The Pastor's Daughter by Louisa Payson Hopkins

by Louisa Payson Hopkins

Review The Pastor's Daughter is a terrific guide for parents eager to watch over and train their children for godliness and is a warmly appealing story for childrennnn. It combines the light and winsome qualities of a fine story with the depth and insight of a weighty theological tome. As someone who wasn't raised in a reformed Christian home it gives me a sense of nostalgia fulfilled, and empty places made whole as I live through "Maria's" life with her and feel the vicarious yet genuine pleasure of being spiritually re-parented. This book takes a deep and searching look at the human heart and soul without flinching or trivializing ultimate questions. It is a marvelous road map for self assessment and study of the journey towards knowledge of God. I can picture parents reading it aloud with their children and discovering amazing things about themselves, their children, and about the great things of God. -- Margaret Talbot

Paperback

Reviews

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Based on real conversations that Louisa Hopkins had with her father Edward Payson (minister and father of Elizabeth Payson Prentiss) this book is good on so many levels:

*For the parent evangelizing the children.
*For children wrestling with gospel truths.
*For all professors to examine their hearts.
*For those who have grown up in the church.
*For both the legalist and the despondent.

This is something like part three of Pilgrim's Progress with our attention now directed to the child, but only conversion of the child—not their journey of faith, but their journey to faith. Or, better yet, it is like Bunyan's Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners, but with "Wisdom" as her father guiding her to the celestial city.

[Alyssa Bohon · Rating 4 out of 5]

These conversations between father and daughter are far more heart searching than is typical - not only today, but probably even in the time they were written. The pastor goes deep with his child's objections against the call to repentance and faith, addressing self-righteousness, idolatry, and pride, and the sovereignty and mercy of God. Any reader will feel convicted and reminded of their own heart's deceitfulness and need of God's mercy, besides feeling their own childrens' need of salvation.

I had mixed feelings about the conversations overall. On one hand, it seemed that the wranglings over the child's unwillingness to believe were a bit tedious. On the other hand, some children really are this way, and what else is a parent to do but patiently answer their questions? The father's patience with his child's struggles is commendable. However, I thought that maybe it would have been better to do a little less of the heart-searching (though that is definitely necessary) or dealing with the child's arguments, and more of just displaying the truths about God and the gospel in spite of their objections. At the end, he finally does this clearly, but I would have liked to see it more and sooner. A parent who has a logical mind will be quick to see and jump on the inconsistencies in their child's thinking, and will feel drawn to expose them with logical arguments, but when it comes to a child's conversion, I believe that these kind of arguments are less fruitful than turning the child's mind away from their arguments to the nature and person of God. The pastor does this to some degree and I know it is a hard balance so I don't want to be too judgmental. Overall, the book is good food for thought for any parent seeking to lead their child - or any person - to Christ.