Tag: children

“Athanasius (Christian Biographies for Young Readers)” by Simonetta Carr

~ Bob Hayton ~ 6 Comments

Athansius is one of the most important early Christian leaders, perhaps the only one with a Creed named after him. But like many Christian young people, I grew up without learning much about him at all.

Simonetta Carr hopes to remedy this problem through her latest addition to the “Christian Biographies for Young Readers” series from Reformation Heritage Books. In Athanasius, Carr gives young readers a vivid account of Athanasius’ life. Complete with beautiful illustrations from Matt Abraxas, the book also includes a timeline, maps and lots of background facts about the time period of Athanasius’ life.

Written for kids aged 7-12, this book will appeal to kids of a wide age-range. The story is set in the 300s AD in Alexandria, but Athanasius takes us from the deserts of Egypt, to Tyre, Rome, and Trier, Germany among other places. His life criss-crosses that of several emperors and he finds himself in and out of exile constantly. Athanasius is most remembered for his role in helping formulate the Nicene Creed and solidifying orthodox teaching on the Trinity, which is enshrined in the Athanasian Creed. His life also stands testament to the awful reality of persecution which so many Christians of ages past endured.

The book is arranged like a cross between a coffee-table book and a story book. The quality of the book will make it more suited for the mantle or special bookcase than a kids’ playroom. The art is beautiful and the story stays accessible for young readers. This book will serve well in Sunday Schools or homeschool classes and takes its place alongside other titles in this series, which includes John Calvin, John Owen and Augustine of Hippo. If you are looking for wholesome reading material for young readers, this volume and the entire series from Reformation Heritage deserves your consideration. I highly recommend this book.

For this book, you’ll really want to see this 16 page preview from Westminster Bookstore. It will enable you to get a better feel for the artwork and overall quality of the work.

You can pick up a copy of this book at the following online retailers: Westminster Bookstore, Amazon.com, or direct from Reformation Heritage.

Disclaimer: This book was provided by Reformation Heritage Books for review. I was under no obligation to offer a favorable review.

The Mexico Trip

~ Bob Hayton

It is stories like this, corroborated by several people who were there, which make my faith in Fairhaven Baptist Church’s account of things waver. CNN took down the video clip of last night’s broadcast segment on Fairhaven. I’m not entirely sure why. But on the video, Roger Voegtlin said he was not aware of Butch McCoy’s story as shared below. I’ve been told that he was made aware of the story by a professor at the college. This professor confronted Roger Voegtlin about this, and that was part of the rationale he had for leaving Fairhaven.

Why am I about to share the details of this story to everyone on my blog? Especially when I can’t corroborate it? Because it would appear that many have tried to silence this story. The CNN video clip which has been taken down, talked about this in part, and I want to share the story here for others to see. This should help explain why people would want to “out” Fairhaven via CNN, and I would have to hope that everyone would agree that the actions described below are harsh, abusive and just plain wrong. Even if in some particulars the events were slightly less severe as described below, it still is alarming.

One more reason I have for sharing this, is that I intend to talk about a philosophy of discipline and this is a negative extreme that can flesh out the ramifications of our philosophy. Sadly actions like these, and there were other stories recounted on similar teen trips sponsored by Fairhaven that are similarly rife with humiliation and physical abuse, have poisoned the hearts of many of the children such tactics were intended to win. And Fairhaven has the distinction of scores and scores of children who’ve been raised there only to “go bad” and leave the church running headlong into the world. That alone should say these tactics don’t work, and should alarm people about the philosophy of discipline and family advocated at Fairhaven.

Finally, I should share another reason. I went there, and I have family who have been influenced by the place. I’ve known about such tales for some time and haven’t spoken out as strongly as I should. I believe this is my duty, to speak strongly against what I believe to be is at least a horrible neglect when it comes to reigning in the actions of members who abuse their children, and what may well be a culture of using harsh physical corrective discipline in ways that go way beyond the bounds of common decency and Christian love.

You’ll have to click this link, to read the story. I’ve already gone so long as it is. The link goes to a page on my site with a copy of the story that’s been spreading around Fairhaven and is signed by several people who were there and witnessed all this. Comments will be closed on this post, as well. No need to glory and revel in the sad tale shared here. Just take it as a lesson of what can happen by well intentioned people who are not thinking through what they’re doing to young people well enough.

Fairhaven Baptist and Spanking… on CNN

~ Bob Hayton ~ 278 Comments

Here’s most of the segment that was aired tonight on CNN. I’ll just share it here, and hope to discuss this more later. I think it’s clear CNN is being more than fair in their coverage, but the question is whether the truth is coming out or not.

UPDATE: The video was taken down by CNN, but here is a link to the transcript.

UPDATE 2: I found the video again, under a new name and with a different link. So I’ve embedded it again.

