Pilgrim's Rock, LLC Online Apologetics Course REVIEW

Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

Christian Apologetics is key when it comes to defending our faith.  I have stressed this in our homeschool for years now.  I loved having the chance to review another wonderful resource, The Unbreakable Faith Course online course, and the two textbooks, God the Reason and The Box, from Pilgrim's Rock, LLC.  I received 2 years of access to this 36-week online course and PDF copies of each book.  It qualifies for 1 unit High School credit if you purchase that option and take it as directed in the syllabus which is accessible in your online course.  It is also a wonderful study for adults who want a good foundation in apologetics.  The course can be used for individual study, group study including co-ops and also for a church or college ministry.

Course syllabus

The syllabus contains all the information you need to complete the course including contact information for Dr. Craig Biehl.  It includes the course description, student learning outcomes, course requirements including grading and a grading scale, and a course calendar.

For High School credit there are approximately 80 hours of coursework that includes watching the videos, study time, quiz/exam time, and reading time.  The course is broken down into 6 parts that include 14 main videos (38 videos total - some of the videos have multiple parts that are each approximately 10-12 minutes long) and 5 quizzes broken down into the following sections:

• Introduction to Apologetics; The Implications of God Having No Beginning or Needs
• The Implications of God as Unable to Be Known Unless He Reveals Himself, Infinite, and Unchanging
• The Implications of God as an Undivided Unity, Spirit, Perfect in Knowledge, and Perfectly Wise
• The Implications of God as True and Truthful, Good and Love, Holy, and Righteous
• The Implications of God as Infinitely Powerful and Sovereign; The Unbelieving and Believing Worldview
• Final Exam

Sample of Part 1 assignments

My thought was to go through the course with my High Schooler and then have him take the quizzes and exam for credit.  We watch the videos together and discuss the topic(s) covered.  I use the books as read alouds to be sure we are covering the whole book and not just parts of it (if you know what I mean).  It is helping to reinforce what we have already covered in other apologetics lessons but it definitely has a different approach to it that is causing us to look at things from a different perspective that I like.  I really like the heart of the creator, Dr. Craig Biehl.  "Pilgrim’s Rock exists to exalt the infinite excellence of God and the Gospel, boost joy, comfort, and faith in Christ and Scripture, and immunize believers against the unreasonable arguments of unbelief." 

The Box (Answering the Faith of Unbelief) consists of a conversation between Mr. A and Mr. C.  Mr. A is the atheist and Mr. C is the Christian.  Mr. C uses the box as an example of our finite wisdom.  We don't and can't know everything and to presuppose that God doesn't exist means that "we believe that we must know everything in the universe and beyond."  I like what he said at the end of Chapter 4, "Some of the soundest logical arguments are false because they are built on faulty premises or assumptions."

God the Reason (How Infinite Excellence Gives Unbreakable Faith) consists of a great resource for a strong foundation in a Biblical Worldview.  Within the 15 chapters Craig breaks it down into the following topics: In the Beginning God, God Needs Nothing, God Cannot Be Known Unless He Reveals Himself, God is Boundless Perfection, God Does Not Change, God is Undivided, God is Spirit, God Knows Everything, God is Wise, God is True and Truthful, God is Good and Love, God is Holy, God is Righteous, God is Infinitely Powerful, and God Rules Over All.

We had some challenges with this review in that we got a little bit of a late start and then we had flu hit our house hard the last week before it was due.  I am enjoying the course and really like the foundation it is laying for my son to be thinking from a more biblical worldview and the approach that Dr. Biehl uses in his teaching.  I especially like the inclusion of the classic hymns in the videos.  We are just now into Part 2 and I am excited to get through the course.  You can complete the course in whatever time frame fits your schedule.  We try to cover something at least 3 times weekly if not 5.  You can see from the sample above what Part 1 looks like.  It actually has a total of 9 videos to view, all of The Box to read and several chapters of God the Reason before taking the first quiz.

Online course progress

I also like that you must complete each assignment before going on to the next.  It will not let you progress forward until you have completed the current assignment.  This is great for me because my high schooler likes to skip around a lot and then things tend to get confusing.  This forces him to take it one thing at a time and to complete things in order.  I found the course easy to navigate online and the syllabus and course directives were all very clear to understand.  It is a win for us and we give The Unbreakable Faith Course online course, and the two textbooks, God the Reason and The Box a big thumbs up.

You can connect with Pilgrim's Rock, LLC on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, PINTEREST, and YOUTUBE.  Also, be sure to click on the graphic link below to see what my fellow Crew members thought of this wonderful resource.

