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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...and now Miguel
by Joseph Krumgold
from Thomas Crowell
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1954 Newbery Medal winner
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1815 to the Present - Flashcards
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Modern History Curriculum for 6th-8th grade
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1815 to the Present - Home Teacher Manual
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200 Questions About American History - Teacher Guide
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50 States Flipper
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$45.00
ABC Book of Early Americana - Coloring Book
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2012 Dover from Dover Publications
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$10.95
Abe Lincoln
Landmark Series
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Biography for 5th-8th grade
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Abe Lincoln Gets His Chance
by Frances Cavanah
from Rand McNally
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
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Abe Lincoln Grows Up
by Carl Sandburg
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Abe Lincoln Grows Up
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Abe Lincoln: The Boy Who Loved Books
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Above the Trenches
by Nathan Hale
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Abraham Lincoln
Heroes of History
by Geoff & Janet Benge
from Emerald Books
Biography for 4th-7th grade
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$11.99
Abraham Lincoln
by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire
75th Anniversary Edition from Beautiful Feet Books
Picture Book Biography for 3rd-6th grade
1940 Caldecott Medal winner
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Abraham Lincoln
A Rookie Biography
by Carol Greene
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Abraham Lincoln
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Abraham Lincoln & His Family - Paper Dolls
by Tom Tierney
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Abraham Lincoln (hardcover)
by Ingri and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire; edited by Rea Berg
75th Anniversary from Beautiful Feet Books
Biography for 1st-6th grade
1940 Caldecott Medal winner
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$21.95
Abraham Lincoln - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
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from Dover Publications
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$5.99
Abraham Lincoln's World
by Genevieve Foster, expanded by Joanna Foster
from Beautiful Feet Books
Historical Non-fiction for 7th-10th grade
1945 Newbery Honor Book
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Abraham Lincoln: Great Speeches
Dover Thrift Editions
by Abraham Lincoln & John Grafton, editor
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Political Philosophy for 10th-Adult
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Road Trip: National Parks
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Accidental Voyage
Mr. Pipes Series #4
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Across America on an Emigrant Train
by Jim Murphy
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1994 NCTE Orbis Pictus Award
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Across Five Aprils
by Irene Hunt
from Berkley Books
Historical Fiction for 6th-9th grade
1965 Newbery Honor Book
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Across Five Aprils
by Irene Hunt
from Berkley Books
Historical Fiction for 6th-9th grade
1965 Newbery Honor Book
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$9.99
Adam of the Road
Puffin Newbery Library
by Elizabeth Gray
from Puffin Books
Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade
1943 Newbery Medal winner
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Adam of the Road
by Elizabeth Janet Gray, illustrated by Robert Lawson
1962 Printing from Viking Press
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Adam of the Road
Puffin Modern Classics
by Elizabeth Gray
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Historical Fiction for 3rd-8th grade
1943 Newbery Medal winner
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Adara
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Adelita
by Tomie DePaola
Reprint from Puffin Books
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Admiral Hornblower in the West Indies
Hornblower Series #11
by C. S. Forester
from Little, Brown & Company
Nautical fiction for 8th-Adult
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Admiral Hornblower in the West Indies
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Admiral of the Ocean Sea
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Adoniram Judson
Christian Heroes: Then & Now
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Biography for 4th-7th grade
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Adopted by Indians
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$18.00
Adventures in America - Teacher Guide
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Adventures in Ancient Greece
by Linda Bailey
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Adventures of Buffalo Bill
by Col. William F. Cody
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Adventures of Captain Bonneville
by Washington Irving, illustrated by Robert Reynolds
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Adventures of Davy Crockett
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Adventures of Hercules - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
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Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Puffin Classics
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Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Sterling Classics
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$14.95
Adventures of King Arthur - Coloring Book
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North Star Books #29
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Adventures of Munford: Munford Meets Lewis & Clark
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Adventures of Paddy the Beaver
Thornton Burgess Peter Cottontail Books #19
by Thornton W. Burgess
Unabridged from Dover Publications
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Adventures of Perrine
Windermere Readers #10
by Hector Malot, translated by Gil Meynier, adapted by Edith Heal
1954 edition from Rand McNally
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Adventures of Richard Wagner
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Everyman's Library Children's Classics
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Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 5th-9th grade
$20.00
Adventures of Robin Hood
Puffin Classics
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Legends and Folklore for 5th-9th grade
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$8.99
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Adventures of Theodore Roosevelt
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Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Dover Thrift Editions
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Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Puffin Classics
by Mark Twain
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Realistic Fiction for 6th-10th grade
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$10.00
Adventures of Ulysses
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Greek Mythology for 4th-6th grade
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