"Any book that can actually redeem the subject of history from the dust bin of, well, history, is quite a modern marvel and really ought to receive all the attention we can give it. A book that can perform the feat of not just exhuming, but resurrecting all those dry as dust facts from the annals of the past, ought to find its way to the top of our must-read list. It is informative. It is short. It is funny. It is short. It is inspiring. Oh, and did I mention? It is short..."
—George Grant, from the Foreword
For many students, the study of history is as boring as being lost in a cemetery: nothing but dates and dead people, dead people and dates—dry, meaningless, and useless. But it shouldn't be!
According to this book, the difference between thinking of history as boring or as fascinating is to be found in the world-view of its students. Those who follow a materialistic, evolutionary philosophy believe that life is an accident. There is no design or purpose. Everything just is—with no meaning, no pattern, no destination. Besides that, everything is growing from the very simple to the increasingly complex—from the outdated to the new and improved. This means that the past is less important than today.
On the other hand, people of biblical faith believe that God has decided what the end of history will be and that He has been drawing mankind through the ages toward a final destiny. In this view history is no longer the story of a blind man groping toward a dark and fearful future but the unfolding of a destiny that God decided before all creation, providing hope for all and making history a fascinating journey that never gets out of the Maker's control.
More Than Dates and Dead People is an edgy and slightly irreverent look at history from a biblical point of view as well as a look at the ideas that shape the teaching of history in most classrooms today. It offers a fresh alternative on looking at history and provides tools for understanding and enjoying the past in light of the future.
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