Redemption: The Church in Ancient Times

Risen Hope #1

by Luke H. Davis

The story of the ancient Church is one of a people who were finding their way over many years by the light that God shined forth for them. Today, we are looking back over the centuries with many more years of understanding but we stand on the shoulders of those who braved persecution, death, debate, and mystery on behalf of generations to come.

For the early church persecution was so intense that a number of Christians were martyred. Bishops such as Ignatius, Polycarp, and Cyprian were among them.

The Church produced many great writers, thinkers, bishops, and pastors to offer deep and practical guidance. Justin Martyr, Tertullian, Origen, Athanasius, Ambrose, John Chrysostom, Jerome, and Augustine.

From the Apostle Peter at Pentecost in Jerusalem to St. Patrick on the shores of Ireland in the year 432 – the ancient church has much to teach the church of today.

Genres: History, Church History, Christian

176 pages, Paperback

Published March 11, 2022

Reviews

[Michael Philliber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Decades ago, a Christian artist penned a delightful song reflecting on Jesus’ boyhood. The artist was Rich Mullins, and in that song lie these words: “And did they tell You stories 'bout the saints of old? Stories about their faith? They say stories like that make a boy grow bold. Stories like that make a man walk straight” (Rich Mullins, “Boy Like Me/Man Like You”). Those song lyrics resonate in my head on occasion, especially when diving into church history. And those words sang out as I read a new 176-page paperback, “Redemption: The Church in Ancient Times” written for kids from 12 and up. It’s a retelling of stories ‘bout the saints of old, stories about their faith. Stories that make a boy grow bold. Stories that make a man walk straight! And Luke H. Davis, who teaches ethics and church history at Westminster Christian Academy in St. Louis, and has authored several fiction and nonfiction works, has made these stories enjoyable, memorable, and personable.

Davis takes on the stories of Paul, Peter, Ignatius, Polycarp and a host of others from the first four centuries. He recasts them into imaginative settings and conversations that historically summarize some of their main emphases while they lived. It’s an ingenious approach to turn what can be dusty and dry details, into lively accounts. And then, periodically, the author inserts “Fact Files” that give a thoughtfully abbreviated set of details that are missing from the story. For example, the development of the papacy, or the conversion of the country of Armenia, and more. As he was covering Constantine, I appreciated that he gave the emperor his due and didn’t paint him up as some insidious betrayer of Christianity as certain 20th and 21st Century authors like to do. I also enjoyed the fact that on this St. Patrick’s Day of 2022, I finished reading the book with the final story being about Patrick.

Through and through, “Redemption” is the kind of retelling of the stories ‘bout the saints of old, stories about their faith, stories that make a boy grow bold, stories that make a man walk straight. But these are not just to make a boy grow bold, but young women will find them significantly relatable and encouraging as well. I highly recommend the book, and encourage readers to snatch them up, and hand them out.

My thanks to the author who sent me a copy of the book, gratis. He made no claims on my loyalties nor bribed me with any royalties. In fact, he made no stipulations and left me free to do as I liked. Therefore, this analysis is freely made and freely given.

[Peter Krol · Rating 4 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed this historical fiction approach to church history. Each chapter narrates a single scene from the life of a figure of ancient church history. The characters and their potential motivations shine through this approach. This is a good way to get started in church history, without having to simply memorize lists of councils, heresies, and popes.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed much of this book, but as a read-aloud to our kids it felt like it didn't quite hit the mark. It may have worked better to have a bit more narrative about each historical figure's life, or a series of snapshots from the person's life, rather than focusing on one particular moment in that person's life as this book does. We found it a bit too dialogue heavy as well.

[Katherine Brian]

The concept of the book is great but the execution of the book I did not like.
Each chapter is based on a different person in church history. There is a narrative styled story from their life and then a paragraph giving an overview of their contribution to the formation of the early church.

While I understand the intention of the narrative styled sections being easy to read and consumable for younger audiences, the form of writing does not sit right with me particularly with the chapters on Peter and Paul.
Those chapters take actual parts of the Bible and creates a narrative version. This makes the Bible stories feel less real and it also just general feels wrong to add embellishments to the content of the Bible.

[Parker Goforth · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s always helpful to hear of how Christ built and sustained the Early Church. This is a great resource for teenagers (and maybe even older) to get a grasp on figures and facts from Church History. The issues are some of the liberties taken by choosing the narrative style and some ambiguity as to what was problematic in Church History, particularly related to the Catholic Church.

[Sean Dickard · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not bad, just not what I was expecting. Davis takes creative liberty to narrate individual episodes from the lives of these figures, with only a paragraph summary of their lives and overall impact. I was expecting broader focus on their lives as a whole, but this does provide interesting glimpses into the lives of early influential figures in the Church.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting concept, writing short narrative accounts from the viewpoint of different characters in church history. But they are so short that sometimes it doesn’t really give much context to their life. That said, it is written for a teen audience, so maybe it works well for that age group.

[Whitney Frasier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read as a morning read aloud a couple times a week to my 4 kids. A great resource for all Christian families.

[Karla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a fun way to learn about church history! Loved the combination of story and factual sections.