History

History CurriculumHistory Resources

As with most things, C.S. Lewis had a unique view of history. For him, the really important bits were the stories—he makes a distinction between actual historical realities and the idealized versions of them handed down which make heroes and villains of mere men and women. It's not that the stories are completely false, but their value is for character-building, not as factual data.

The tales of George Washington's bravery in battle, coolness under pressure, rigorous truthfulness, and unflagging piety may accurately preserve the essence of his temperament and nobility, but not all of them are strictly historical. The point of these stories isn't to impart facts, however, it's to offer an example of goodness for the rest of us to emulate.

Getting the facts right is still important, though. As Christians, we can't afford to have a false understanding of "the old days." Mankind is fallen, and the story of his sojourn on Earth is filled with war, suffering, disease, unfaithfulness, pride and envy; a study of history that omits those elements is both false and useless. False, because it is incomplete, and useless, because it tells us nothing of the human condition or our current situation.

It's a bit of a mystery to us why non-Christians are motivated to study the past. For believers, the end goal isn't just acquisition of facts about events and cultures, it's the instillation of a thoroughly Christian worldview, an understanding of the course of the human endeavour as decreed and guided by God Himself.

The story of Jesus Christ is central. It is the only history story that fulfills the character-building element Lewis looked for, while remaining absolutely true in every detail. Man is fallen and he does struggle against God, but through Christ there is hope of redemption, a chance to connect heaven and earth through the Atonement. Christ is the ultimate example of God's providence.

In the Reformed tradition, God's sovereignty is a very big deal. According to the doctrine of divine decree, God has ordered all things that were, are and will come to be for His own good pleasure and glory. His hand is thus present everywhere, in the privatest private life and the most public and widespread crisis. God is in control, providentially guiding nations, men, and the entire cosmos.

This very doctrine is perhaps what best explains the humanist's interest in history (whether he be atheist, agnostic, pagan). Man's natural bent is to make himself the hero of the story, to show how people can sway the trajectory of all things. God's version is quite different, and the two are naturally in conflict. Resolution may only be found in Christ.

For, while God decrees and guides all things, He has also (paradoxically) decreed man's free will and personal responsibility. Men do change the course of kingdoms, but it is only through God's agency. A proper Christian study of history takes both truths into account, and tells the stories of good guys and bad guys through the light of everything God's Word says about human nature and divine control.

We encourage you to take great comfort and joy in your study of history. Read books, watch movies (carefully noting that a lot of the story is likely to be inaccurate in detail), go on fieldtrips to forts and battlefields and birthplaces. Most of all, talk about these things. The end goal, after all, isn't to know a bunch of trivia, but to understand what God has done and continues to do.

No one knows for sure what the end of history will look like, except that every knee in heaven and on earth will bow to the returned glorious Christ, who comes to judge the living and the dead. What we believe about Him will determine whether that culmination will be filled with joy or loathing (everyone will be terrified). He is the author of history, and its centerpiece; honor Him in your study of it.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he is a husband and father, teaches adult Sunday school in his Presbyterian congregation, and likes weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur.Read more of his reviews here.

 

