Christian parents can't teach their kids the story of God's people too soon. Church history isn't just dates and hard-to-pronounce names: it's the narrative of God's work in and among His children, their triumphs and tribulations, and their interactions with the world. It's happy, sad, scary, often strange, and ultimately glorious.
The six volumes of The Kregel Pictorial Guide to Church History cover the early church following Christ's resurrection to the 20th century. Events, people and ideas are discussed concisely yet thoroughly, and students are exposed to topics as varied as the Radical Reformation, postmodernism and Karl Barth, and 19th century liberalism.
Each book is slim, but packed with readable text and beautiful color and black and white illustrations. Volume 1 is an overview of two millennia of Church history; each successive volume covers an important era. Review questions are not included, making this difficult to use as a curriculum for school credit, but everything is written in narrative form so students can read straight through or use the books for reference.
Aside from the illustrations, these aren't flashy texts—the story of God's people is presented without gimmicks, sentimentality, or denominational bias. The author is doctrinally orthodox (he teaches at Dallas Theological Seminary), and knowledgeable about many traditions, making this an excellent introduction for middle schoolers, high schoolers, and adults. Highly recommended.
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Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews
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