A Legacy of Liberty
by Deborah L. Brezina
Reviewed by Martha Robinson
Purchase details: A Legacy of Liberty by Deborah L. Brezina. $375 Available only from Legacy of Liberty.
A Legacy of Liberty is a thirty-two week government and history study for high-school aged students. The program consists of twelve cassettes of lectures and two large three-ring binders, a student manual, and a teacher's notebook with the lecture notes/overheads.
While the goal of the program is primarily to teach government, it covers the history of world governments and famous people from Hebrew times through the writing of the U.S. Constitution. Mrs. Brezina discusses Greek philosophers in light of their religious beliefs (deism, pantheism), and points out that the fall of both the Roman and Greek civilizations was accompanied by immorality and a breakdown of religion and family, similar to what is occurring in our society today. A strong emphasis is placed on British history, and also on the life and beliefs of John Calvin. As she continues moving through governmental history, the author comes back to how the past influenced the design of American government. The American Revolution and the French Revolution are presented as Judeo-Christian ideas and humanist ethic, respectively.
The author uses extensive quotes from famous politicians, leaders in many fields, the Bible, and other books to support her opinions as to the thoughts the framers of our country had, and to show God's providential hand throughout history. Man's fallen, corrupt nature and how that affected the design of our government, for example, is contrasted with the humanist/socialist viewpoint of Karl Marx. The two views of the nature of man are clearly delineated throughout A Legacy of Liberty.
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Judeo/Christian
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Humanist
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Man is corrupt.
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Man is good.
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Man is flawed.
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Man is perfectible.
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The Reformation pointed to God.
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The Renaissance pointed to man.
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She also addresses many controversial subjects such as abortion and evolution in the discussion of Christianity, atheism, and humanism, for instance. Throughout the program, Mrs. Brezina summarizes what she will say and what she did say, so that difficult concepts are visited several times.
The program ends with a discussion of some of the issues of the current time. Mrs. Brezina asks a number of questions to challenge the student to think about these concerns from a Christian perspective. She points out the many places where God's name may be found in our government, and the outstanding legacy that Christianity has on the freedoms we enjoy today. The western civilization is at a crossroads, and Mrs. Brezina finishes the book with encouragement from Revelation, "Wake up! And strengthen the things that remain."
Student manual -- The consumable student manual provides a lesson plan outline for one year of study that includes lectures from the tapes, "workbook" study questions, suggested movies, extra reading, and tests. Each section begins with a list of terms and people. Then, extensive study questions appear to give the student an opportunity to recall the important points of the lecture prior to taking the test provided. Reprinted articles that relate to the lessons and answers to the study questions and tests are also included.
Tape set -- Twelve tapes, with more than twenty hours of lectures, are included. Mrs. Brezina reviews all the material in a clear narrative.
Recommendation: A Legacy of Liberty is much more than a government program. It includes a thorough defense of the evangelical, Calvinistic Christian faith, and relates faith to all aspects of history and the American government. God's providential care is shown over more than 2,000 years to provide a thought provoking year of study that is particularly applicable to current events.
HomeschoolChristian.com resources related to this review:
HomeschoolChristian.com's Civics and Government Resources Section
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