Review of Principles of Algebra 2: Applied Algebra from a Biblical Worldview

It has been a tremendous joy and blessing to review this Algebra 2 curriculum. Our God in heaven is too overwhelming for mere man to understand and adequately describe with mere words. However, He has given us the senses and comprehension levels to unquestionably see His Godhead.

 “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.” Romans 1:20 

“Mathematics” is one of those “invisible things” that we cannot visually see because it is not a “physical object.” But we do see the physical laws, properties, and effects of mathematics all day long each and every day, IF we know what to look for and keep our eyes open.

 “Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.” Psalm 119:18

This appears to be the focus and general theme of Principles of Algebra 2 – Applied Algebra from a Biblical Worldview by Katherine and Dr. Adam Hannon. Each and every topic is presented in such a way so as to constantly remind us of Who God is and how He truly matters in our lives.

Although this is an Algebra 2 book, it does briefly recap most of the fundamental principles of Algebra 1. I would never recommend that you use this curriculum and skip Algebra 1, but if it has been a year or two since Algebra 1 was studied, you will find the first few chapters of this book to be a good refresher.

The dialogue is written in conversational English, not highbrow “mathematicianese,” so it is easy to understand.

The examples are generally provided in algebraic form using variables and also in mathematical form using numerical figures. The examples are generally not just random math problems. Most are carefully chosen to clearly illustrate the principle and to reveal evidence of our Creator.

Each chapter closes with a section called “Key Skills” that summarizes and reinforces the principles studied in that chapter.

The Solutions Manual is not just an answer book, but also includes dialogue to help understand the problems and their applications to our lives.

Although God created all the physical laws of the universe, man has been able to ascertain and characterize many of His laws over the past several millennium. As a fascinating bonus, Hannon also includes short history lessons of these individuals who made these discoveries. Quite often, these discoveries were made by solid Christians in their efforts to explore the world around us that God created.

By authoring this algebra textbook, Katherine and Dr. Adam Hannon have clearly shown that all textbooks pertaining to all subjects can be written in a Christ-centered manner. It also illustrates how teachers can and should augment any and every subject to include and be taught with that same Christ-centered focus. I highly recommend this textbook for math students AND for teachers in generals as a reference book for learning how they can be more effective at incorporating a Christ-centered focus into all of their subjects.

Jay Auxt
Retired Adjunct Instructor of Mathematics and Creation Science at Antietam Bible College