

All of this is shared in the context of God’s creation and man’s fall.  The argument is made that the many legends all over the world offer the solution that dragons, were (are?) indeed real creatures.  This is also the argument (among others) for the reality of a global flood as found in Genesis 6.

Review

The colorful pictures and the cited research helps to make the case for the reality that dragons did (and do?) exist.  Much of the information about the dinosaurs is pulled from another book published by Master Books entitled Dinosaurs by Design.

Each page is interactive with a door to open or a card to unfold.  The children love it and learn much about God’s creation.  It also helps to engage them with gospel truths of God’s holiness and His creation, the fall of man and the redemption of man through Christ’s ultimate sacrifice.

Recommendation

For the dragon slayer or princess in your house, you will want to have this book available.  Your child will learn much about God through the legend and lore of the dragon.  They will be introduced to the world through the myths.  They will learn that there have been sightings of dragon-like creatures as recent as 1890 in the United States and even more recently in jungles throughout the world.

Parents and children alike will learn from Dragons and will find that it is a popular book in the house that your child will return to again and again.

White, Paul. Jungle Doctor’s Fables. Scotland: Christian Focus Publications. 96 pp. $6.99. Purchase at Amazon for less.

Introduction

Paul White was an Australian missionary doctor ministering in Africa. There he learned to tell Bible stories and principles through the use of fables and animals. This enabled him to teach timeless stories of great quality. Jungle Doctor’s Fables is a compilation of many of those fables.  You can find many more of Paul White’s books on Amazon.

Summary

You will meet monkeys, alligators, hippos, giraffes and many more animals in the stories of Paul White. Along the way, you will learn important life lessons based on the eternal principles of Scripture. You will discover the only way to God is through Jesus Christ, the use of the mirror of the Bible, and the deadliness of sin among other lessons.

Each story can stand alone as just a story, but for those looking to apply them to the child’s life using the Bible, there is a section at the end of each fable entitled “What’s inside the Fable?” which guides the parent or teacher in the application of the biblical doctrine or principle being taught. Included in this section is also a recommended passage reading to help the child (and possibly the parent) see the connection.

Review

Creative and fun and engaging. My children loved the stories being told. I enjoyed being able to correlate them to life lessons rooted in the Scriptures. More importantly, unlike many children’s books that just tell stories, Jungle Doctor’s Fables, is not a moralistic application of Christian truths. Each fable will turn up a new stone for the child to investigate. After going through the entire book, the child will have a far greater understanding of the Christian life than many adults today. Sad but true.

More importantly, Jungle Doctor’s Fables offers memorable stories that will impact your children and plant seeds that can be cultivated by regular Scripture reading and prayer and conversation.  For example, your children will remember the wall that you can’t get over, under, through, or around is a representative of sin.  Finally, you can easily build lessons from these stories for Sunday School, Children’s Church, and even Children’s sermons.

Recommendation

Jungle Doctor’s Fables is an excellent tool for parents wanting to teach their children the things of God. It is also an excellent tool for children’s ministers and older children in a nursery in the local church. The stories will maintain their interest and the lessons learned, while probably not understood immediately, will become part of a solid foundation in the child’s life as he grows in his knowledge of Christ leading, Lord willing, to faith in Christ.

Benge, Janet and Geoff.  Adoniram Judson – Bound for Burma.  Seattle: YWAM Publishing, 2000.  240 pp.  $8.99.  Purchase at Amazon for less.

Introduction

The story of Adoniram Judson is one that quickly and easily catches the attention of young and old alike.  This particular edition is part of a series of books published by YWAM publishing and is written for older children.

Summary

As I have shared before in another review on a biography of Adoniram Judson, there is much to be learned about what the Lord has done.  We learn that Judson wanted nothing to do with Christianity during his college days, but when his best friend died (unknowingly to Adoniram at the time), everything changed in his mind.  He then wanted to share the same gospel message he had come to believe in with all his heart to those who had never heard the gospel.  We understand how he was the father of Baptist Missionaries.

More Resources

There are two other books published by YWAM that are part of a “unity study” on Adoniram Judson.  The first is entitled “Adoniram Judson: A Grand Purpose.”  This little hardback book is designed for young readers.  It is fully illustrated and written as poetry making the book memorable and sing-songy.  My children, one who read it and the others who listened, enjoyed this little book.  It afforded yet another opportunity to share the gospel with them.

