Do you wish you could edit history? Understandably there are often some difficult realities to face in our personal and national past.
It might be more palatable to wipe it away, but in so doing we are at risk of not recognising the same problems should they reappear in a slightly different guise in the future. That’s one reason why history, and church history in particular, is essential for Christians and young Christians.
Many of the issues that the Christian Institute tackles today would have been familiar to the Christians of the early church as they struggled to make a living.
Polycarp refused to compromise his faith. He would not worship the Roman Emperor even to save his life. By introducing people like Polycarp into your family hall of fame you can help your children stand strong in the public square where they are now facing similar difficult choices.
Here are some children’s books that could help you:
Polycarp: The Man whose Faith Lasted by Sinclair Fergusson. (ISBN 978 1 848 710 924). This is a short hardback illustrated edition.
Polycarp: Faithful Unto Death by David Luckman (ISBN 978 1 527 110 298). This is an easily read book for young teens. Something that can be used as part of a book group as it includes ‘Thinking Further Topics’ at the end.
In the Lightkeepers series there is a title Ten Boys Who Didn’t Give In – Polycarp features in the first chapter of this book. And it includes several other characters who suffered persecution and martyrdom for their faith.
Other early church fathers feature in Simonetta Carr’s series, Christian Biographies for Young Readers. Look out for Athanasius (ISBN 978 1 601 781 512) and Irenaeus (ISBN 978 1 601 784 957).
Older children would benefit from finding out about the creeds and catechisms of the church. Learning about the truths of God’s word and how the church defended them will prepare the next generation for the same fights and debates that are coming down the pipeline. William Boekestein for Comfort: The has written The Quest Story of the Heidelberg Catechism ((ISBN 9781601781529). Marianne Ross has written a children’s activity book on the Westminster Shorter Catechism (ISBN 978 1 845 507 220). Patricia St John’s title A Young Person’s Guide has devotional stories based on the themes of the Apostle’s Creed (ISBN 978 1 857 925 586).
If history begins to get a bit heavy for you, keep in mind this quote: ‘The past is a stepping stone, not a millstone’ – Robert Plant.
