The King James Controversy

The King James Only Controversy: Can You Trust Modern Translations? By: James R. White

I have been following the King James Controversy for sometime. I have not been convinced that a certain version is superior to another. While I do prefer reading one version, like others, I often read several version of a verse or chapter to see it from a different perspective. It is better for the bible to be read and understood then for a translation to sit on a shelf unread because the person finds the language archaic.

Mr. White does an excellent job of presenting the position of the KJV only group and refuting their objections to other translations without being derogatory to anyone. He gives suggestions on how to choose what version is best for you. If you enjoy the KJV he does recommend you stay with it. He does, however, explain that he is a conservative and does not recommend every bible version out there. I find him sincere in his quest to present his information truthfully. Information is state clearly and lay people will be able to understand this book. Part two of the book includes an advanced chapter for those familiar with Koine Greek and want a deeper discussion of this topic.

Mr. White uses charts and many scriptural comparisons to state his arguments clearly. He also includes a chapter on problems with King James Version translation as no bible scholar know matter how hard they try, is infallible. The history of the bible translations also makes this a very interesting read. This would also be an excellent book for those doing bible translating.

ISBN Number: 978-0764206054

Can be purchased at:

Amazon

ChristianBook.com

Miserly Moms: Living Well on Less in a Tough Economy

Miserly Moms: Living Well on Less in a Tough Economy (4th edition) is a great resource for those struggling with the current conditions of the economy. Written by a mom who wanted to stay home with her children and had to learn how to economize, while living in expensive area of California. This book is the outcome of her research and "continuing education."

Being a fan of Jonni McCoy for more then 10 years and having frequently visiting her website, I was wondering if purchasing an updated version of her book would be all that helpful. I was pleasantly surprised by the thoroughly updated and new information that was contained in the book. There is a new opening chapter with testimonies from moms who came home. Then there are a few new chapters more relevant for today’s world such as a chapter dealing with special diets, Five Things I wish I Knew About Money When I was Young, How To Save $10,000, and 5 Questions I Get Asked Most Often, information that has come with experience. The titles of many of the chapters are the same, but there is enough new information in them, you can hardly recognize the old. I did also appreciate the new information on debt reduction and budgeting. However, I did find that most of the recipes, gift ideas, cleaning supplies, and children’s crafts are the same as the second (1996) edition of the book that I own.

There are items that are just common sense like shopping for items on sale, making your own food from scratch, washing laundry in cold water, and lowering your thermostat and hot water heater temperatures. Other suggestions I find great, like how to make homemade products for every day use and inexpensive gift ideas. The recipes are simple to make and taste great. There are also tips for teaching children and getting your husband on board to this lifestyle. The book would make a good reading material for your older children, especially girls who are potential stay at home moms in the future. Great gift also for the new mom!

http://www.miserlymoms.com/

To purchase at Christian Book Distributers (CBD) CLICK HERE.

To purchase at Amazon, CLICK HERE

The Principle Of The Path: How to get from where you are to where you want to be

Opening the book: The Principle of the Path by Andy Stanley: How To Get From Where You Are To Where You Want To Be, I was face with reviews by both Franklin Graham and Dave Ramsey, both of which I highly respect. What more could I possibly say to encourage someone to read this book?

The Principle of the Path is based on a basic biblical law known by Christians and non-Christians alike. What you reap is what you will sow. The path we choose ultimately will effect our destiny. Well, that is a simple concept. But how do we choose the correct path? Why do we continue to make the same mistakes? Andy Stanley answers these questions through out the book with examples from his life as well as examples of people he has counseled. The principle may seem simple, but too many of us don’t always choose the narrow path.

The principles taught in this book are excellent, they always point us to Christ. Nothing complicated and was easy to read. I appreciated the real life examples throughout that I could relate to my own life. I highly recommend this book as a graduation or even wedding gift. The sooner a young adult can read this the better. This would be helpful to avoid many of the mistakes we adults have made not following the natural laws laid out in God’s word. There is also redemption for those who have already made mistakes. But he is quite frank that it may take some time, and you may not be able to get exactly where you want to be. Then there are also curve balls that may ultimately lead you to a different, unexpected path that we just have to trust God through.

Also included is an excellent study guide at the end of the book covering the Key Idea, Key Truths, and Key Questions for each chapter of the book. The study guide also helps guide your thinking, points you to God, and helps to "Get from where you are to where you want to be."

To purchase this book CLICK HERE.

TOS Crew Review: Memoria Press

This school year I have had a crash course in Classical Education. There are some ideas I freely embrace, some I don't, and still some I just don't understand. However, I always feel as a homeschool mom to always be learning, always "perfecting," and changing to meet the needs of the individual student - which I call more eclectic.


