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
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1951 Newbery Honor Book
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Adam of the Road
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Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade
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Adam of the Road
Puffin Modern Classics
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Adoniram Judson
Christian Heroes: Then & Now
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Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
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Reader's Digest World's Best Reading
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Adventures of Tom Sawyer
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Roman Mythology for 5th-8th grade
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Roman Mythology for 5th-8th grade
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Afghan Dreams: Young Voices of Afghanistan
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Africa's Vanishing Wildlife
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After the Dancing Days
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After the Train
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After the War
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After Tupac & D Foster
by Jacqueline Woodson
Reprint from Puffin Books
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2009 Newbery Honor Book
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Against All Odds
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Against the World
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Biography for 5th-8th grade
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Age of Revolution I
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History Curriculum for 5th-12th grade
Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks
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$29.95
Age of Revolution II
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History Curriculum for 5th-12th grade
Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks
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Age of Revolution III
by Michelle Miller
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History Curriculum for 5th-12th grade
Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks
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$34.95
Aida
by Robert Lawrence, illustrated by Barry Bart
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Ain't Burned All the Bright
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from Atheneum
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2023 Caldecott Honor Book
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$19.99
Air Raid - Pearl Harbor!
by Theodore Taylor
from Harcourt
Historical Non-Fiction for 5th-8th grade
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$8.99
Air War Against Hitler's Germany
by Stephen W. Sears
from American Heritage Publishing Co.
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in American Heritage Junior Library (Location: VIN-HIS)
Airplane
Inventions that Shaped the World
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$3.00 (1 in stock)
Al Capone Does My Shirts
by Gennifer Choldenko
Reprint from Puffin Books
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2005 Newbery Honor Book
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$8.99
Alamo
Perspectives on History Series
by Mary Dodson Wade, editor
from History Compass
Historical Non-fiction for 6th-9th grade
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Alamo All Stars
Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales #6
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$14.99
Alan Shepard
Christian Heroes: Then and Now
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$11.99
Alaska Gold Rush
Landmark #92
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Albert Einstein and the Theory of Relativity
Solutions: Profiles in Science for Young People
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Albert Schweitzer
by Geoff & Janet Benge
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Biography for 4th-8th grade
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Album of the Civil War
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Alexander Hamilton - Coloring Book
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Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr
Landmark #85
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Alexander Mackay
Heroes of the Faith Series
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