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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101 Hymn Stories
by Kenneth Osbeck
from Kregel Publications
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$16.99
101 Hymn Stories
by Kenneth Osbeck
40th Anniversary from Kregel Publications
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101 More Hymn Stories
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1815 to the Present - Enhanced CD
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1815 to the Present - Flashcards
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Modern History Curriculum for 6th-8th grade
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1815 to the Present - Home Teacher Manual
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2nd edition from Veritas Press
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1815 to the Present - Song CD
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200 Questions About American History - Student Guide
by Sean Brooks
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$11.50
200 Questions About American History - Teacher Guide
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5,000-Year-Old Puzzle
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1st edition from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
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50 States Flipper
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7 Continents: Asia
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Abe Lincoln Grows Up
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Above the Trenches
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Abraham Lincoln
Heroes of History
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Abraham Lincoln
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75th Anniversary Edition from Beautiful Feet Books
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1940 Caldecott Medal winner
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Abraham Lincoln (hardcover)
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75th Anniversary from Beautiful Feet Books
Biography for 1st-6th grade
1940 Caldecott Medal winner
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$21.95
Abraham Lincoln - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
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Accidental Voyage
Mr. Pipes Series #4
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1994 NCTE Orbis Pictus Award
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Across Five Aprils
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1965 Newbery Honor Book
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Across Five Aprils
by Irene Hunt
from Berkley Books
Historical Fiction for 6th-9th grade
1965 Newbery Honor Book
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Adam of the Road
Puffin Newbery Library
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Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade
1943 Newbery Medal winner
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Adam of the Road
Puffin Modern Classics
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Historical Fiction for 3rd-8th grade
1943 Newbery Medal winner
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Adara
by Beatrice Gormley
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Adoniram Judson
Christian Heroes: Then & Now
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Biography for 4th-7th grade
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Dover Coloring Books
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Puffin Classics
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Sterling Classics
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$14.95
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Adventures of Robin Hood
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Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 5th-9th grade
$20.00
Adventures of Robin Hood
Puffin Classics
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Legends and Folklore for 5th-9th grade
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$8.99
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Dover Thrift Editions
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Puffin Classics
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$10.00
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Dover Coloring Books
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Aeneid for Boys and Girls
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Roman Mythology for 5th-8th grade
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Aeneid for Boys and Girls
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Roman Mythology for 5th-8th grade
$6.99
Africa For Kids
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African Plains - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
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Against the World
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Biography for 5th-8th grade
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Age of Revolution I
by Michelle Miller
from TruthQuest History
History Curriculum for 5th-12th grade
Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks
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$29.95
Age of Revolution II
by Michelle Miller
from TruthQuest History
History Curriculum for 5th-12th grade
Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks
in TruthQuest History (Location: HISCUR-TQ)
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Age of Revolution III
by Michelle Miller
from TruthQuest History
History Curriculum for 5th-12th grade
Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks
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$34.95
Ain't Burned All the Bright
by Jason Reynolds, illustrated by Jason Griffin
from Atheneum
for 5th-Adult
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
Airplanes of the Second World War - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Carlo Demand
from Dover Publications
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Airplanes of World War I - Coloring Book
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Aladdin and Other Tales from the Arabian Nights
Puffin Classics
by N.J. Dawood, illustrated by William Harvey
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Fairy Tales for 2nd-6th grade
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Alamo All Stars
Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales #6
by Nathan Hale
from Amulet Books
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$14.99
Alan Shepard
Christian Heroes: Then and Now
by Geoff Benge, Janet Benge
from YWAM Publishing
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Alaskan Wildlife - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
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Albert Schweitzer
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Alexander Hamilton - Coloring Book
by Steven James Petruccio
Clr Csm from Dover Publications
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$5.99
Alexander the Great
