R.C. Sproul. The Priest with Dirty Clothes. Sanford, FL: Reformation Trust Publishing, February 10th 2011. 45 pp.
5 out of 5
Among the hundreds of books I have reviewed on this blog over the years this is the second time that I reviewed a children’s book (the first was God’s Servant Job: A Poem with a Promise). I am reviewing this book because I really enjoyed The Priest with Dirty Clothes by Christian theologian R.C. Sproul. My three little girls who are all pre-school age also enjoyed this book very much and the book has led to deeper conversations about spiritual matters.
Sproul bases this story loosely on Zechariah 3:1-5 of Joshua the High Priest and his unrighteous soiled garments before God’s presence in which Satan stands accusing Him. In Sproul’s story the priest instead is a man name Jonathan who appears before a great king to preach. Of course the story is an allegory of God (the king), Satan (the character Malus whose name seems to be a play on word on “malice”) and Jesus Christ (the Prince). Instead of taking place in heaven in this story the setting is in a kingdom sometime during the middle ages (or at least it was an age of kings, priests and bishops). The story was beautifully written and also beautifully illustrated. The illustrated Justin Gerard did a good job and I love the paintings, the details and expressions of the characters. They capture so much in such limited space. My daughters would ask me about the expressions of the character and it capture the mood of the characters as told in the story very well. The book is quite beautiful, appearing as a nice hardcover with quality glossy pages. The analogies to the Christian faith is wonderful. I also appreciated how in the end of the book there’s a section for parents in which Sproul provides questions and Biblical passages for deeper discussions with one’s kids to help facilitate a deeper understanding of God’s truth. Its beautiful to see how a work of fiction for young children can be so Christ-centered, edifying and evangelistic! I give this a five out of five which of course means I recommend the book.
Purchase:Westminster | Amazon
Reblogged this on Talmidimblogging.
Thanks for the reblog!
You’re very welcome Pastor Jim 😎
Thanks for the review, Jim! Sproul has good stuff!
I agree! I do enjoy Sproul! I was pleasantly surprised that he can write children’s book too!
He is also a composer. 🙂
Whoah really? I didn’t even know that! I was going to say Sproul is a Renaissance man, gifted in theology, writing, teaching and music but I think it’s better to say he’s a Reformed well-rounded man! Is there a song he’s composed or album he’s made that you enjoyed from Sproul?
I have not heard all his music. Here are two links.
http://www.ligonier.org/store/glory-to-the-holy-one-cd/
http://www.ligonier.org/store/type/music/
Thank you for this review! I will have to get this for my youngest son. 🙂
Nice! How old is your youngest?
12, but he has a developmental delay. We adopted him from Russia and he acts more like age8 or 9.
My husband absolutely loves reading this book to our kids. Thanks for the review SlimJim! 😊
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