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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Stepping Stone: Totally True Adventures!
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A is for Abigail
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Abe Lincoln Gets His Chance
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Africa Is My Home
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Alexander Hamilton: The Outsider
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Along Came Galileo
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America's Ethan Allen
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America's Paul Revere
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And Then What Happened, Paul Revere?
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Answering the Cry for Freedom
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Arctic Explorer
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Around the World in a Hundred Years
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Assassination of John F. Kennedy: November 22, 1963
24 Hour History
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Basher Five-Two
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Beethoven
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Benazir Bhutto
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Benjamin Franklin
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Benjamin Franklin
Heroes of History
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Makers of America
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Benjamin Franklin, American Genius
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Benjamin West and His Cat Grimalkin
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Benjamin West and His Cat Grimalkin
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Leaders of the American Revolution
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Betsy Ross: Designer of our Flag
Childhood of Famous Americans
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Betsy Ross: Girl of Old Philadelphia
Childhood of Famous Americans
by Ann Weil, illustrated by Al Fiorentino
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Betty Greene
Christian Heroes: Then & Now
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Black Courage
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Black Hawk, Young Sauk Warrior
Childhood of Famous Americans
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Bonhoeffer: The Cost of Freedom - Audio Drama (CD)
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Book of Famous Explorers
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Booker T. Washington
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BOX: Henry Brown Mails Himself to Freedom
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2021 Newbery Honor Book
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Boy on the Wooden Box
by Leon Leyson
Reprint from Atheneum
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Brendan the Navigator
by Jean Fritz
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Brother Andrew
Christian Heroes: Then & Now
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Bud, Not Buddy
by Christopher Paul Curtis
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2000 Newbery Medal winner
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Bud, Not Buddy
by Christopher Paul Curtis
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2000 Newbery Medal winner
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Buffalo Bill
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from Beautiful Feet Books
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Buffalo Bill: Boy of the Plains
Childhood of Famous Americans
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Buffalo Bill: Frontier Daredevil
Childhood of Famous Americans
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$6.79
C. T. Studd
Christian Heroes: Then & Now
by Geoff & Janet Benge
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Biography for 4th-7th grade
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Cabin Boy to Advent Crusader
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Calamity Jane
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Camels West
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Candy Bomber
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Captain Cook: Pacific Explorer
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Captain John Smith
Heroes of History
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$10.19
Carl Sandburg: Young Singing Poet
Childhood of Famous Americans
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Cartier Sails the St. Lawrence
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Charles Dickens and the Street Children of London
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Charles Lindbergh
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Charlotte Bronte and Jane Eyre
by Robert Van Nutt, Stewart Ross
1st edition from Viking Press
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Chasing Space for Young Readers
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Chief Joseph: Leader of Destiny
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Choosing Brave
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2023 Robert F. Sibert Honor Book
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Christopher Columbus
Sowers Series
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Christopher Columbus and His Brothers
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Christopher Columbus and the Discovery of the New World
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