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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1, 2, 3, Go!
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A is for Abigail
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America is....
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America: A Patriotic Primer
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Before They Were Authors
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Gonna Sing My Head Off
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Hairdo!
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How Grace Got Her Name
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I Spy a Freight Train: Transportation in Art
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If the World Were a Village
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Joe Louis
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John, Paul, George & Ben
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Joke's on George
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King's Day
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Last Princess
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Picture Book Biographies for Kindergarten-3rd grade
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Linnea in Monet's Garden
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Biography for Preschool- 3rd Grade
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Little Humpbacked Horse
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Magic Brush
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Man Who Walked Between The Towers
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Man Who Walked Between The Towers
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Martin Luther King, Jr
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Me on the Map
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from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
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$6.50 (1 in stock)
Mei Li
by Thomas Handforth
from Doubleday & Company
1939 Caldecott Medal winner
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Mighty Jackie
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1st edition from Simon & Schuster Macmillan
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Misoso
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My Brothers' Flying Machine
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My Name is Georgia
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N.C. Wyeth's Pilgrims
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New Shoes
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Not Regina
by Christmas Carol Kauffman
Fourth Printing from Pathway Publishers
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Off to Plymouth Rock! with CD
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$6.50 (1 in stock)
Peter the Great
by Diane Stanley
from William Morrow & Company
Biography for Preschool-3rd grade
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Picture Book of Martin Luther King, Jr.
by David A. Adler
from Holiday House
Biography for Preschool-1st grade
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Picture Book of Patrick Henry
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Queen of the Falls
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Rare Treasure
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$16.00 (1 in stock)
Roanoke: The Lost Colony
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$6.00 (1 in stock)
S is for Salmon
by Hannah Viano
from Sasquatch Books
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Sailing the Unknown
by Michael Rosen, Illustrated by Maria Cristina Pritelli
from Creative Editions
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Salem Days
Adventures in Colonial America
by James Knight
from Troll Publishing
Non-fiction for Kindergarten-3rd grade
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$5.00 (1 in stock)
Secret World of Walter Anderson
by Hester Bass, illustrated by E. B. Lewis
from Candlewick Press
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$8.00 (1 in stock)
Shine-A-Light: On the Space Station
Shine-A-Light
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$7.00 (1 in stock)
Sir Bertie & the Wyvern
by Nicholas Wilde
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$6.00 (1 in stock)
Skyrockets for the President
by Florence Laughlin, illustrated by George Roth
Stated First Printing from Rand McNally
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$20.00 (1 in stock)
So Far from the Sea
by Eve Bunting
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Song to Demeter
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from Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books
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Songs to Grow On
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Spoon for Every Bite
by Joe Hayes, illustrated by Rebecca Leer
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Sweet Music in Harlem
by Debbie A. Taylor, Illustrated by Frank Morrison
from Lee & Low Books
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$6.00 (1 in stock)
Tale of Three Trees
by Angela Elwell Hunt, Tim Jonke (Illustrator)
1st edition from Cook Communications
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$7.00 (2 in stock)
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