Originally titled: The Heavens Declare: Understanding the Stars
The first full-fledged astronomy course for Christian high-school students and adults we ever reviewed. The author combines scientific instruction about the stars, observation of the heavens, discussion of how the stars and Christianity relate, star charts & glossaries, and bible verses to make a one-year course.
Touted as a high school elective, Lift Up Your Eyes On High is written at a quite challenging level. The book itself takes a non-traditional approach to astronomy. Instead of just dumping a lot of "star facts" on students, it attempts to integrate study of the heavens with biblical and Christian ideas. For instance, author James Nickel (who also wrote Mathematics: Is God Silent?) talks about the theological as well as the scientific importance of the earth's placement in the solar system, and attempts to provide a scientific precedent for the star that led the magi to Jesus.
This volume is considerably more advanced than most high school level astronomy texts. While not as long (or as colorful), Lift Up Your Eyes On High is far more technical and mathematically-oriented. The information is fascinating, but may be over the head of many high schoolers, even twelfth graders. A teacher's guide/answer key is available, as are tests.
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