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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Abe Lincoln
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Defenders, The
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For Freedom
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George Washington, Spymaster
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Golden Age
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Good Master
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Great Little Madison
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Guide to Australia
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Henry Ford: Young Man with Ideas
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Hidden
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Homeless Bird
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Homer Price
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House of Dies Drear
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In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson
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In Their Own Words: Lewis and Clark
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India: The Culture
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Indian Captive
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Ivan and the Informer
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Ivan and the Secret in the Suitcase
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Jim Elliot - Unit Study Curriculum Guide
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Jimmy Spoon and the Pony Express
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John Wesley
Heroes of the Faith
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Journey to Jo'Burg
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Kidnapped Prince
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King's Fifth
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Letters from Rifka
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Lights In Lisuland
CF4Kids Trail Blazers
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Little Farm in the Ozarks
Rocky Ridge Years Book 2
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Lost Star
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M. C. Higgins, the Great
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1975 Newbery Medal winner
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Magic Tree House #38 (Merlin Mission #10) - Fact Tracker
companion to Merlin Mission #10 - Monday with a Mad Genius
by Mary Pope Osborne, Natalie Pope Boyce
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Meet Christopher Columbus
Second Series Landmark / Step Up reprints
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Biography for 3rd-6th grade
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Meet George Washington
Second Series Landmark / Step Up reprints
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Meet George Washington
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Biography for 3rd-6th grade
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Molly Pitcher: Young Patriot
Childhood of Famous Americans
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My Brother Sam Is Dead
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Historical Fiction for 5th-8th grade
1975 Newbery Honor Book
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No Promises in the Wind
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Number the Stars
by Lois Lowry
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Historical fiction for 4th-8th grade
1990 Newbery Medal winner
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Odyssey (retold)
Puffin Classics
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Old Ramon
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1961 Newbery Honor Book
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Old Yeller
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1957 Newbery Honor Book
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On the Way Home
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Once On This Island
by Gloria Whelan
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Historical Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
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One Thousand Paper Cranes
by Takayuki Ishii
2001 Printing from Laurel-Leaf Books
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$3.50 (1 in stock)
Out of Darkness
by Russell Freedman
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Biography for 4th-6th grade
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Out of the Dust
by Karen Hesse
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Realistic Fiction for 6th-8th grade
1998 Newbery Medal winner
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Parallel Journeys
by Eleanor Ayers, Helen Waterford, & Alfons Heck
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Historical Non-Fiction for 4th-7th grade
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