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What We Believe #1
Who Is God? And Can I Really Know Him?, Textbook
Our children are bombarded daily with competing messages. Every song, movie, book, TV show, blog, and game is full of ideas--ideas about God, people, truth, beauty, and right and wrong. Not all of these ideas are true. Some are deceptive and even destructive. The What We Believe series helps children learn to discern the truth by using God's Word as a lens through which to view the world around them--to see everything the way God sees it. Easy to use for the whole family, this first book in a four-part study of biblical worldview introduces young people, ages 6-14, to the basic truths of the Christian faith. Through engaging stories, creative notebooking, and fun activities, they will come to know and trust our loving God while building an unshakeable faith to last a lifetime.
256 pages, Textbook Binding
First published September 1, 2009
17 people are currently reading
57 people want to read
About the author
John Hay
534 books5 followersJohn Milton Hay (October 8, 1838 – July 1, 1905) was an American statesman & official, lawyer and writer; his career in government stretched over almost half a century. Beginning as a private secretary and assistant to Abraham Lincoln, Hay's highest office was United States Secretary of State under Presidents William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt. Hay was also an author and biographer, and wrote poetry and other literature throughout much of his life.
John Hay was born on October 8, 1838, in Salem, Indiana, but spent most of his youth in Warsaw, Illinois. The third son of Dr. Charles Hay and Helen Leonard, Hay moved to Illinois when he was 13 years old to study at an academy in Pittsfield. There, he met John Nicolay, with whom he would later work as a private secretary for President Abraham Lincoln. A year later, in 1852, Hay left for Springfield College. After completing his early education, he was accepted into Brown University, his grandfather's alma mater.
While studying at Brown, Hay developed a strong interest in literature, particularly poetry. He became actively involved in Providence’s literary community, which included Nora Perry and Sarah Helen Whitman, who had been engaged to Edgar Allan Poe. Upon graduating from Brown, Hay was named "class poet," but he left school before receiving his diploma at the university's official commencement ceremony. After graduation, he returned home to Warsaw, Illinois, where he studied law and worked for his uncle, Milton Hay's law office.
The law office where Hay worked was next door to Abraham Lincoln's law office and, as a result of their close proximity, Hay and the future president became acquaintances. Lincoln was elected president of the United States in 1861 and he chose John Nicolay, Hay's childhood classmate, as his secretary. Nicolay subsequently recommended Hay for the position of private secretary to the president. Hay was offered the position, and served in the Lincoln White House from 1861 to 1865.
He went on to serve as the U.S. secretary of state for both William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt. Arguably his greatest influences were negotiating the Hay-Pauncefote Treaty and promoting an "Open Door" policy in China.
Hay continued to write throughout his life. His literary work includes Pike County Ballads and Other Pieces, a book of poems; the novel The Bread-Winners; and Abraham Lincoln: A History, a historical non-fiction book co-written by John Nicolay.
Hay died on July 1, 1905, in Newbury, New Hampshire.
John Hay was born on October 8, 1838, in Salem, Indiana, but spent most of his youth in Warsaw, Illinois. The third son of Dr. Charles Hay and Helen Leonard, Hay moved to Illinois when he was 13 years old to study at an academy in Pittsfield. There, he met John Nicolay, with whom he would later work as a private secretary for President Abraham Lincoln. A year later, in 1852, Hay left for Springfield College. After completing his early education, he was accepted into Brown University, his grandfather's alma mater.
While studying at Brown, Hay developed a strong interest in literature, particularly poetry. He became actively involved in Providence’s literary community, which included Nora Perry and Sarah Helen Whitman, who had been engaged to Edgar Allan Poe. Upon graduating from Brown, Hay was named "class poet," but he left school before receiving his diploma at the university's official commencement ceremony. After graduation, he returned home to Warsaw, Illinois, where he studied law and worked for his uncle, Milton Hay's law office.
The law office where Hay worked was next door to Abraham Lincoln's law office and, as a result of their close proximity, Hay and the future president became acquaintances. Lincoln was elected president of the United States in 1861 and he chose John Nicolay, Hay's childhood classmate, as his secretary. Nicolay subsequently recommended Hay for the position of private secretary to the president. Hay was offered the position, and served in the Lincoln White House from 1861 to 1865.
He went on to serve as the U.S. secretary of state for both William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt. Arguably his greatest influences were negotiating the Hay-Pauncefote Treaty and promoting an "Open Door" policy in China.
Hay continued to write throughout his life. His literary work includes Pike County Ballads and Other Pieces, a book of poems; the novel The Bread-Winners; and Abraham Lincoln: A History, a historical non-fiction book co-written by John Nicolay.
Hay died on July 1, 1905, in Newbury, New Hampshire.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
September 14, 2021
There are good solid truths presented here, but the writing style can be repetitive and dry. Also many uses of "we" and "our" tend to sound like universal redemption. (not universalism--I don't think the author is saying that everyone will be saved.) Each chapter begins with a fictional story, and the fiction is not the type that will last. Overall, the book is good. We didn't follow their "Make Note" suggestions much, but instead filled out little booklets from Knowledge Quest's lapbook for Who Is God.
January 10, 2021
Our family listened to this on our way to church each Sunday as a combo of homeschool Bible class / Sunday School (since that's not happening yet post-Covid.)