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Active Filters: 12th grade (Ages 17-18)
1,001 Things Everyone Should Know About American History
by John A. Garraty
1st edition from Nelson Doubleday, Inc.
for 9th-Adult
in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
100 Great Wonders of the World
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100 Most Important Events in Christian History
by A. Kenneth Curtis, et al.
from Revell Publishing
Church History Reference for 9th-Adult
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100 Most Important Events in Church History (Magazine)
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101 Hymn Stories
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101 Hymn Stories
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101 Hymn Stories - audio book on CD
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101 More Hymn Stories
by Kenneth Osbeck
from Kregel Publications
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$18.99
102 Favorite Paintings By Norman Rockwell
by Norman Rockwell
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1066: The Year of the Conquest
by David Howarth
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1776
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1776
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1846 - Portrait of the Nation
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$12.00 (2 in stock)
2000 Years of Christ's Power Volume 1
by Nick R. Needham
2nd edition from Christian Focus Publications
Church History Reference for 11th-Adult
2000 Years of Christ's Power Volume 2
by Nick R. Needham
2nd edition from Christian Focus Publications
Church History Reference for 11th-Adult
2000 Years of Christ's Power Volume 3
by Nick R. Needham
2nd edition from Christian Focus Publications
Church History Reference for 11th-Adult
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by Nick R. Needham
2nd edition from Christian Focus Publications
Church History Reference for 11th-Adult
2000 Years of Christ's Power Volume 5
by Nick R. Needham
from Christian Focus Publications
Church History Reference for 11th-Adult
20th Century Wars
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$7.00 (1 in stock)
26 Letters
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32 Christians Who Changed the World
by Glenn S. Sunshine
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50 States Flipper
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$7.96
501 Must-Visit Cities
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9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation
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A.D. - CD
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$45.00
Abide With Me
by John H. Parker, Paul Seawright
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Abraham Lincoln & Frederick Douglass
by Russell Freedman
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Abraham Lincoln: Great Speeches
Dover Thrift Editions
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Political Philosophy for 10th-Adult
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$2.00
Abraham Lincoln: The Man & His Faith
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Admiral David Glasgow Farragut
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Admiral Hornblower in the West Indies
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Reader's Digest World's Best Reading
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Aeneid
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Aeneid
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$19.00
Aeneid - Memoria Press Package
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$47.44
Aeneid - MP Student Guide
by Cody King
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$19.90
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$19.90
Aeneid Of Virgil
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Aeschylus I: The Oresteia (old)
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Aeschylus II: The Oresteia
The Complete Greek Tragedies
by Aeschylus (translation by Richmond Lattimore)
3rd edition from University of Chicago
Ancient Greek Tragedy for 10th-Adult
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$14.00
Aeschylus' Oresteia
Penguin Classics
by Aeschylus (translation by Robert Fagles)
from Penguin Classics
Ancient Greek Tragedy for 10th-Adult
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Aeschylus' Oresteia
by Aeschylus, translated by Peter Meineck
from Hackett Publishing Company
Ancient Greek Tragedy for 10th-Adult
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$13.50
Aeschylus' Oresteian Trilogy
Penguin Classics
by Aeschylus, translated by Phillip Vellacott
from Penguin Classics
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Aesop's Fables
by Aesop
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Fairy Tales & Fables for 10th grade-adult
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$5.95
African Kingdoms
Great Ages of Man
by Basil Davidson
from Time-Life Books
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Africans and Their History
by Joseph E. Harris
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Against All Odds
by Jim Stier
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Agatha Christie: An Autobiography
by Agatha Christie
2012 Reissue from William Morrow & Company
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Age of Enlightenment
Great Ages of Man
by Peter Gay
from Time-Life Books
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Age of Exploration
Great Ages of Man
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Great Ages of Man
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Age of Faith
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Age of Fighting Sail
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American Naval History for 8th-Adult
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Age of Fighting Sail
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1st edition from Doubleday & Company
American Naval History for 8th-Adult
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Age of Kings
Great Ages of Man
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Age of Louis XIV
Story of Civilization VIII
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Age of Progress
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Age of Reason Begins
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Age of Revolution I
by Michelle Miller
from TruthQuest History
History Curriculum for 5th-12th grade
Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks
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$29.95
Age of Revolution II
by Michelle Miller
from TruthQuest History
History Curriculum for 5th-12th grade
Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks
in TruthQuest History (Location: HISCUR-TQ)
$29.95
Age of Revolution III
by Michelle Miller
from TruthQuest History
History Curriculum for 5th-12th grade
Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks
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$34.95
Aida
by Robert Lawrence, illustrated by Barry Bart
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Ain't Burned All the Bright
by Jason Reynolds, illustrated by Jason Griffin
from Atheneum
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2023 Caldecott Honor Book
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$19.99
Air Forces of the World
by Sue Butterworth, editor
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$18.00 (1 in stock)
Aku-Aku
by Thor Heyerdahl
from International Collectors Library
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Aku-Aku
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Album of Memories
by Tom Brokaw
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Album of the Civil War
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Alexander Hamilton
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Alexander Hamilton - Coloring Book
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Clr Csm from Dover Publications
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Alfred the Great
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Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass
by Lewis Carroll
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Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass
by Lewis Carroll, illustrated by John Tenniel
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All Hands Aloft!
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All He Knew
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All Quiet on the Western Front
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War/Realistic Fiction for 10th-Adult
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All Quiet on the Western Front
by Erich Maria Remarque
Book Club (BCE/BOMC) from Ballantine Books
War/Realistic Fiction for 10th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
All Through the Ages
by Christine Miller
3rd edition from Nothing New Press
World History Reference for All grades
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Alphabet Makers
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Amazing Grace
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Amazing Mr. Doolittle
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Amelia Earhart
Lives to Remember
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America and Its People
by Laureat Bernard,Ralph Brande, Don Sharkey
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America Grows Up
A History for Peter #2
by Gerald W. Johnson, illustrated by Leonard Everett Fisher
from William Morrow & Company
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America in the Air War
by Edward Jablonski
from Time-Life Books
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$4.00 (1 in stock)
America Is Born
A History for Peter #1
by Gerald W. Johnson
from Yesterday's Classics
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1960 Newbery Honor Book
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America's Christian History
by Gary DeMar
2nd edition from American Vision Press
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$4.00 (1 in stock)
America's Federal Holidays
by John De Gree
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America's God and Country
by William J. Federer
from Amerisearch
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$6.00 (1 in stock)
America's Heroes
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$4.00 (1 in stock)
America's Longest War
by George C. Herring
2nd edition from McGraw-Hill
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$4.00 (1 in stock)
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