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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305 Items found Print
Active Filters: 6th grade (Ages 11-12), Books for Guys
Across Five Aprils
by Irene Hunt
from Berkley Books
Historical Fiction for 6th-9th grade
1965 Newbery Honor Book
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$8.99 $3.00 (1 in stock)
Across Five Aprils
by Irene Hunt
from Berkley Books
Historical Fiction for 6th-9th grade
1965 Newbery Honor Book
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$9.99
Adventures of Hercules - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Bob Blaisdell & John Green
from Dover Publications
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Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Puffin Classics
by Mark Twain
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Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Sterling Classics
by Mark Twain, illustrated by Scott McKowen
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Adventures of Tom Sawyer
by Mark Twain
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Realistic Fiction for 6th-10th grade
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Adventures of Tom Sawyer
by Mark Twain, illustrated by Norman Rockwell
from Heritage Press
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Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Puffin Classics
by Mark Twain
from Penguin Classics
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$10.00
Adventures of Tom Sawyer
by Mark Twain, illustrated by Worth Brehm
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Airplanes of the Second World War - Coloring Book
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At Aboukir and Acre
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At Agincourt
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Barbary Pirates
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Basher Five-Two
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Billy Yank - Coloring Book
by Alan Archambault
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Black Island
Adventures of Tintin
by Herge
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by Rosemary Sutcliff & Alan Lee
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Greek Mythology for 3rd-8th grade
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Adventures of Tintin
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Both Sides the Border
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Blackie from Blackie & Son LTD.
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Broken Ear
Adventures of Tintin
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Bronze Bow
by Elizabeth George Speare
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Historical Fiction for 5th-9th grade
1962 Newbery Medal winner
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By Pike and Dyke - Unit Study Guide
by Rick Medlin
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By Right of Conquest
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By Right of Conquest
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By the Great Horn Spoon!
by Sid Fleischman
from Little, Brown & Company
Realistic Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
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California Gold Rush
by May McNeer
from Random House Books for Young Readers
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Captain Bayley's Heir
by G. A. Henty
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Captain Bayley's Heir
by G. A. Henty
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Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade
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Captain Bayley's Heir
by G. A. Henty
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Carry On, Mr. Bowditch
by Jean Lee Latham
from Houghton Mifflin
Biography for 5th-9th grade
1956 Newbery Medal winner
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Carry On, Mr. Bowditch
by Jean Lee Latham, illustrated by John O'Hara Cosgrave II
from Houghton Mifflin
Biography for 5th-9th grade
1956 Newbery Medal winner
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Cars - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Steven James Petruccio
from Dover Publications
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Cat of Bubastes
by G. A. Henty
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Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade
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Cat of Bubastes
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Cigars of the Pharaoh
Adventures of Tintin
by Herge
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Civil War Uniforms - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Peter F. Copeland
from Dover Publications
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Classic Cars of the Fifties - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
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Classic Motorcars - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
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$4.99
Cleared for Action!
by Stephen W. Meader
from Bethlehem Books
Nautical Fiction for 5th-8th grade
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Cornet of Horse
by G. A. Henty
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Cowboys of the Wild West
by Russell Freedman
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Non-fiction for 4th-8th grade
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Crab With the Golden Claws
Adventures of Tintin
by Herge
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Daniel Boone
Sterling Point Books
by John Mason Brown
from Sterling Publishing Co.
Biography for 3rd-7th
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Dark Frigate
by Charles Boardman Hawes
from Little, Brown & Company
Historical Fiction for 5th-8th grade
1924 Newbery Medal winner
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$7.50 (1 in stock)
Dark Frigate
by Charles Boardman Hawes
Dover 2018 from Dover Publications
Historical Fiction for 5th-8th grade
1924 Newbery Medal winner
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Dash for Khartoum
by G. A. Henty
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Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade
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Dash for Khartoum
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Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade
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Dash for Khartoum
by G. A. Henty
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Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade
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DK Eyewitness: Arms & Armor
DK Eyewitness Series
by Michele Byam
from DK Publishing
Military History for 4th-8th grade
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$16.99
Dragon and the Raven
by G. A. Henty
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Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade
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Dragon and the Raven
by G. A. Henty
from Preston Speed
Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade
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Dragon and the Raven
by G. A. Henty
from Robinson Curriculum
Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade
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$15.00
Dragon and the Raven
by G. A. Henty
from Robinson Curriculum
Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade
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Eagle of the Ninth
by Rosemary Sutcliff
Reprint from Square Fish Publishing
Historical Fiction for 6th-9th grade
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$10.99
Eagle of the Ninth
by Rosemary Sutcliff, illustrated by C. Walter Hodges
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
Historical Fiction for 6th-9th grade
$20.00
Eagle of the Ninth
by Rosemary Sutcliff, illustrated by C. Walter Hodges
from Oxford University
Historical Fiction for 6th-9th grade
Enemy Brothers
Bethlehem Books Living History Library
by Constance Savery
from Bethlehem Books
Historical fiction for 5th-8th grade
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$15.95
Exploring the Solar System - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Bruce LaFontaine
from Dover Publications
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Facing Death
by G. A. Henty
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Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade
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Facing Death
by G. A. Henty
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Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade
in G. A. Henty Books (Location: FIC-HEN)
Facing Death
by G. A. Henty
from Robinson Curriculum
Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade
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Famous Trains - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Bruce LaFontaine
from Dover Publications
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$3.99
Farmer Boy
Little House Series #3
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade
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$8.99
Farmer Boy
Little House Series #3
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade
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$19.99
Farmer Boy
Little House Series #3
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade
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$9.99
Farmer Boy
Little House Series #3
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from Scholastic Inc.
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade
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Farmer Boy
Little House Series #3
by Laura Ingalls Wilder, illustrated by Helen Sewell
from Harper & Brothers
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade
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Farmer Boy (Pictorial Cover)
Little House Series #3
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade
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Farmer Boy - Audio CD
Little House Series #3
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Unabridged from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade
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For Name and Fame
by G. A. Henty
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For Name and Fame
by G. A. Henty
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Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade
in G. A. Henty Books (Location: FIC-HEN)
For Name and Fame
by G. A. Henty
from Robinson Curriculum
Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade
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For the Temple
by G. A. Henty
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Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade
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For the Temple
by G. A. Henty
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Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade
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For the Temple
by G. A. Henty
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Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade
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