A Book Review from Books At a Glance
by Kristin Stiles
What do children know (or think they know) about St. Patrick? He was Irish. He drove out all the snakes from Ireland. He used a shamrock to teach about the Trinity. What do children probably not know about St. Patrick? He wasn’t Irish. He didn’t drive the snakes from Ireland. We hope that he didn’t use a shamrock to teach about the Trinity, because that would have been a heretical teaching (partialism).
In his book Saint Patrick the Forgiver, Ned Bustard sets most of these inaccuracies straight and provides a simple but more complete overview of the life and ministry of the man who came to be known as Saint Patrick. Born in Britain, Patrick was kidnapped by raiders and taken to Ireland as a slave. After several years, he was able to escape and found a ship’s captain who would take him back home. God gave him a burden, though, for the people of Ireland who were themselves enslaved to their pagan worship. Patrick returned as a missionary and devoted his life to sharing the teachings of Christ. God used him to turn the hearts of many in the country away from their druid religion.
While Bustard does refer to the shamrock and the Trinity, he sets many of the other myths about St. Patrick straight. He does this in a lyrical style that is simple and rolls nicely off the tongue as you read it aloud. The concepts of forgiveness, obedience, and evangelism are clearly expressed. Overall, this is a nice way to introduce your children to who the historical St. Patrick was and to present another example of how God uses the pain and difficulties that we face for our good and His glory.
Kristin Stiles is a home-school mom, a Sunday School teacher, and helps lead the “Young, Reading, & Reformed” children’s ministry at Reformed Baptist Church of Franconia, PA.