church history abcs
DESCRIPTION
This book follows the alphabet as it introduces parents and children to twenty-six pillars of the Christian faith. Whimsical, full-color illustrations and engaging prose teach church history in a fun and creative way.TRANSCRIPT
BCs
stephen j. nichols
nic
ho
ls & b
usta
rd
ned bustard
the Church History
ABC
sthe C
hurch Histo
ry Augustine
and twenty-five
other heroes
of the Faith
Dramatically converted on the stormy seas, a slave-trader-turned-abolitionist penned
the best-loved hymn of the Christian faith. A church father was arrested and mar-
tyred for teaching the truth about Christ’s incarnation. Captured by pirates and
shipped off to Ireland, a priest baptized thousands of pagans, from paupers to
princes. Now who ever said church history was boring?
The Church History ABCs is a fun way for kids to learn about great figures in Chris-
tian history. Twenty-six heroes of the faith march through the alphabet, boldly telling
their stories in language children can understand. This wide range of characters—
men and women from across the centuries and from all over the globe—reflects the
breadth of church history and reminds children that these great figures of the past
were living, breathing people who lived and died for the glory of God.
STEPHEN J. NICHOLS has written twelve books, including Heaven on Earth and
The Reformation. He is research professor of Christianity and culture at Lancaster
Bible College and Graduate School.
NED BUSTARD, a graphic artist, has written and illustrated many children’s books,
including Ella Sings Jazz, The Story of Sir Galahad, and The Sailing Saint.
CHILDREN AGES 3–6
“This is a really great book . . . except that they didn’t include me.” John Bunyan, author, Pilgrim’s Progress“I really enjoyed this church history book for young people, until I got
to the letter W.” George Whitefield, evangelist
“An excellent resource for young and old—but where is Athanasius?”
C. S. Lewis, author, The Chronicles of Narnia series
“A fine book; I hope there’s a sequel. I better be in it.”
Henry VIII, K
ing of England, 1509–1547
stephen j. nicholsned bustard
G is for Grace, and so is this book
S. N.
L is for Leslie,my lovely historian
N. B.
The Church His tor y ABCs: Augus t ine and Twenty - f ive Other Heroes of the Fai thCopyr ight ©2010 by Stephen J . Nichols and Ned Bus tardPubl ished by Crossway 1300 Crescent S t ree t Wheaton, I l l inois 60187
Al l r igh ts reser ved. No par t of th is publ icat ion may be reproduced, s tored in a re t r ieval sys tem, or t ransmi t ted in any form by any means, e lec t ronic, mechanical , photocopy, recording, or o therwise, wi thout the pr ior permiss ion of the pub-l i sher, except as provided for by USA copyr ight law.
Book design and i l lus t ra t ion: Ned Bus tardFi rs t pr in t ing 2010Pr in ted in Singapore
Trade paperback ISBN: 978-1-4335-1472-2 PDF ISBN: 978-1-4335-1473-9Mobipocket ISBN: 978-1-4335-1474-6EPub ISBN: 978-1-4335-2466-0
L ibrar y of Congress Cataloging- in -Publ icat ion Data Nichols, S tephen J . , 1970- The church his tor y ABCs : Augus t ine and 25 other heroes of the fai th / Stephen J . Nichols, Ned Bus tard. p. cm. ISBN 978-1-4335-1472-2 (hc) 1. Chr is t ian biography- - Juveni le l i te ra ture. 2. Church his tor y - - Juveni le l i te ra ture. 3. Engl ish language- -A lphabet - - Juveni le l i te ra ture. I . Bus tard, Ned. I I . Ti t le. BR1704.N53 2010 270.092’2- -dc22 2009043263
Crossway is a publ ish ing minis t r y of Good News Publ ishers.
IMG 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 1011 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Introduction Youprobablyenjoyhearingstoriesofyourparentsorgrandparents.Ofcourse,everybodywalkedtoschoolbackthenanditwasalwayssnowing!Youevenliketohearstoriesaboutyourfriends.Youknow,likethetimeJackfellofftheboatandgotallwet.
Youenjoythesestoriesbecausethepeopleinthemareveryspecialtoyou.Youalsolikethesestoriesbecausethesestoriestellyousomethingaboutyou.
Thepeopleofchurchhistoryarealsoveryspecialtoyou.Theirstoryisyourstory.Theirstoryalsotellsyousomethingaboutyou.TheBibletellsusthatweallbelongtoonebigfamily,thefamilyofGod.Andtherearealotofstoriestobetoldinthisbigfamily.Inthisbook,wecanonlytellthestoryoftwenty-sixofthesepeoplebecausethereareonlytwenty-sixlettersinouralphabet.Buttherearemanymorestoriesthatcouldbetold.
Infact,thisstoryhasn’tevenendedyet.Somedayyouwillbeaddingyourownstorytoit.
Soopenthesepagesandmeetyournewfriends.Theyallhaveagreatstorytotell....
