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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Abe's Honest Words
by Doreen Rappaport, illustrated by Kadir Nelson
from Disney-Hyperion
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$3.60 (1 in stock)
Abraham Lincoln
A Rookie Biography
by Carol Greene
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Abraham Lincoln: A Man for All the People
by Myra Cohn Livingston, illustrated by Samuel Byrd
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Ada Byron Lovelace and the Thinking Machine
by Laurie Wallmark, illustrated by April Chu
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Ahoy There, Little Polar Bear
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Alvin Ailey
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America is....
by Louise W. Borden, illustrated by Stacey Schuett
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$4.00 (1 in stock)
America the Beautiful
by Katharine Lee Bates, illustrated by Chris Gall
from Little, Brown & Company
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$2.80 (1 in stock)
America: A Patriotic Primer
by Lynne Cheney
from Simon and Schuster
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$4.00 (2 in stock)
America: A Patriotic Primer
by Lynne Cheney
from Scholastic Inc.
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America: Our Great Country Visuals - Homeschool Edition
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Animals Robert Scott Saw
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Anno's Italy PB
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Archaeologists Dig For Clues
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Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse
by Eric Carle
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$4.80 (1 in stock)
Astronauts on the Moon - Hallmark Pop-Up Book
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$12.80 (1 in stock)
Auntie Anne
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B is for Beaver
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Discover America State-by-State
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Picture Book Biography for Preschool-3rd grade
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Breaking Into Print
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Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain
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Chinese Mother Goose Rhymes
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Christopher Columbus
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500 Anv from Tyndale House
Biography for Preschool-3rd Grade
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Church History ABCs
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City Book
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Civil War Artist
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Classic Konos Character Curriculum - Obedience
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$45.00 (1 in stock)
Classic Konos Character Curriculum - Orderliness
by Jessica Hulcy and Carole Thaxton
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$40.00 (1 in stock)
Classical Acts and Facts History Cards: Ancient World
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Classical Acts and Facts History Cards: Modern World
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Classical Acts and Facts Science Cards: Seeking to Know
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Coast Mappers
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Color and Learn: Native America
Color & Learn
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Columbus
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Come Look With Me: American Indian Art
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Come Look with Me: Enjoying Art with Children
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Coming On Home Soon
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1st edition from Scholastic Inc.
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Coming to America
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Community Helpers Visuals
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Community Helpers Visuals with Lesson Guide
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Cora Frear
by Susan E. Goodman
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Cornstalks and Cannonballs
by Barbara Mitchell
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Courage of Sarah Noble
by Alice Dalgliesh
Reissue from Aladdin Paperbacks
Realistic Fiction for Kindergarten-6th grade
1955 Newbery Honor Book
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Cowboys
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Crow Boy
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1972 Printing from Viking Press
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Davy Crockett
Gallery of Great Americans
by Matthew G. Grant
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Picture Book Biography for Kindergarten-1st grade
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Diary of a Wombat
by Jackie French
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Digging Up Dinosaurs
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Discovering Great Artists (old)
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Dolly and Ike at the Willard: Abraham Lincoln's Slippers
by Richard Wallace Carr, Illustrated by Mary Ashby Parrish
from Dicmar Publishing
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Draw the Titanic
by Andrew Staiano, illustrated by Jason Pederson
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Draw Write Now Book 3
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Early American History for Primary Grades - Guide
by Rea Berg
3rd edition from Beautiful Feet Books
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Edward the Emu
by Sheena Knowles, illustrated by Rod Clement
Reprint from HarperTrophy
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El Chino
by Allen Say
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Emmanuel's Dream
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Emperor and the Kite
by Jane Yolen
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1968 Caldecott Honor Book
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Emperor's Egg
by Martin Jenkins, illustrated by Jane Chapman
from Candlewick Press
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Emperor's Egg
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Empty Pot
by Demi
from Henry Holt and Company
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Enemies of Slavery
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Etcher's Studio
by Arthur Geisert
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$2.40 (1 in stock)
Everybody Cooks Rice
from First Avenue Editions
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$3.20 (1 in stock)
Explore Asia
Explore the Continents
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from Crabtree Publishing
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$5.00 (1 in stock)
Families Around the World
by Jo E. Moore
from Evan-Moor Educational Publishers
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$3.00 (1 in stock)
Famous Figures of Medieval Times
from Figures in Motion
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$12.00 (1 in stock)
Famous Figures of the American Revolution
from Figures in Motion
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$12.00 (3 in stock)
Famous Figures of the Renaissance
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Fire Stealer
by William Toye; illustrated by Elizabeth Cleaver
from Oxford University
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$7.20 (1 in stock)
Firebird and Other Russian Fairy Tales
by Jacqueline Onassis, illustrated by Boris Zvorykin
from Viking Press
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$4.80 (1 in stock)
First Step
by Susan E. Goodman, illustrated by E. B. Lewis
from Bloomsbury Publishing
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$9.00 (1 in stock)
First Thanksgiving
by Jean Craighead George
from Philomel Books
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$3.00 (1 in stock)
First Thanksgiving Feast
by Joan Anderson
from HMH Books for Young Readers
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$5.00 (1 in stock)
Flag We Love
by Pam Munoz Ryan, illustrated by Ralph Masiello
from Charlesbridge
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$4.00 (1 in stock)
Flight
by Robert Burleigh; illustrated by Mike Wimmer
from Philomel Books
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
1992 NCTE Orbis Pictus Award
in Aviation History (Location: HISV-AVIA)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
For You Are a Kenyan Child
by Kelly Cunnane
from Atheneum
for Preschool-1st grade
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$4.80 (1 in stock)
Four Feet, Two Sandals
by Karen Lynn Williams, Khadra Mohammed, illustrated by Doug Chayka
1st edition from Eerdmans
for Preschool-2nd grade
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$4.80 (1 in stock)
Frog Girl
by Paul Owen Lewis
from Tricycle Press
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
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$3.60 (1 in stock)
From Akebu to Zapotec
by June Hathersmith
from Wycliffe Bible Translators
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Church History for Kids (Location: XCH-KID)
$6.00 (2 in stock)
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