It's a very solid, Biblical walk through of the character of God and our relationship with Him. Highlights the concept of worldviews and their impact on our life and choices. It does, however, tend towards wordiness with quite a bit of repetition. I'm thinking it could probably be about 20-40% shorter with good editing. As I reminded my children though, repetition aids in learning. 😉
My kids are 6, 10, 13, and 15. It was sometimes a little advanced for my 6yo and a bit more of a review for my 13 and 15yo. We explained as necessary for the youngest (and we have other more age appropriate Bible studies for her) and again ... repetition aids learning for the older ones. 😉
For our family, the real value of this was as a "plug and play" Bible lesson. We certainly had discussion and interaction throughout, but we mostly just listened and learned/reviewed together. We wanted to redeem the 45-minute drive to church, especially with the current lack of SS, but that's not exactly the ideal time for Dad to sit down with an open Bible and teach. 😉 This worked for us. We're planning to continue on with the next book. (As a side note ... I did try using this a few years ago for more of a daily Bible time, but we got weighed down with the length of it. It seemed to work better with a longer stretch once a week, about two weeks per chapter. I didn't find that it divided well into shorter lesson times.)
Note on the Audiobook: Although the reading is fine, the recording quality leaves a bit to be desired and tended towards "tinny" in our van. We dealt with it, but it didn't make folks super excited to turn it on each week even though the content was solid.
It's a very solid, Biblical walk through of the character of God and our relationship with Him. Highlights the concept of worldviews and their impact on our life and choices. It does, however, tend towards wordiness with quite a bit of repetition. I'm thinking it could probably be about 20-40% shorter with good editing. As I reminded my children though, repetition aids in learning. 😉
My kids are 6, 10, 13, and 15. It was sometimes a little advanced for my 6yo and a bit more of a review for my 13 and 15yo. We explained as necessary for the youngest (and we have other more age appropriate Bible studies for her) and again ... repetition aids learning for the older ones. 😉
For our family, the real value of this was as a "plug and play" Bible lesson. We certainly had discussion and interaction throughout, but we mostly just listened and learned/reviewed together. We wanted to redeem the 45-minute drive to church, especially with the current lack of SS, but that's not exactly the ideal time for Dad to sit down with an open Bible and teach. 😉 This worked for us. We're planning to continue on with the next book. (As a side note ... I did try using this a few years ago for more of a daily Bible time, but we got weighed down with the length of it. It seemed to work better with a longer stretch once a week, about two weeks per chapter. I didn't find that it divided well into shorter lesson times.)
Note on the Audiobook: Although the reading is fine, the recording quality leaves a bit to be desired and tended towards "tinny" in our van. We dealt with it, but it didn't make folks super excited to turn it on each week even though the content was solid.
June 1, 2018
I’m gonna be honest. I used this book because it was given to me. But I also know that my fourth grade son has a predilection for theology and philosophy, even at the elementary school level. So even though it seemed a bit dry to me, at times, he always paid attention and soaked most of it up. Pretty straight-forward and very basic, my son enjoyed the stories most (which were few and far between). Seems like a good resource for teaching very basic Christian theology in just about any protestant setting. There might be better, but this worked fine.
November 22, 2021
1 on weight. 1 on research. 1 on style. 2 on logic. 1 on affections. 6 out of ten or 3 stars. This book may be helpful at sometimes to some people, but it was kind of elementary. The stories made the book longer than it should have been, those add-on characters could have been cut. We're not supposed to be reading a fiction novel, we're supposed be reading about God. Its emphasis on worldview and culture were the best parts of the whole book. I think we don't hear enough talk about that today, and I'm glad this book brought out the importance of a Christian worldview.
April 30, 2021
After pulling my kids from public school to homeschool we found this apologia worldview course. My kids are 11, 7, and 6. We also used the coordinating workbook. My kids enjoyed this course very much. It is a very basic instruction on developing a Christian worldview. Simple for kids, definitely a prime level course.
February 5, 2021
Great world view book for young people...any age really. I read through this with my children ages 8-15. They all enjoyed it and learned a lot. This is just the first of four books in the series and we plan to continue reading the series.
March 8, 2021
We all enjoyed the story parts, but those were maybe 1/4 of the book. It definitely is good content but I would have preferred more stories and more examples in real life to keep the kids attention. I think we will move on to the second book but not right away.
September 9, 2024
A great basics book for all believers to establish a biblical foundation to support their beliefs!
February 27, 2017
Read through this with Bennett as part of our homeschool day and his morning meeting time with me. He used the note booking journal that Apologia publishes as a companion and he was able to gain much from it over the course of the past year. We love the little activities, the recipes and other things that are scattered throughout the book. It allowed us to put a kinesthetic component on our learning, and Bennett really liked that. We also really liked the fictional stories in the book that are used to discuss the components of the lessons. Overall, this was a very good book for Bennett to work through as part of his sixth grade year, and we are looking forward to starting the second book in the series.
April 29, 2015
Went through this with Bekah. A good primer on the Christian faith for 11-14 year olds. I especially appreciated the emphasis on the concept of worldview in each chapter. At times the authors come across as a bit close minded regarding certain topics but it does not detract from the overall value of the book.
March 24, 2016
Autumn and I made it through this book for school. I thought it would be more like a basic overview of world views like James Sire Universe Next Door. They wound up throwing too many asides and other stories into the book. It was also difficult when to figure out when to break for the day, as we were attempting to read this as a "Devotion" style book.
October 10, 2012
We LOVE this devotional. The kids have learned a ton about God.
Want to read
April 3, 2016Didn't read
May 21, 2015
My kids loved this as part of our home-schooling day. Highly recommend this along with the notebooking journals.
December 25, 2024
Well written! A great book to read as a family.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews