Modern History

There isn't more history in the last five centuries than all the previous millennia, we just have more plentiful records of it. In all honesty, sometimes the plethora of detail isn't only overwhelming, it obscures the whole point of the story. As humans, we're all too susceptible to the lure of obscurity, to the desire for darkness where there ought to be light.

In many ways, this is the chief characteristic of modern history. Mankind seems to have accepted Enlightenment ideals en masse, and the result is the non-stop acquisition of knowledge, as though information could shut us off from the eye of a just and jealous God. Evolutionary theory, psychology, existentialism and postmodernism, public education, Communism—all these ideas are intended to put man at a further remove from God.

During the Renaissance, thinkers and artists decided that if man was going to make himself great, he'd have to replicate the glory of the Classical Era, with its enduring artifacts and intellectual produce. Enlightenment thinkers took this one step further, insisting that man could only know what he could deduce using reason alone, and consequently amassing knowledge in order to have a more thorough basis for such reasonable inquiry.

Since then, philosophers and scientists have devoted themselves to interpreting the facts from a purely human perspective, creating a picture of the universe that is mechanistic and godless. Meaning is dead, God is dead, and hope is dead, but the Enlightenment ideal of human progress (repackaged as Darwinian naturalism) is alive and well, the phantom idol of countless millions.

Even a brief survey of the last century would seem to demolish the possibility of any such idea, but it continues to inform nearly every element of our culture, from pop music to public policy debates. Atrocities like the Holocaust, racism in America, abortion, and totalitarian rule in Asian countries are reinterpreted or explained away to fit the overarching rubrik of sustained forward progress.

Christians understand things a bit differently. We aren't pessimists by any means, but we aren't blind optimists, either. God's plan entails one thing: His ultimate glory, and for those who believe His promises and trust Him for salvation, that's the most hopeful doctrine conceivable. At the same time, we also understand that man's efforts cannot be responsible for whatever good befalls us, that "progress" is only a gift of the Most High, and that only through the Holy Spirit is evil overcome by good.

The modern world is increasingly secular. Even in the Church, men and women stray from biblical truth in favor of appealing arguments on behalf of man, substituting a Christ-centered Gospel with one that is primarily focused on mankind and our individual salvation. We must counter these attitudes with God's truth, but we can only do so with an understanding of where those ideas come from and why they've taken root. A thorough study of modern history can and will provide those answers, and teach us how to stand firm in the truth we hold dear.

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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433 Items found Print
Active Filters: Historical Fiction, 9th grade (Ages 14-15)
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by Scott O'Dell
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Across Five Aprils
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Captain Bayley's Heir
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Captain Blood
Penguin Classics
by Rafael Sabatini
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Captain, My Captain
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Carry On, Mr. Bowditch
by Jean Lee Latham
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Carry On, Mr. Bowditch
by Jean Lee Latham, illustrated by John O'Hara Cosgrave II
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1956 Newbery Medal winner
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Chariot in the Sky
Land of the Free Series
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Christy
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Climb a Lofty Ladder
by Marion & Walter Havighurst, illustrated by Jill Elgin
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Code Name Verity
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Come On, Seabiscuit!
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Commodore Hornblower
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Condemned as a Nihilist
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Cornet of Horse
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Coronation of Glory
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Dark Year of Dundee
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Dash for Khartoum
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Dash for Khartoum
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Daughter of the Seine
by Jeanette Eaton
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1930 Newbery Honor Book
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Day of Pleasure
by Isaac Bashevis Singer
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Deep Treasure
by Charles Blackford, illustrated by Alexander Key
1st edition from John C. Winston
Historical fiction for 6th-10th grade
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Defender of the Faith
William and Mary Trilogy Volume 2
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Desert Harvest
Land of the Free Series
by Vanya Oakes, illustrated by Isami Kashiwagi
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Doctor Adrian
Reformation Trail Series #13
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Doctor Dogbody's Leg
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Done and Dared in Old France
Huguenot Inheritance Series #7
by Deborah Alcock
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Doomed Queen Anne
A Young Royals Book
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Door to the North
Land of the Free Series
by Elizabeth Coatsworth, illustrated by Frederick T. Chapman
1st edition from John C. Winston
Historical fiction for 6th-10th grade
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Dorothy's Double
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Dorothy's Double
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Driven into Exile
Huguenot Inheritance Series #5
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$8.46
Drums
Scribner Illustrated Classics
by James Boyd
1st edition from Atheneum
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Drums
by James Boyd
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Duncan's War
Crown & Covenant Series #1
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Historical Fiction for 6th-9th grade
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Escape
Huguenot Inheritance Series #1
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Facing Death
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Facing Death
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Facing Death
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Faith and Freedom
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False Coin, True Coin
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