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's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and 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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Ahoy There, Little Polar Bear
by Hans de Beer
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Alvin Ailey
by Andrea Davis Pinkney; illustrated by Brian Pinkney
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America is....
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America: A Patriotic Primer
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Great Buildings
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Handa's Noisy Night
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Helen Roseveare: What's in the parcel?
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Her Stories
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Hidden Tales from Eastern Europe
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Hot Air
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Hudson Taylor: Could somebody pass the salt?
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Hush!
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Huzzah Means Hooray
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I Have a Dream
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I Just Want to Say Good Night
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I Spy a Freight Train: Transportation in Art
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Jazz on a Saturday Night
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Jerusalem, Shining Still
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Joe Louis
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John Knox: Who Will Save You?
Little Lights #14
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John, Paul, George & Ben
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Johnny Appleseed
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Johnny Appleseed: The Story of a Legend
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Joke's on George
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Joshua in the Promised Land
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Lady With the Ship On Her Head
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Language of Angels
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Let's Find Out About Ice Cream
by Mary Ebeltoft Reid, photographs by John Williams
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Let's Learn to Count in Hawaiian
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Ling & Ting: Not Exactly the Same!
Passport to Reading Level 3
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Passport to Reading Level 3
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Theodor Seuss Geisel Award Honor Book
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Linnea in Monet's Garden
by Christina Bjork & Lena Anderson
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Biography for Preschool- 3rd Grade
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Lion Dancer
by Kate Waters & Madeline Slovenz-Low, photographs by Martha Cooper
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Little Dragonfly's Quilt
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Little Polar Bear
by Hans de Beer
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Lon Po Po
by Ed Young
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Caldecott Medal Winner 1990
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Magic Brush
by Robert B. Goodman & Robert A. Spicer (adapters), illustrated by Y. T. Mui, edited by Ruth Tabrah
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$8.00 (1 in stock)
Magic Leaf
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Mama Went to Jail for the Vote
by Kathleen Karr, illustrated by Malene Laugesen
from Hyperion Books for Children
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$4.80 (1 in stock)
Mama, Do You Love Me?
by Barbara M. Joosse, Illustrated by Barbara Lavallee
from Scholastic Inc.
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$1.60 (4 in stock)
Man Who Walked Between The Towers
by Mordicai Gerstein
from Roaring Brook Press
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$7.20 (1 in stock)
Marie
Little People, BIG DREAMS
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$3.60 (1 in stock)
Meet Thomas Jefferson
by Marvin Barrett
from Random House
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$1.20 (3 in stock)
Mei Li
by Thomas Handforth
Reissue from Doubleday & Company
1939 Caldecott Medal winner
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$15.20 (1 in stock)
Mei Li
by Thomas Handforth
from Doubleday & Company
1939 Caldecott Medal winner
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Mesmerized
by Mara Rockliff, illustrated by Iacopo Bruno
from Candlewick Press
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$4.00 (1 in stock)
Monkey and the Crab
by Seishi Horio (reteller), illustrated by Tsutomu Murakami
from Heian International, Inc.
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$5.60 (1 in stock)
More Than Meets the Eye
by Bob Raczka
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$3.20 (1 in stock)
Mousetronaut Goes to Mars
by Mark Kelly, illustrated by C. F. Payne
from Simon and Schuster
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$6.40 (1 in stock)
Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters
by John Steptoe
from Scholastic Inc.
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1988 Caldecott Honor Book
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$2.00 (2 in stock)
Mush!
from Millbrook Press
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$4.00 (1 in stock)
My Little Island
by Frane Lessac
from HarperCollins
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$3.20 (1 in stock)
My Very First Castles Book
by Dr. Abigail Wheatley, illustrated by Lee Cosgrove
from Usborne
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$7.00 (1 in stock)
My Very First Long Ago Book
by Matthew Oldham, illustrated by Lee Cosgrove
from Usborne
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$7.00 (1 in stock)
National Park Explorers: Everglades
by Sara Gilbert
from Creative Education
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$3.00 (1 in stock)
12