I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist

Every time a review item from Apologia comes up I get very excited.  Everything I have used from them has been excellent and this is no exception.  Several weeks ago I was sent a copy of the book I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist and the corresponding curriculum workbook.  They did not disappoint.

The book, written by Norman Geisler and Frank Turek has 445 pages. The workbook is a spiral bound 279 page companion to the book written by Frank Turek and Chuck Winter. They are written for high school students, but I think this is also a perfect study for adults and particularly for parents.

Table of Contents

Foreward by David Limbaugh
Preface: How Much Faith Do You Need to Believe this Book?
Introduction: Finding the Box Top to the Puzzle of Life

1. Can We Handle the Truth?
2. Why Should Anyone Believe Anything at All?
3. In the Beginning There Was a Great SURGE
4. Diving Design
5. The First Life: Natural Law or Divine Awe?
6. New Life Forms
7. Mother Teresa vs. Hitler
8. Miracles: Signs of God or Gullibility?
9. Do We Have Early Testimony about Jesus?
10. Do We have Eyewitness Testimony about Jesus?
11. The Top 10 Reasons We Know the New Testament Writers Told the Truth
12. Did Jesus Really Rise from the Dead?
13. Who is Jesus: God? or Just a Great Moral Teacher?
14. What Did Jesus Teach about the Bible?
15. Conclusion: The Judge, the Servant King, and the Box Top
Appendix 1: If God, Why Evil?
Appendix 2: Isn't that Just Your Interpretation?
Appendix 3: Why the Jesus Seminar Doesn't Speak for Jesus
Notes
General Index
Scripture Index

Here you can see the workbook open.  Notice there is ample space for writing answers.

While this book is not what I would call light reading, it is written in an easy to understand and enjoyable format.  I like the personal stories that are interjected.  When you include the workbook this is an in-depth apologetics course designed to teach you and your students how to "always be ready to give an answer for the hope that is in you."  You will find questions, activities, vocabulary and supplemental reading material which includes lots of biographical sketches of men mentioned in the book.

Each chapter should take 2-3 weeks to complete, making it possible to complete this course in less than 9 months. So, easily within the school year even if you start a few weeks into it.

The beginning pages of a chapter in the workbook.  The workbook is not
just text but also includes black and white pictures and diagrams.

Every lesson begins with a reading assignment in the book, the key topics the student is expected to learn, key terms (vocabulary) and a road map that shows which of the twelve points that prove Christianity is true is being covered in the chapter.  There is a HOOK which will remind you what was read in the textbook (not a substitute for buying the book in case you are wondering), the BOOK which takes you deeper into the issues covered in the chapter and includes comprehension questions, LOOK which has research assignments and other suggested activities for the student to search it out for himself and TOOK which is the summary of the material learned within the chapter.

Tests are included but not in the book, however, you are given a password in the workbook that will allow you to download them from the website free.  You will also find the workbook answer key and test answer key in the same place.

Every major worldview fits into one of these three categories.

These are the twelve points mentioned above:

1. Truth about reality is knowable.
2. The opposite of true is false.
3. It is true that the theistic God exists. This is evidenced by the:
     a. Beginning of the universe (Cosmological Argument)
     b. Design of the universe (Teleological Argument/Anthropic Principle)
     c. Design of life (Teleological Argument)
     d. Moral Law (Moral Argument)
4. If God exists, then miracles are possible.
5. Miracles can be used to confirm a message from God (i.e., as acts of God to confirm a word from God).
6. The New Testament is historically reliable. This is evidenced by:
     a. Early testimony
     b. Eyewitness testimony
     c. Uninvented (authentic) testimony
     d. Eyewitnesses who were not deceived
7. The New Testament says Jesus claimed to be God.
8. Jesus’ claim to be God was miraculously confirmed by:
     a. His fulfillment of many prophecies about himself;
     b. His sinless life and miraculous deeds;
     c. His prediction and accomplishment of his resurrection.
9. Therefore, Jesus is God.
10. Whatever Jesus (who is God) teaches is true.
11. Jesus taught that the Bible is the Word of God.
12. Therefore, it is true that the Bible is the Word of God (and anything opposed to it is false).

I think this is a course that every Christian should take the time to go through.  If you homeschool, you will definitely want to add this to your high school student's list of must have classes.  If you don't homeschool, you still may want your high school student to read this book and complete the workbook.  While you could just read the book, the workbook adds a whole level of understanding that you wouldn't get just from reading alone. (You do need the book to complete the workbook.)

You can read a sample chapter and view workbook sample pages.

You can purchase I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist for $16.00.  The consumable workbook is $33.00. Answers could be kept in a notebook so that more than one student could use the book, but copies cannot be made. Ideally each student would have their own workbook.

If you are not already familiar with Apologia you should take the time to visit their website and see all they have to offer from science curriculum to parenting and more.

See what others on the crew are saying about I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist on the Schoolhouse Review Crew blog.








Disclaimer:I received a free copy of I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist book and workbook in exchange for an honest review.