A third resource is the Unit Study Curriculum Guide.  This curriculum offers lessons on social studies and Bible memorization as well as the obvious chapter discussion questions.  The unit study can be used for children of all ages though the parent or teacher will need to discern what the child’s capability is.  Included in the back of the book is a recommended resources list that is beyond helpful.  There is a gold mine of materials–many of which I personally did not exist.

Review

To see my children get excited about missions work is awesome as a Christian father.  To see my children take a specific interest in Adoniram Judson can be directly attributed to these resources.  For the younger children, I appreciated the poetic style of writing.  For the older children, I enjoyed the appropriate depth in which their edition took them.  As a parent, I enjoyed the curriculum guide as it was very easy to follow along and offered excellent pointers in teaching the children about the life of Adoniram Judson through various disciplines.

Recommendation

While many parents look for these books for their respective home school curriculum’s, I would recommend them to youth pastors and children’s ministers as well.  Parents who just want to teach their children about Adoniram Judson, this is an excellent place to begin.

Boekestein, William. Illustrated by Evan Hughes. Faithfulness Under Fire: The Story of Guido De Bres. Grand Rapids: Reformation Heritage, 2010. 32 pp. $10.00. Purchase at Westminster for $7.50.

Introduction

William Boekestein is Pastor at Covenant Reformed Church in Carbondale, PA. He formerly taught in a Christian school for a few years. He earned his M.Div. at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary. Evan Hughes is an illustrator and graphic designer. Both men blog at LifeReformation.org.  Guido de Bres (1522-1567) was the author of the Belgic Confession of faith.

Summary

Guido de Bres was born in the heat of the Protestant Reformation (it began in 1517). Growing up he studied the writings of Martin Luther and John Calvin. Upon his salvation, he felt called to the gospel ministry. Early on he was able to study in peace without the threat of persecution. Later in his ministry, however, he faced much persecution as the Catholic church maintained much more control over Europe with the rise and fall of many Kings in the land—some Protestant some Catholic. Guido was ultimately hanged for preaching the gospel.

Review

Faithfulness Under Fire might at first glance be viewed as too much for a child given the graphic detail and pictures (see the front cover). That being said, however, it is important that we teach our children that we truly stand on the shoulders of giants who have gone before us. It is easy in the United States to take for granted our ability to worship in freedom. The life of Guido de Bres shows us that this was not always the case.

Having read this book to my children (ages 6 and under), I discovered that they were fascinated by what happened to him and other Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. The pictures and story line was not too harsh as might first appear. This is especially true given what many of our children are allowed to watch on television or listen to on the radio.

Recommendation

If you want an excellent and graphic introduction to the atrocities that took place during the Protestant Reformation, Faithfulness Under Fire is a great place to start. In reading this book to your children, they will begin to respect the reality that we can worship freely in the United States. It will also enable you as a parent to have discussion regarding the persecution still taking place in the church today. For an excellent website for that discussion you can check out the Voice of the Martyrs.

Ferguson, Sinclair B. Polycarp of Smyrna: The Man Whose Faith Lasted. Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust, 2010. 42 pp. $14.00. Purchase at Westminster for $9.80.

Introduction/Summary

Sinclair Ferguson is well known in Reformed circles. He is a noted author and speaker and is now working on helping parents pour a solid foundation of early church history through the children’s series, Heroes of the Faith.

Polycarp is the “linchpin” of the first three books in the series. He connects Ignatius to Ireneaus and also goes back to when the Apostle John was still alive as did Ignatius. The children will learn that he was burned at the stake for his faith in Christ. This is important as all too often today we are told that the Christian life is one of ease and comfort. The life of Polycarp will prove that to be false.

At the end of this short little book, as with the rest of the books in the series, Ferguson offers a one page bio that helps to summarize the book. He includes a helpful timeline that spells out, I believe, the titles forthcoming in the series. The last word of exhortation from the author concerns itself with the use of the word heroes and the child’s propensity to have heroes.

Review

Reading about Polycarp, in the Heroes of Faith series, should be done after reading about Irenaeus and Ignatius as he does bring those two lives together. What is more, the early life of the church, post apostolic age, really comes to life in these children’s books. There is much learned without the child even realizing what is being learned!

Recommendation

Once again, Sinclair Ferguson delivers in his work. This time, he offers a simple and concise biography of one of those who are in that great cloud of witnesses that has gone before us. His work will be appreciated by the adults and the children will find themselves wanting to read more about these heroes whose faith is in Christ. I praise the Lord for the gift of writing that has been given to Sinclair Ferguson.