“Taken (The Quest for Truth Series, book 1)” by Brock Eastman

~ Bob Hayton ~ 1 Comment

From the very first page, Brock Eastman’s new book Taken, grips and pulls the reader into its fast-paced, adventure tale. Taken is the start of P & R Publishing’s “The Quest for Truth” series, and focuses on a group of four children (Oliver — 17, Tiffany — 15, and the twins Mason and Austin — 11) whose parents (the Wikks) are archaeologist-explorers. Their parents get captured by a secret society called the Ubel, and the children are forced to embark on their parents’ planned space voyage without them.

They soon discover that the world as they know it is not as it seems. Their parents have found an ancient book from Ursprung, the humans’ home planet which has been lost for centuries. And on the edge of the galaxy, they learn that the Federation may not merit their allegiance after all. With their world crumbling around them, the Wikk children resolve to take on their parents’ quest for truth, in hopes of finding and rescuing their parents.

The quest takes them to a forsaken planet on the edge of the galaxy where they meet their parents’ benefactor and try to outfit their ship. While on this planet, the twins stumble upon a mysterious blue people and are taken captive. I won’t give away too much more of the plot, except to say that by the end of this first book, you’ll be hooked. I can’t wait for the next installment of “The Quest for Truth”, to find out what happens to the Wikk children as their exciting quest continues.

The book is written for younger readers, upper elementary age through high school, but parents are sure to enjoy it as well. The siblings fight with one another and have to learn to trust each other, living for the common good, instead of their own desires. The plot is intricate and unexpected, and the world that is created is entirely believable and yet unlike anything else I’ve read. It is not a dark or evil story and is safe for all readers.

“The truth” which is sought has to do with “eternal life” and the book sounds a lot like the Bible, but this is no simplistic allegory or anything. It is a well-written adventure tale with a fascinating science fiction world that is sure to enthrall readers. I expect the series will ultimately have a moral lesson to be learned which can be drawn out by conscientious parents; but if you’re worried about the potential for a cheesy Christian production that overdoes the Christian themes to the detriment of the story, then I’m with you. And this book is nothing of the sort. I expect this series will draw a faithful following of readers who fall in love with the futuristic world that Brock Eastman has created. If you pick up this book, I’m sure you won’t regret it.

Disclaimer: This book was provided by P & R Publishing. I was under no obligation to offer a favorable review.

You can purchase a copy of this book from any of these fine retailers: Westminster Bookstore, Christianbook.com, Amazon.com or direct from P & R Publishing.

Elyse Fitzpatrick on Parenting & the False Notion that Our Kids’ Salvation Depends on Us

~ Bob Hayton ~ 1 Comment

Another insightful excerpt from the new book, Give Them Grace: Dazzling Your Kids with the Love of Jesus by Elyse M. Fitzpatrick & Jessica Thompson:

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Works righteousness is a deadly and false variation of godly obedience. Godly obedience is motivated by love for God and trust in his gracious plan and power. Works righteousness is motivated by unbelief; it is a reliance on our abilities and a desire to control outcomes. Works righteousness eventuates in penance: I’ll make it up to you by redoubling my efforts tomorrow! rather than repentance: Lord forgive me for my sin today. Thank you that you love me in spite of all my failures. In parenting, works righteousness will cause us to be both fearful and demanding. When we see our failures, we will be overcome with fear: I really blew it with my kids today. I’m so afraid that I’m going to ruin them! When we see their failures, we’ll be overly demanding: I’ve already told you what I want you to do. Didn’t you hear me? I must have told you fifty times in the last five minutes. I’m sick to death of your terrible attitude. You need to listen to me and do what I say without any complaints or grunts or eye rolls. Just do it! It’s obvious how both responses feed off each other in a never-ending cycle of anger and despair and penance.

Works righteousness obliterates the sweet comforts of grace because it cuts us off from God, who alone is the giver of grace. It cuts us off because he absolutely insists on being our sole Savior. This is his claim: “I, I am the LORD, and besides me there is no savior” (Isa. 43:11; see also 45:21). We are not nor can we be the saviors of our children. He is the Savior. When we forget this, our parenting will be pockmarked by fear, severity, and exhaustion.

On the other hand, when we rest in his gracious work we will experience the comforts he has provided for us. He delights in being worshiped as the One who “richly provides us with everything to enjoy” (1 Tim. 6:17). He loves flooding our consciences with the peace that comes from knowing our sins are forgiven and our standing before him is completely secure. When we’re quietly resting in grace, we’ll have grace to give our children, too. When we’re freed from the ultimate responsibility of being their savior, we’ll find our parenting burden becoming easy and light. [excerpted from pg. 55 of Give them Grace, published by Crossway Books]

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I can’t help but adding a side-note here. Most IFBx preachers I know pastor their church by this same false notion that the salvation of their flock depends on them. They encourage parents to be harsh with their kids as being the only way to win them ultimately to the Lord. All the while, God’s grace sits untapped in the corner and the legalism factory churns along with everybody working overtime….

You can pick up a copy of this important book on parenting (and the Gospel of God’s grace) at the following retailers: , Monergism Books, Christianbook.com, Amazon.com, and direct from Crossway Books.