Over the holidays I completed Zombie Church, by Tyler Edwards.

I was skeptical at first; what in the world could zombies have to do with the church? But I was intrigued.

And after the first couple of chapters, I was hooked, I was shocked, and I was scared.

I first met Tyler when he spoke at a week of junior high camp for us. His messages were excellent, but I was really impressed with him as a person. He stayed in the dean’s cabin with me and the other dean, Eric. We spent the hours after the campers went to bed playing Phase 10, laughing at Eric on no sleep, and having a great week. It was great. When he found out that week that I read and reviewed books, he asked if I would be interested in reading and reviewing Zombie Church. Like I said, I was intrigued.

Not too long after that, I received a copy of the book from his publisher.

I was intrigued…
My initial questions were centered around the idea of just how the church could have anything at all in common with zombies, or even B-level, cheesy zombie movies. I couldn’t see the connection at all. But, cheesy or not, I enjoy a good zombie flick as much as the next guy, most of the time. There have been a couple that I couldn’t bear to watch. He even references one of them later in the book, Undead Alive.

Since I couldn’t fathom how he’d connect zombies and the church, I knew I had to read on.

I was hooked…
It didn’t take long, in fact. It was on page 12 that I read a quote from Brennan Manning, one of my favorite authors:

The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips then walk out the door and deny them with their lifestyle.

All of a sudden, I could see the similarity between the church, or at least a portion of it, and zombiism. Just a few pages later, Edwards says this:

When the church neglects the commission of Jesus — stops ministering to the poor and the hurting and stops sharing the love of God with others — then it stops living.

So true.

And very frightening. But more on that in a moment.

As a homeschool dad, I’m always on the lookout for excellent teaching resources.

The Big Book of History is one such resource. I was intrigued, and my kids were fascinated with it.

It’s simply this: a fold-out time line of history from Creation through today. With tons of information, and very visually captivating images, this resource will be incredibly useful in our history lessons.  Once unfolded, it extends to fifteen feet!  It’s extremely easy to follow and includes lots of sidebars and mini-timelines with additional information.

I’m extremely impressed with the Big Book of History. In fact, I’m considering buying another one to disassemble and hang up in our school room for our kids to access easily.

With access online to a study guide, the Big Book of History will make a great teaching tool for parents, as well as in the church.

I highly recommend that you add one of these to your library. It will definitely come in handy!

What resources do you use to teach history, if any? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

If you are interested in utilizing the Big Book Of History, you can purchase it at Amazon.com, or you can order the panels only.

Disclosure of Material Connection:
I received this book free from New Leaf Press/Master Books as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Also, some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links”. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.“