4
saint augustine
When I was a youngboy,Itooksomepearsthatdidnotbelongtome.Ididnotwantthepears; I just enjoyeddoingwrong.ButGodloved me and Christdiedtoforgiveallmysin.YearslaterwhenIwasservingasabishop,I wrote two famousbooks.And Iworkedhard to remind thechurchthatGodlovesusbeforewelovehim.
A is for apricot, apple, and Augustine—Africa’s ancient bishop
5
B is for boat, berries, and Anne Bradstreet, America’sfirst bard
annebradstreet
IwasborninEngland.Iwouldspendmydaysreadingbooks,especially poetry. Because weweren’tfreetopracticeourfaith,weboardedalargeboatboundforBoston.Myfatherwasthegovernorofthecolonyandlatermyhusbandwas,too.Wehadaverybusyhouse.Atnightwhenit was quiet I would write mypoetry.Iwroteaboutkingsandqueens and nature and aboutmy family. I also wrote abouttrustingGodevenduringhardtimes—like when my houseburneddown.Theycallmea“bard.”Thatisafancywordfor“poet.”IjustwantedtousemygifttoserveandglorifyGod.
C is for catfish, castle, and John Calvin, champion Reformer
IgrewupinFranceandwenttocollegeinParis,abigcitywithbigcathedrals.Iwasonly14,andIwasnotveryinterestedinchurchorinGod.ThenGodcaptured my heart and made me his child. I leftFranceforSwitzerland—butIneverlearnedtoyodel.IendedupatthecityofGeneva.ItaughtpeopleallaboutGod’screation,allaboutChrist’sdeathonthecross,andallaboutbecominggoodandcaringcitizens.WesentmissionariesacrosstheborderintoFranceandevenacrosstheseastoBrazil.
I wrote many books. In one of them Ichimed,“Everybladeofgrassandevery
color in this world is intended tomakeusrejoiceinGod.”
john calvin
7
IlivedinEnglandduringthetimeoftheReformation.Englandisareallybig island. Ionce said,“Nomanisanisland.”Wealldependoneachother. Iwent toCambridge for study, but I spentmost of my time outdoors writingpoetry.ThenImovedtoLondon.Iwouldwalkacrossthebridgesatnightandwriteevenmorepoems.Duringthe day, I was a lawyer and wassoonelectedamemberofParlia-ment.Finally,whenIwasforty-fiveyearsoldIbecameapastor.Mywifeand I had a dozen—that’s twelve—kids.Peopleliketoreadmypoems,saying they’re quite dramatic. MyfavoritepoemsweremyDevotions.InoneofthemIsaid,“Don’taskforwhomthebelltolls,ittollsforthee.”
john donne
D isfor
door,drawing,and John
Donne8
Iwastheonlybrothertotensisters.Theyhelpedmewithmystudiesandtaughtmetoridehorses.IstartedpinningscrapsofclothtomycoattohelpmerememberideasIwouldgetonlonghorsebackrides. I used these ideas in sermons I preachedand in books I wrote. With my friend GeorgeWhitefield,IwaspartoftheGreatAwakeningintheAmericancolonies.IwasalsoamissionarytotheMohicanIndians.AndforalittlewhileIwasevenpresidentofPrincetonUniversity.EverywhereIwentIwantedpeopletoenjoyGodandtoenjoywhatGodhasmade—evenspiders.
jonathan edwards
E isfor eggs,elephants,and JonathanEdwards
9
BCs
stephen j. nichols
nic
ho
ls & b
usta
rd
ned bustard
the Church History
ABC
sthe C
hurch Histo
ry
Augustine
and twenty-five
other heroes
of the Faith
Dramatically converted on the stormy seas, a slave-trader-turned-abolitionist penned
the best-loved hymn of the Christian faith. A church father was arrested and mar-
tyred for teaching the truth about Christ’s incarnation. Captured by pirates and
shipped off to Ireland, a priest baptized thousands of pagans, from paupers to
princes. Now who ever said church history was boring?
The Church History ABCs is a fun way for kids to learn about great figures in Chris-
tian history. Twenty-six heroes of the faith march through the alphabet, boldly telling
their stories in language children can understand. This wide range of characters—
men and women from across the centuries and from all over the globe—reflects the
breadth of church history and reminds children that these great figures of the past
were living, breathing people who lived and died for the glory of God.
STEPHEN J. NICHOLS has written twelve books, including Heaven on Earth and
The Reformation. He is research professor of Christianity and culture at Lancaster
Bible College and Graduate School.
NED BUSTARD, a graphic artist, has written and illustrated many children’s books,
including Ella Sings Jazz, The Story of Sir Galahad, and The Sailing Saint.
CHILDREN AGES 3–6
“This is a really great book . . . except that they didn’t include me.” John Bunyan, author, Pilgrim’s Progress“I really enjoyed this church history book for young people, until I got
to the letter W.” George Whitefield, evangelist
“An excellent resource for young and old—but where is Athanasius?”
C. S. Lewis, author, The Chronicles of Narnia series
“A fine book; I hope there’s a sequel. I better be in it.”
Henry VIII, K
ing of England, 1509–1547