by Jacob Abbott
from Canon Press
for 4th-7th grade
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$12.00
All American History Volume I - Companion Guide Digital Download
by Celeste W. Rakes
from Bright Ideas Press
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$29.95
All American History Volume I - Student Reader
by Celeste W. Rakes
from Bright Ideas Press
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$64.95
All American History Volume I - Teacher's Guide/Answer Key
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All American History Volume II - Companion Guide Digital Download
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All American History Volume II - Student Reader
by Celeste W. Rakes
from Bright Ideas Press
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$64.95
All Thirteen
by Christina Soontornvat
from Candlewick Press
Daring Rescues for 4th-7th grade
2021 Newbery Honor Book, 2021 Robert F. Sibert Honor Book
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$24.99
All-of-a-Kind Family
by Sydney Taylor, illustrated by Helen John
from Yearling
Family Stories for 2nd-6th grade
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All-of-a-Kind Family Downtown
All-of-a-Kind Family Series #2
by Sydney Taylor, illustrated by Beth & Joe Krush
from Lizzie Skurnick Books
Family Stories for 2nd-6th grade
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All-of-a-Kind Family Uptown
All-of-a-Kind Family Series #4
by Sydney Taylor, illustrated by Mary Stevens
from Lizzie Skurnick Books
Family Stories for 2nd-6th grade
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Almost Home
Daughters of the Faith
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from Moody Press
Historical Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
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Along Came Galileo
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from Beautiful Feet Books
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Always Inventing
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Amazing Impossible Erie Canal
by Cheryl Harness
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Historical Non-Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
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Amelia Earhart: Young Aviator
Childhood of Famous Americans
by Beatrice Gormley
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
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$7.99
America the Beautiful - Answer Key and Literature Guide
by Charlene Notgrass
2nd edition from Notgrass Company
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$6.00 $4.00 (1 in stock)
America the Beautiful - Curriculum Package
by Charlene Notgrass
2nd edition from Notgrass Company
for 5th-8th grade
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$125.00
America the Beautiful - Maps
by Nate McCurdy & Charlene Notgrass
2nd edition from Notgrass Company
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in Notgrass America the Beautiful (Location: HISCUR-NG)
$10.00
America the Beautiful - Student Workbook
by Charlene Notgrass
2nd edition from Notgrass Company
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$14.00
America the Beautiful - Timeline
by Ray & Charlene Notgrass
2nd edition from Notgrass Company
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$10.00
America the Beautiful Part 1
by Charlene Notgrass
2nd edition from Notgrass Company
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in Notgrass America the Beautiful (Location: HISCUR-NG)
$45.00
America the Beautiful Part 2
by Charlene Notgrass
2nd edition from Notgrass Company
for 5th-8th grade
in Notgrass America the Beautiful (Location: HISCUR-NG)
$45.00
America's First Ladies - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Leslie Franz
Revised Edition from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in History of America Coloring Books (Location: COL-HISA)
$5.99
America's Lost Dream
by Tom Dooley
from Master Books
American History for 4th-6th grade
in America's Christian Heritage (Location: HISA-CH)
$12.79 $10.00 (2 in stock)
America's Paul Revere
by Esther Forbes
from Sandpiper Books
Biography for 2nd-6th grade
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$12.99
America's Story 3
by Angela O'Dell
from Master Books
for 4th-6th grade
in Master Books History (Location: HISCUR-MB)
$34.39
America's Story 3 - Teacher Guide
by Angela O'Dell
from Master Books
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in Master Books History (Location: HISCUR-MB)
$26.39
America's War Heroes
by Marilyn Boyer
from Master Books
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in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$10.39
American Art Bingo Volume I
by Kristin Draeger
from ArtK12
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in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS)
$16.96
American Art History Volume I
by Kristin Draeger
from ArtK12
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$33.96
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American Heroes - Coloring Book
by Steven James Petruccio
from Dover Publications
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$4.99
American History for Young Students III
by Michelle Miller
from TruthQuest History
History Curriculum for 1st-6th grade
Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks
in TruthQuest History (Location: HISCUR-TQ)
$29.95
American History in Verse
by Burton Stevenson
from Bob Jones University Press
Poetry for 3rd-Adult
in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
$11.00
American History Stories Volume 1
by Mara L. Pratt
from Yesterday's Classics
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$11.95
American History Stories Volume 2
by Mara L. Pratt
from Yesterday's Classics
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$11.95
American History Stories Volume 3
by Mara L. Pratt
from Yesterday's Classics
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$11.95
American History Stories Volume 4
by Mara L. Pratt
from Yesterday's Classics
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American Muscle Cars - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Bruce LaFontaine
from Dover Publications
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American Plague
by Jim Murphy
from Clarion Books
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2004 Newbery Honor Book, 2004 Robert F. Sibert Medal winner, NCTE Orbi Pictus Award
in New Nation (1783-1800) (Location: HISA-18NN)
$21.99
American Presidents - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Peter F. Copeland
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in History of America Coloring Books (Location: COL-HISA)
$5.99
American Revolution
Landmark Series
by Bruce Bliven
from Random House
Historical Non-fiction for 5th-8th grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$6.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)
American Revolution
America at War Series
by Alden Carter
from Grolier Publishing
Historical Non-fiction for 4th-6th grade
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