The History of Religious Liberty by Michael Farris

Special thanks to MasterBooks for providing a sample of this curriculum to try out in our home.

Our homeschool journey has come to a close, but learning never stops. With this in mind, we are continuing to work our way through The History of Religious Liberty by Michael Farris this summer.

If you’re going to use this curriculum in a traditional homeschool setting, it counts as 1 credit of civics. It is set up to be done over the course of 1 year (34 weeks). The teacher guide includes a weekly lesson schedule, student worksheets, quizzes, a final exam, and an answer key. The parent/teacher can photocopy the materials in the teacher guide for use within their homeschool or in a small group setting up to 10 students.

It’s been some time since I have personally dug into church history, so I looked forward to refreshing my knowledge as well as possibly learning more about church history as we worked our way through the book. At times, the reading was a little on the dry side, but, at the same time, I found it interesting since it was a topic I wanted to study.

It’s important to note that it does not paint a pretty picture of the Roman Catholic Church or its leaders as they were vehemently against an English translation of the Bible which lead to some particularly heinous actions and writings.

The curriculum begins with a study of religious liberty beginning around the time of Tyndale as he struggled to get the Bible translated for the common people. It was a true battle between the Roman Church and those involved in the Reformation. The battle wasn’t just a religious battle but also a political battle as the English monarchy sought to pull away from the authority of the church, so the church wasn’t the ultimate authority of the land.

The book continues to chronicle the history of religious liberty by following the history of the conflict between the Catholic Church, the Reformed leadership, Freewillers, Predestinators…. The different monarchs took different approaches to religious freedom based upon their personal beliefs. It also chronicles the different martyrs throughout history who were willing to die for their beliefs.

As history continues, we see the Bible being translated into English, but it is still treacherous to go against the Roman Church. The battle continues to be fought to allow the common man to read and study the scripture on his own rather than learn directly from the church.

The curriculum follows the progression of religious freedom from the 1500s to the writing of the Bill of Rights in 1791. The epilogue sheds light on the modern day approach to religious freedom based upon the history of religious liberty. Ultimately, this curriculum helps readers to understand our religious past least we forget where we came from and the sacrifices that were made to get religious liberty. It’s a reminder that we should fight to maintain our religious freedom rather sit idly by and allow them to be stripped away.

Note: We are working our way through this curriculum, so this is based upon what I’ve read thus far and a brief look at the rest of the text.

UPDATED 6/26/15: Munchkin is loving this book and learning a ton about church history and religious freedom. She’s enjoying it so much that it’s become regular reading for her. When she gets done with a section, we talk about it as a family. There are times she doesn’t even finish the section before she has to come tell me about what she has read. Needless to say, this book gets a 5 star rating from her, and she highly recommends it to others.

The History of Religious Liberty Curriculum Overview:

The true heroes of religious liberty are individuals who read the Word of God and understood both liberty of the soul and liberty of the mind!

• Reveals why the popular idea of the Enlightenment being at the heart of the Bill of Rights is simply wrong
• Takes an unflinching look at persecution of the Church as part of well-researched survey of critical historical points
• How the reaction of everyday Christians to the repressive forces of tyranny still echoes in the struggle for religious liberty globally today!

In America we enjoy an astonishing range of freedoms compared to other countries in the world. With Christian churches dotting almost every corner in communities across the nation, it is hard to remember there was a time that religious liberty was a heartfelt dream and a cause that many died for.

The History of Religious Liberty presents a detailed account of the troubled history of religious persecution between the 16th and 18th centuries that occurred in England, and undertakes a thorough exploration of the ideas and the sacrifices that helped to create religious liberty in America. With clarity and honesty, the book reveals that some giants of the faith were religious persecutors, but that is just one part of a much larger and important perspective. The true birth of religious liberty is found in the simple and courageous stories of those who lived and died believing God is the author of liberty!

About the Author:

Michael Farris is a constitutional lawyer, as well as the founder of the Home School Legal Defense Association and Patrick Henry College. An ordained minister as well as a pro-family activist on Capital Hill, Farris is a recognized influencer among educational circles.

Curriculum Details:

• Curriculum Pack includes The History of Religious Freedom Student Edition (ISBN-13: 978-0-89051-882-3) and The History of Religious Freedom Teacher Guide (ISBN-13: 978-0-89051-869-4)
• Imprint: Master Books
• Catalog Code: MHS11H3
• Title: Religious Freedom – Social and Political History Pack
• Publisher: New Leaf Publishing Group, Inc.
• Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price: $50.98
• Books are also sold separately and as digital downloads.