Rainy Sunday Book Reviews

It's been a long time since I've reviewed a book I've read. It's not that I've not been reading. It's just that when I read over my reviews, I'm usually embarrassed by how poorly I've written. But, to become excellent, one must practice. And to become mediocre, one must practice occasionally.

The 100 Most Important Events in Christian History by Curtis, Lang and Peterson

This book was part of the 10th grade Sonlight curriculum, and I was glad I decided to read it, too. The book is comprised of 100 events which occurred after the book of Acts but before 1970 and is written not just for Christians but for those who are interested in the history of Christianity. The authors do not seem to have a particular agenda to push or to favor one denominational philosophy over another which gives the history a neutral feel. Catholic and Protestant events are both listed, as well as the formation of movements in the church. Each entry in the book is about a page or two in length, which makes it great for little bites of reading or for reading as part of a Bible time. The book is a comfortable size with a two-colum format and easy-on-the-eye typeface. If you have wanted to learn more about the history of Christianity without having to wade through volumes of ancient writings or if you were hesitant to read certain historical texts because of the slant they might have toward a particular doctrine, you may enjoy this readable book.

In Search of the Source by Anderson and Moore

I have read lots of missionary biographies, some of them about Bible translators. But this book was the first that really enabled me to see how the actual work of translating the scriptures happened. The Andersons went to Papua New Guinea in the 1970s with their two children (with two more to come) to work with the Folopa people. This people group of about 2,500 had no written language and were former cannibals.

The book is organized around passages of scripture: each chapters shows Neil Anderson and a group of people trying to translate a passage and then tells a story about the passage or the translation. For example, how would you translate this scripture which speaks of the goodness of God? "If your son asks for a fish, you will not give him a snake?" To the Folopas, a snake was a delicacy, and fish were of little worth. A snake was a better gift. Or could you effectively translate prayer, worship, and glory? I used to think it might be easy. But, this book showed me that we should not handle God's word lightly.

The stories in the book not only entertained and gave a glimpse into a different culture, they also clearly illustrated how God's word, even though it was written over thousands of years to a culture very different than that of this Papua New Guinea tribe, still speaks truth. This book would make a great read aloud for Bible time and is a wonderful book to read on your own. The stories aren't gruesome, but there are bits of the former culture that are related which might make it for third grade and up.