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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120 Great History Projects
by Rachel Halstead & Struan Reid, consultants
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$8.00 (1 in stock)
13 Colonies: Georgia
by Roberta Wiener and James R. Arnold
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500 Facts: American History for Kids
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501 Must-Visit Cities
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660 Curries
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Abe's Honest Words
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Abraham Lincoln
A Rookie Biography
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Across America
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Adventures of Marco Polo
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Africa Is My Home
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Alexander Hamilton: The Outsider
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All About Maps
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Alphabet Makers
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Alvin Ailey
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Amelia Earhart
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America At War: Korean War
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America in the Time of Lewis and Clark
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America's Struggle to Become a Nation
by Rick & Marilyn Boyer
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$24.50 (2 in stock)
American Adventures Part 1
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American Adventures Part 2
by Morrie Greenberg
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American History - Student Edition
by James P. Stobaugh
Revised from Master Books
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$40.79 $35.00 (1 in stock)
American History: Globalization 1977-2008
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American History: The Civil Rights Movement & Vietnam 1960-1976
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American Indian Prayer Guide
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Ancient Egyptians
History Opens Windows
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Ancient Egyptians and their Neighbors
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Ancient Hawai'i
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People of the Ancient World
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Ancient Israelites and Their Neighbors
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Are We to Be a Nation?
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Assassination of John F. Kennedy: November 22, 1963
24 Hour History
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Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.: April 4, 1968
24 Hour History
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Aztec and Maya Myths
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Ben Franklin Book of Easy Incredible Experiments
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Berta and Elmer Hader: A Lifetime of Art
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Beyond the Ridge
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Big Book of the Civil War
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Big Picture Bible Time Line
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Bill of Rights
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Blackbeard
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Book of the Medieval Knight
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Boy on the Mayflower
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Brooklyn Bridge
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Buffalo Bird Girl
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Byzantine Empire
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Can't You Make Them Behave, King George?
by Jean Fritz
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Can't You Make Them Behave, King George?
by Jean Fritz, illustrated by Tomie dePaola
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Canada from A to Z
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Castles of the Western World
by Armin Tuulse
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Champions of Mathematics
by John Hudson Tiner
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Changing Weather
by Ashlee Klemm, illustrated by Vanessa Toye
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Cherokee: The Past and Present of a Proud Nation
American Indian Life
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Chief Joseph: Leader of Destiny
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Children of Native America Today
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Church of the East
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Civil War: An Interactive History Adventure
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Claude Monet: Sunshine and Waterlilies by Steven Packard
Smart About Art
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Colter's Run
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Confederate War
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Constitutional Puzzlers
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Countries Around the World: New Zealand
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Cowboys on the Western Trail
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Curious Historian 3B - Student Edition
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Cut & Assemble the Mayflower
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2020 Reprint from Dover Publications
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Daily Life in a Plains Indian Village 1868
by Michael Bad Hand Terry
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Declaration of Independence
History Speaks
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Declaration of Independence
Documenting U.S. History
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Diego Rivera
Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists
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Disaster of the Hindenburg
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Discovering Mars
by Melvin Berger, revised and updated by Mary Kay Carson
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DK Eyewitness: Mythology
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DK Smithsonian Space!
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Don't Know Much About American History
by Kenneth C. Davis
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Draw the Titanic
by Andrew Staiano, illustrated by Jason Pederson
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Early Family Home
Early Settler Life Series
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Early Settler Storybook
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Egyptian Echo
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Electrical Wizard
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Elizabeth I, the People's Queen
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Emperor's Egg
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English Castle
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Etcher's Studio
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Everybody's Wokking
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Everything You Need To Know About World History Homework
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Exploration of Space
Great Explorers Series
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Explore Asia
Explore the Continents
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Explore Greek Myths!
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Explore Medieval Kingdoms
Child's Geography Volume IV
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Revised from Master Books
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Explore Native American Cultures!
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Exploring World History - Textbook Set (old)
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Extraordinary Mark Twain (According to Susy)
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Eyes on Adventure: Exploring Space
Eyes on Adventure
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Famous Children: Picasso
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Famous Figures of the Renaissance
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Famous Presidents
Eyes on America
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Farmland Innovator
Creative Minds Biographies
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Fight for Freedom
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$24.50 (2 in stock)
Flag We Love
by Pam Munoz Ryan, illustrated by Ralph Masiello
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Folk Arts and Crafts of New England
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Updated from Chilton Book Company
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