I also remember my growing understanding about how important our history is. I wished that as a young adult, I had understood Church history, doctrine, and the heresies and times that Christians fought over the past 2,000 years.
I wanted my kids to be grounded in understanding how Scripture was translated, the challenges Christians overcame, and the decisions the Church made in their battle to maintain the gospel and biblical doctrine over the centuries. In fact, it’s the reason I am continuing to write the Who What Why middle grade Christian history series which covers historical Christian figures, important Church movements, and theology throughout history. It’s also why I wrote When Lightning Struck!: The Story of Martin Luther.
Church history matters, and it needs to be accessible to our kids.
Church History Books for Kids
Every study of history needs in-depth biographies and books on historical moments. It’s also important to have overview texts. In the homeschool community, we call these overview books “spine texts.”
Luke H. Davis’ Risen Hope: The Church Throughout History series (Christian Focus Publications) is a perfect set of spine texts for your study of Church history. The boxed set covers the history of the Christian Church in five 170-page volumes. The books are aimed at teens ages 12 and up, but I think the series makes a great family read-aloud.
Each volume begins with a short timeline of important moments in the Church. Short, narrative stories (one chapter each) tell the stories of important Church figures in chronological order, and end with a short biography of the person being highlighted. Shorter “fact files” punctuate the narratives to explain important concepts and events, such as persecution or the Crusades.
Luke H. Davis is a teacher of ethics and Church history at Westminster Christian Academy in St. Louis, Missouri. He is also an ordained priest in the Anglican Church in North America.
I read the first few volumes carefully. I really trust the children’s editor over at Christian Focus doctrinally. (Full disclosure: She’s my editor, too, but I think that gives me a unique perspective.) I was wondering whether there was any reason for the series to only be for teens, or if there was anything I might object to as a Reformed Baptist. Honestly, I didn’t see any reason you can’t use these as a read-aloud with your elementary aged kids. There was brief mention of someone’s fight against lust, but there was nothing graphic. The theology and history was interesting, and presented in the form of a story. I didn’t feel as though there was a push to present this overview of history in a way that favored the Anglican denomination over others. Rather, I really enjoyed the stories and felt they presented a great overview of Christian history in the West.
Because the books are in chronological order, they’re easy to coordinate with a history curriculum. The chapters themselves are complete narrative biographies, or they are instructive on one topic, so these would also be perfect for bedtime reading or devotions.
Davis does an excellent job of both covering the information and writing the stories in an engaging and interesting manner. Honestly, I think these books are wonderful reading for any adult new to Church history!
Church History for Children
There are five volumes in the series. Below are the titles, time periods covered, and chapter titles.
1) Redemption: The Church in Ancient Times (3 BC–476 AD)
- Important Moments in the Ancient Church
- The Ancient Church
- Peter
- Paul
- Fact Files: Persecution in the Ancient Church
- Ignatius
- Polycarp
- Cyprian
- Fact Files: Canon, Clergy, Creeds, Churchmen
- Constantine
- Athanasius
- Fact Files: The Conversion of Armenia
- Ambrose
- John Chrysostom
- Fact Files: Leo I and Papal Supremacy
- Jerome
- Augustine
- Fact Files: Ancient Church Councils
- Patrick
2) Reign: The Church in the Middle Ages (476–1485)
- Important Moments in the Medieval Church
- The Medieval Church
- Benedict
- Fact Files: Fact Files: Medieval Monasticism
- Columba
- Gregory the Great
- Fact Files: The Dual Rise of the Papacy and Islam
- Theodulf
- Anselm
- Bernard of Clairvaux
- Fact Files: The Crusades
- Peter Waldo
- Stephen Langton
- Francis of Assisi
- Thomas Aquinus
- Fact Files: Mystics, Great Leaders, Strange Movements, and Divisions
- John Wycliffe
- Julian of Norwich
- John Hus
3) Reform: The Church at the Birth of Protestantism (1485–1600)
- Important Moments in the Reformation Era
- The Protestant Reformation
- Fact Files: The Renaissance: The Foundation of the Reformation
- Jacques Lefèvre d’Étaples
- Martin Luther
- Fact Files: Education, Literacy, and the Reformation
- Ulrich Zwingli
- Patrick Hamilton
- Fact Files: The Reformation and Worship
- Marguerite de Navarre
- William Tyndale
- Martin Bucer
- Fact Files: Reformers Behind the Scenes
- John Calvin
- Catherine Parr
- Fact Files: Charles V: The Man God Used to Launch Three Reformations
- Thomas Cranmer
- Fact Files: Martyrs of the Reformation
- Lady Jane Grey
- John Knox
4) Renewal: The Church that Expands Outward (1600–1890)
- Important Moments in the Age of Expansion
- The Age of Mission
- Cyril Lucaris
- John Bunyan
- John Owen
- Fact Files: The Puritans
- Jonathan Edwards
- Fact Files: Christendom and Conflict
- David Brainerd
- George Whitefield
- Harry Hosier
- William Wilberforce
- Fact Files: The Beacons of Freedom and Justice
- Emilie Mallet
- Charles Spurgeon
- Sojourner Truth
- Robert Moffat
- Hudson Taylor
- Fact Files: The Gospel in Difficult Places
- Dwight Moody
5) Resolve: The Church that Endures Onward (1890–2023)
- Important Moments for the Enduring Church
- The Enduring Church
- Sammy Morris
- J.C. Ryle
- Fact Files: The Church’s Greatest Orators
- B.B. Warfield
- Francis Grimke
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer
- Corrie ten Boom
- Fact Files: Christians in the Shadow of Evil
- Billy Graham
- C.S. Lewis
- Fact Files: Popular Apologists of our Day
- Elizabeth Elliot
- Francis and Edith Schaeffer
- Eta Linnemann
- J.I. Packer
- Benjamin Kwashi
- Fact Files: What Does the Future Hold?
That’s it, folks. These Church history books for kids are awesome. I have impeccable taste. Get shopping.
Purchase Risen Hope
I highly recommend the Risen Hope series. It’s a must-have for any home library! You can purchase the box set with all five volumes included, or get each one separately.
Thanks to Christian Focus for sending me the box set of Risen Hope so I could check it out!
Learn more about the Who What Why series and get your FREE Abolition Lapbooks here.
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Christian Biographies for Kids | Christian History for Kids | Theology for Kids
Christian History Matters for Our Kids.
History matters. Now, more than ever, we see how important it is for our children to know and understand history and the Bible.
Here’s why:
- God is the sovereign ruler of all things. It’s important for our kids to see his hand in the history of nations and in the lives of both peasants and kings.
- Christian history is the story of our family history. Our kids get to see how people who love Jesus follow him.
- Understanding history can help our kids learn historic and biblical theology. They learn what the Bible says and what that means for us. They also see when the study of Scripture has taken important turns that have changed the Church.
- Reading Christian biographies and history can be a wonderful way for kids to think outside their own time and culture. God’s Church spans centuries and includes people from every nation.
- Christian biographies help kids consider their own faith, walk with Jesus, and the impact their witness may one day have on others–and on history.
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