Pathway to Liberty History REVIEW

I have been searching for another history curriculum and I am so glad we had the opportunity to review Pathway to Liberty's History Curriculum from Pathway to Liberty Homeschool Curriculum.  I received physical copies of Pathway to Liberty's Universal History Year 1 for both Level 1 and Level 3 & 4.  The books are softcover and spiral bound.  I received the Student Guide and Teacher Guide for both levels in addition to The CHAIN of Liberty book and Studyguide.  The author of this history curriculum, Jayme Maccullough, was a homeschool mom who knew there was more to the regular dry and mundane history texts.  She wanted something that was alive for her boys, would draw them in, and would also share with them the importance of our liberty and what our founding fathers fought for in order for us to have the liberty we enjoy today.  She also wanted to have a strong biblical foundation for how our true history has happened over the years.

I must admit when I first looked at everything I was a little overwhelmed.  The schedule looked a little complex and I wasn't sure how it would all fit together.  As you use the curriculum though you do get used to the pattern and it starts to flow well.  It is a complete curriculum for grades K-12.  One year of the curriculum contains 26 weeks of study (with weeks 25-26 being mostly review).  There are 4 books (years) that include Universal History, the Middle Ages, U.S. History, and World History. Each book consists of 4 levels that are grade specific.  Level 1 is for K5-3rd grade, Level 2 is for 4th-6th grade, Level 3 is for 7th-9th grade, and Level 4 is for 10th-12th grade.  The levels allow you to teach multiple children at the same time.  The schedule is set up for 4 days per week for approximately 20-60 minutes each day.  I'd say 20-40 minutes for the lower level is pretty close but at level 3 we are generally more than an hour when we watch the videos that are an hour long.

Required book list

Teaching multiple children at the same time is a great thing, but not as easy as it sounded.  I have found that with my two, I am still having to do some independent work, but I really do like that they are learning the same thing at the same time.  Because my children are so far apart in age, we don't tend to do lessons together, but there are parts that we can do together and the younger one does enjoy watching some of the upper-level videos.  Also, my older 9th grader is a struggling learner so it is a little more labor intensive for me, but the curriculum is working well.  My 9th grader was VERY reluctant to do the work and of course, dislikes the writing VERY much (he is slightly dyslexic and also dysgraphic), but I think the small amount required is really good for him.  He has also realized that he really is enjoying what he is learning, score!  Little bug is having a ball, especially when she gets to color the pictures!

Level 1 lesson page

Level 1 page

Level 3 lesson page

The Teacher Guide really has most of what you need.  There is also a Teacher Manual that I did not receive, but I think I am going to get.  It has additional resources that go with the curriculum and it is for all 4 years. There are also additional resources you need to purchase (from the required book list).  There is a required and optional book list in both the student and teacher guides.  Each week has a weekly overview schedule.  Each week begins with a scripture, principle, and a leading idea that helps guide the focus for the week. The daily lessons are laid out in grid form with each level taking up a separate column.  This makes it easy when you are teaching multiple levels.  Everyone reads the same scripture with individual assignments being different according to grade level.

Level 1 Table of Contents

Level 3 & 4 Table of Contents

Sample Weekly Overview

The curriculum and lesson guides include optional writing assignments, deeper study, and vocabulary word study.  The author recommends the extras so that your child will be immersed in the current subject and study.  I have to agree with this and I like the way it totally works in a Charlotte Mason style curriculum. A typical lesson might include reading or a video and answering fill-in-the-blank questions.  There is a channel on YouTube that has all the videos and even separate playlists for the 4 different years so you don't have to search so hard to find them. Make sure to also visit the website for additional resource links.

Optional writing assignments and vocab list

Additional online resource links

The CHAIN of Liberty book and study guide that I also received is the foundation of the idea that grew this history curriculum.  Jayme talks about the "links" that "chain" history together through the years.  The "links" include:

• Creation Link
• Dawn of Nations Link
• Moses and the Law Link
• Church Link
• Reformation Link
• First Colonies Link
• First Constitutional Republic Link
• Expansion and Erosion Link
• The World at War Link
• Restoration Link

The links coincide with the curriculum from all 4 years.  For example, with our Year 1 Universal History, the first 3 links are covered. The links are listed at the beginning of the guides as a reminder.  Since these coincide with what we are learning, I am using The CHAIN of Liberty book and study guide alongside with what we are studying each week.  For Universal History, weeks 1-7 cover the Creation Link, weeks 8-15 cover the Dawn of Nations Link, and weeks 16-24 cover Moses and the Law Link.

I really like the way the curriculum is laid out and I like that the kids actually seem to be enjoying it.  I love the content so far and appreciate the apologetics aspect of it.  The fact that it is written from a Biblical Worldview is a winner for me.  I recommend that you check out Pathway to Liberty's History Curriculum.

You can connect with Pathway to Liberty Homeschool Curriculum on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, PINTEREST, YOUTUBE, and INSTAGRAM.

Please also take the time to check out the reviews from my fellow Crew members (click on graphic below).  All four years are covered in the reviews so you can get a better idea of what to expect from the other levels.