Kuiper's Church in History book has a very definite point of view. It continually uses the word "heathen" to discuss pagan views. It lists the "unscriptural doctrines and practices" which are symptoms of the "deterioration" of the church. Many of these practices the Roman Catholic Church still supports. Elsewhere, it says, "The theory that doctrine is not important is not only shallow and foolish, it is also crafty. It is one of the devil's best tricks."

I have not read the whole book. What I have read has been interesting and I've appreciated reading it. My concern lies in the fact that my daughter will be reading it. She is not a Christian. She is open to reading about church history, but she is very sensitive to this sort of thing. She has Catholic friends and I expect that she will be defensive of their views. She would prefer to read a book which is more respectful of both sides of the controversies.

Is Church History in Plain Language any different in its tone? If so, I may buy the two books and let her choose the one that she prefers.

Thanks for any help anyone can offer!

Beth

Beth,

I don't have a specific answer to your question, but this is a good example of one of the topics for week 1 history. In the SAP for week 1 under history thinking questions, students are asked how they should approach these biases. The teacher discussion outlines also suggest that they search for "'value judgment'statements." You mentioned some good examples. I think it's great for our kids to understand that all authors have biases and we need to be looking for that as we read.

May God give you wisdom as you decide on the best book for your daughter.

Blessings,
Kim

I agree with you, Kim, and that's how I've approached these things in the past. It's just that I know that she will have a strong reaction to this, and it will go through the whole year, so I'd like to make it as easy on her as she can (especially if she's willing to work harder to avoid it). We'll see.

I would suggest going to Amazon and reading reviews of both books. The Shelley book has a lot more. It appears his bias is less apparent but RC readers still object to his book.

While there you can look at The Story of Christianity by Justo L. Gonzalez. I've had it recommend to me as being better balanced. I have a copy ordered and plan to read it myself, but it has not arrived. The downside is it is a two volume set so the amount of reading might be higher.