I was introduced to Memoria Press a little over a month ago. On their website they have many great articles on the classical method of education. To visit this list click here. There are many articles there to get a taste or a full course meal, depending on what you are looking for.


Memoria Press puts out some great history products. They have reprinted the Famous Men series by John Haaren and A.B. Poland. They have occasionally clarified pronunciations and added beautiful color pictures. Otherwise they are the same as the originals. I was very impressed with the colored pictures. Many are full page and double spread pages. My only disappointment was that they don't have a hard cover. This might be because this would significantly increase the cost.


The Famous Men series is biographical stories of different people during the time period covered. These give young children a foundation in world history before going on to a more thorough study in high school. You could complete one or two guides a year depending on how fast you want to study, and how in depth you want to go, maybe supplementing with other real books. From my perspective, I felt that the books were better understood by second or third grade levels and up.


Also available to accompany the Famous Men series are student workbooks and teacher guides. The student workbooks contain lessons for each reading in the Famous Men series. They include: Facts to know, vocabulary, comprehension questions, timeline work, who said what worksheets, activities to accompany the lessons, drawing pages, tests, and map work. The teacher books are basically answer keys with some additional information and explanations, which I found helpful. The student books are more suited to middle school grades.


The Famous Men of Greece books combines myths (Greek allegory) with truth to tell the history and stories of ancient Greeks:"Apparently ancients did not think like we do, that things are natural facts and some things are untrue. The classical myths are allegories. The ancients saw these stories as true - not in the natural fact, but true in a different way." "An allegory is a story about real things told in terms of mythical persons and events. The meaning of an allegory is true, or intended to be true although the persons or events may not be factual." (From the Teacher guide book that accompanies Famous Men of Greece; page 11.) This explanation really helped me to better understand where the Greeks are coming from and how to explain it to my children. There is also an excellent article on: Why Study the Pagans? Click Here.

Some topics/ biographies covered in Famous Men of Greece:

The first half covers the myths:

The God's of Greece

Deucalion and the Flood

Perseus

Theseus

Achilles

The adventures of Odysseus

Then the book goes onto a more biographical history of Greece:

Draco and Solon

Themistocles

Socrates

Alexander the Great

Aristotle

The Fall of Greece

(and many more)


You can see a copy of the table of contents by Clicking HERE.




Famous Men of Modern Times is similar in lay out as the Famous Men of Greece except that the teacher guide contains copy work passages and writing prompts for the activity section, which I thought was a great addition to the program.


The Famous Men of Modern Times covers famous and not so famous people such as Columbus, Chevalier Bayard, Cardinal Wolsey, Sir Francis Drake, Galileo, Peter the Great, George Washington, Napoleon, and many more. My children did enjoy sitting and listening to these great stories. I do wish the stories had more "meat" in them, but overall were very good. The student guide helps the child to remember important dates and map the paths of the explorers to help cement this all in their memory and give a great foundation.


One of the great things about this series is the price. You can save 25% buy purchasing the complete set (teacher and student guides and Famous Men book) for only $39.95. To see all the Famous Men books available visit: Memoria Press by clicking here.




Memoria Press also offers Latin curriculum at several levels. We looked at the first level available: Prima Latina. This is for grades K-3, however they have to be reading before they can begin. Some say this level is optional and you can skip to the Latina Christiana program if you would like. All of their Latin books can be used and taught by the non-Latin teacher/parent.



Absolute essentials to the programs are:





The student book





The teacher manual





and the Pronunciation Guide, songs, and prayer CD





Optional, but highly recommended by me, the DVD's to accompany the program.





This program uses Christian Pronunciation.


You can do the program without the DVDs, however, they were such a blessing to me, I don't think I would want to do it without it. The DVDs contain the entire lesson taught by the author of the book. She makes it so much fun and is very encouraging to the student. She gives explanations that I just don't know.



Having done a few lessons, the lessons are appropriate for the young reading child. They are not overwhelming, learning just 5 new words each lesson. Grammar is gently integrated into the lessons, helping to understand grammar better. There is pronunciation practice, memory work, and writing practice to help build the Latin foundation. There is review built in and the program bridges the way into the next level: Latina Christiana.


If you are wondering why we should teach Latin. You can visit the article page listed above and read different reasons. One of the reasons is that most of our words are derived from the Latin language and helps build vocabulary. The one reason I appreciated the most was the fact that it helps the child learn critical thinking skills. You can read an article about how it helps build critical thinking skills in the PDF file: An Apologia For Latin Centered Classical Curriculum (Click Here.)


Memoria Press has other great products to supplement a great classical curriculum. You can visit their website to explore and learn more about their other great products.


Memoria Press Website - Click Here.