God's Great Covenant

God's Great Covenant by Classical Academic Press is a Bible course for children.  I had the opportunity to review the New Testament course and I can't wait to tell you about it.

In God’s Great Covenant, New Testament 1: A Bible Course for Children, students will follow the story of Jesus, the Messiah and King, as He is born and fulfills all God’s promises. But Jesus does not arrive as people expected. The people were looking for a mighty warrior to deliver them from the oppressive Roman government. Instead, He came as the suffering Savior, who would die as the sacrifice for sin and death. He was building a kingdom that was not of this world—it was the kingdom of God. He is the Son of Man, God’s Servant, the Messiah, and the Son of God. Each of the four units in this text emphasizes one of these names of Jesus. God’s Great Covenant, New Testament 1 teaches the Gospels to students in fourth grade and up, using stories, worksheets, memory verses, devotional guides, quizzes, and a little boy named Simon. In the introductions to the text, students will also learn about the historical, cultural, and geographical setting of the New Testament. This book is a most comprehensive and heartfelt study of the Gospels, and many parents and teachers will find themselves learning along with their students.                     -from the website

a sample of a map

 God's Great Covenant NT has a 23 page introduction divided into 6 sections

Introduction
Historical and Political Information
Chronological Information
Geographical Information
Religious Information
Daily Life Introduction: Welcome to Simon's World

The introduction is followed by 36 weekly chapters with 4 themed units:

Unit 1: Jesus, the Son of Man, Has Come...To Live Among His People
Unit 2:Jesus, God's Servant, Has Come...To Proclaim the Good News
Unit 3: Jesus, the Messiah, Has Come...To Teach About God's Kingdom
Unit 4: Jesus, the Son of God, Has Come...To Conquer Sin and Death

Each chapter contains:

• A memory page with a weekly memory verse, key facts chart, fulfillment of prophecy section
• A thought-provoking “Think About It” question
• A worksheet and quiz
• Unit reviews that contain a memory verse worksheet, devotional guide, and a fun short story of life in Simon’s world

(Simon's world is found at the end of each unit.  Simon is a fictitious character in a fictitious Galilean village.  Each Simon's world section introduces daily living in Bible times.)

The worksheet sections include crossword puzzles, fill in the blank, matching, codes to crack, questions to answer and more.  You will also find maps.  Each section also ends with questions that cause you to think about how the weekly lesson applies to your own life.

You can see the entire table of contents and sample pages of the student edition here.

Sample of review worksheet

Each lesson has a Theme, Scripture (or Scriptures) that the lesson is based on, Memory Passage, Key Facts and a Prophecy Fulfilled section (which I love).  Next is Story-time which includes the Bible story told in a story format followed by the Worksheet section.

A detailed Teacher’s Edition is also available. It is a full copy of the student text (in a reduced size) with explanatory notes as well as lined margins for your own notes. It also provides answer keys and additional factual information to expand upon the historical, geographical, cultural, and theological concepts introduced in the text. 

sample from the Teacher's edition

Click here to view more samples from the Teacher's edition.

We have really enjoyed using this book.  I decided to use this book for our family devotions rather than as a workbook for one student.  We would read some of the listed scriptures and then read the story from the lesson and answer questions orally.  I have to admit to not using the teacher's manual but it really is a great resource and has a lot of  information. The print is pretty small for me though.  (I'm in the over 40 crowd and need bi-focals soon.) Though this book is recommended for "children" 4th grade and up, we found it beneficial for the whole family.  I can't imagine kids any younger than this working on this on their own but it was appropriate for our entire family for devotions.

God's Great Covenant is written from a covenantal and reformed theological perspective.  I am a conservative, fundamental Baptist and haven't found anything I would disagree with.

Every lesson is footnoted with multiple scripture references so you can look up EVERY thing you read for yourself.  Scriptures used in the book are from the NIV and NKJV.  We are a KJV family so we just read the scriptures from our own Bibles.  Most of the writings are not direct scripture quotations and it really wasn't an issue. Each book is just over 350 pages long.

The books are paperback and do not lie flat when open which is what I would prefer.  When I finally let one of my children actually write in this book I might take it and have it spiral bound.

The audio downloads are perfect for the car or bedtime (or any time really).  It would also be great to use if you want the child to listen on their own and complete the lessons.  Listen to the Chapter 1 sample.

You can purchase God's Great Covenant New Testament bundle for $56.95 which includes the student workbook, teacher edition and the audio downloads.

Individual titles are also available:
Student workbook $26.95
Teacher's edition $29.95
Audio downloads $9.95

Classical Academic Press also offers an Old Testament curriculum as well as Latin curriculum, Logic courses and more. (I reviewed The Art of Argument earlier this year.) Click for the .pdf catalog. You can also find Classical Academic Press on Facebook.  You also might like Headventureland which is a free website that has games and activities that go along with some of their curriculum. (not Bible)

Read what others are saying about God's Great Covenant on the TOS crew blog.


disclaimer: I received a free copy of God's Great Covenant teacher and student editions and mp3 downloads in exchange for an honest review.