Kids Talk Church History

The nineteenth century saw the birth of many new religious movements. Most claimed to be Christian, yet their teachings departed from the Bible. In this episode, Grace, Isaac, and Priscilla explore the life and the teachings of Joseph Smith, founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly known as Mormons). How did Smith come to be regarded as a prophet? What did he teach? Who was Mormon, and do we still have the golden plates on which he supposedly recorded his revelations? Join our hosts as they bring these and other questions to Dr. John Turner, professor of Religious Studies and History at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia and author of the book, Joseph Smith: The Rise and Fall of an American Prophet.

For many, the question posed by the church father Tertullian, "What has Athens to do with Jerusalem?," meant that Christians should not read the pagan classics. In reality, Tertullian read and appreciated many of these works! Join Linus and Leia as they talk with Dr. Nadya Williams about the importance of reading the classics as Christians. If you haven't read any of them, this episode may change your mind. And if you have, you will want to re-read them with fresh eyes!

Thanks to the generosity of Zondervan Publishing, we are pleased to offer one of our listeners a copy of Nadya’s book, Christians Reading Classics. Enter here to win.

Francis Grimké was one of the most important preachers of the 19th century. He addressed pressing matters like racism while staying grounded in his Christian faith and presenting the issues in a clear, understandable way. Join Grace, Isaac, and Ellie as they discuss Grimké and his ministry with Dr. Drew Martin, Associate Professor of Systematic Theology at Covenant Theological Seminary and author of the book, Grimké on the Christian Life.

The Second Great Awakening bore a lot of good fruit. Many people found faith, churches were established, and missionaries were sent. But there were also some problems because while everyone agreed that the gospel should go out to as many people as possible, not everyone agreed on how to do it. Learn more about the evangelistic methods of the Second Great Awakening as Linus, Ellie, and Sean talk with Dr. Andrew MacDonald, Associate Director at Wheaton College Billy Graham Center and an expert in American religious history.

Today we are excited to have reached a major milestone: our 100th episode! Join Grace, Isaac, and Ellie to find out how we got started and how we got here. And meet our special guest, Tim Challies, who tells us all about his recent book for kids, God’s Big Great Global Church. 

We are pleased to offer two giveaways in celebration of our 100th episode!

Congratulations to Chris P. from Lancaster, PA and Chelsea Y. from Hamilton, OH, each of whom won a copy of Tim Challies’ book, God's Great Big Global Church, courtesy of The Good Book Company.

And congratulations also to Abby J. from Tracy, MN who won a copy of Simonetta Carr’s award winning book, Church History, courtesy of Reformation Heritage Books.

Show Notes

Tim Challies’ website with links to his blog posts, articles, and books, many of them written for children: https://www.challies.com/