A Christian Survey of World History and Mathematics: Is God Silent?

If you are looking for some good, meaty, philosophical, and Christian educational resources, you need to check out Ross House Books. A non profit publishers of books and tapes by many noted and respected theologians, Ross House's "cornerstone" is its vast array of works by R.J. Rushdoony. This publishing arm was created by Rushdoony and "dedicated to publishing important works that view all of life and thought as properly subject to God's word and that magnify the name and saving work of Jesus Christ."

Rev. R.J. Rushdoony was born in America in 1916 to recently arrived Armenian parents. His father was a minister before him and R.J. grew up mostly in California. He attended College and became a Presbyterian minister himself, mainly in Santa Cruz, California. R.J. Rushdoony was an extremely interesting character and I encourage you to take a look at the website and read his biography. Rushdoony was active in the Christian education movement long before home schooling was even an option. I believe we have him to thank for many of the liberties we now enjoy.

The first work I reviewed was a set of 12 audiotapes, with an accompanying book, called simply, A Christian Survey of World History. AH, but simple it is not. This is the most amazing, thorough survey of history with a Christian perspective that I have ever seen. The tapes and text go from ancient times to modern, reviewing what happened, and putting it in the light of the truth of the Bible. Knowing how much emphasis most history texts place on the Romans, or the Greeks, doesn't make them true. We need to balance all we learn with the true light of Scripture. Rev. Rushdoony does that incredibly well with this series. It does appear to begin a little on the dry side, but if you give it a good chance, you will be as captivated as we were by the unfurling of history. My 18-year-old son listened to these tapes as he was outside doing yard work. I could tell when one tape was about to end because he would speed up his shoveling to try and finish before the tape did, because then he could come in and get another! There is enough content here to fill a high school student's history book for a whole year at least! Questions are included at the end of every chapter in the text and answers as well in the accompanying booklet. We used these tapes as springboards for discussion and even when I thought I disagreed with what was being stated, I was surprised to find it was usually a case of my being misinformed earlier. If you have been raised by the secular worldview of history, you may be challenged and encouraged by the content in these tapes. I highly recommend them.

The other book I reviewed is called Mathematics: is God Silent? Written by James Nickel, an American "missionary" educator, he took his family in 1982 and moved to a remote corner of South Australia. There he taught at a fledgling Christian school of a dozen students. God revealed many things to him there and one of the results was this book. Now, bear in mind that I am not a mathematician. In fact, I am not "good" at math, and I never have been. I thank God many times for giving me a husband capable and willing to teach my kids the things they need to know mathematically. I was, however, and remain, totally captivated by this book. First off, it is a great read. Any student high school age and above can understand this book. Mr. Nickel goes through the history of mathematics and totally reassures us that God is NOT silent on this subject. The history of the modern mathematical movement and where it all began are discussed as well as the contributions of many strong Christian mathematicians. Every time I pick this book up I find an interesting new nugget. I have learned about Rene Descartes and why the Cartesian coordinates bear his name. I have learned fascinating things that men discovered as they tried to prove that man alone reasoned his world and that we were in charge of the laws of mathematics as well. It is such an interesting book I still can't believe it. If you know me, then you would understand my delight. I love to learn and I always believed that math was above me, or in another realm of my brain, inaccessible, and forever lost. This is not a mathematics text, with problems and answers. Rather it is a journey through history, with a view to seeing God's marvelous hand at work through and in all things. You will be as amazed as I was, and, as the quote from Doug Phillips states, "This outstanding Christian book revolutionized my thinking and gave me an appreciation for 'rithmetic.'" I totally agree and believe that every home school should have a copy of this book.

Ross House Books has many, many more books to offer than I could do credit to here. I highly encourage you to check the website, order a catalog, and enjoy some Christian perspective. I believe you will be glad you did.