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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208 Items found Print
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Abraham Lincoln
by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire
75th Anniversary Edition from Beautiful Feet Books
Picture Book Biography for 3rd-6th grade
1940 Caldecott Medal winner
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AIO Imagination Station Book #13
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by Marianne Hering
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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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$12.95
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
by Wendy G. Lawton
from Moody Press
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$7.99 $5.00 (4 in stock)
Amazing Impossible Erie Canal
by Cheryl Harness
from Aladdin Paperbacks
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America's Paul Revere
by Esther Forbes
from Sandpiper Books
Biography for 2nd-6th grade
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Angel Knew Papa and the Dog
by Douglas Kaine McKelvey
from Rabbit Room Press
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Apples to Oregon
by Deborah Hopkinson
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$8.99
Balto and the Great Race
Totally True Adventures
by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel
1st Printing from Random House Books for Young Readers
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Baseball Saved Us
by Ken Mochizuki
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$9.95
Benjamin Franklin
by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire
from Beautiful Feet Books
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Benjamin West and His Cat Grimalkin
by Marguerite Henry & Wesley Dennis
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Buffalo Bill
by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire
from Beautiful Feet Books
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$17.95
By the Shores of Silver Lake
Little House Series #5
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade
1940 Newbery Honor Book
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$9.99
Captive Treasure
by Milly Howard
from Bob Jones University Press
Realistic Fiction for 2nd-5th grade
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Carolina's Courage
by Elizabeth Yates
from Bob Jones University Press
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Charles Darwin - Coloring Book
by John Green
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$3.99
Chasing Space for Young Readers
by Leland Melvin
from Amistad Press
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$7.99
Children of the Covered Wagon
by Mary Jane Carr
2nd edition from Christian Liberty Press
Historical Fiction for 3rd-5th grade
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$16.75
Children of the Dust Bowl
by Jerry Stanley
from Crown Publishers
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1993 NCTE Orbis Pictus Award
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$10.99
Choppers!
Step into Reading Level 4
by Susan E. Goodman
from Random House
for Grades 2-3
in Step into Reading (Location: EAR-STEP)
$5.99
Civil War Days
American Kids in History
by David C. King
1st edition from John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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Clearing Weather
by Cornelia Meigs
Repint from Dover Publications
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1929 Newbery Honor Book
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$8.99
Columbus Discovers America - Coloring Book
by Peter F. Copeland
from Dover Publications
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Copper-Toed Boots
by Marguerite de Angeli
from Wayne State University
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Courage to Run
Daughters of the Faith
by Wendy G. Lawton
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$8.99
Crossing Bok Chitto
by Tim Tingle
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D-Day Landings
DK Readers Level 4
by Richard Platt
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$4.99
Daily Life in a Covered Wagon
by Paul Erickson
from Puffin Books
Historical Reference for 3rd-5th Grade
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$9.99
Discovery of the Americas
by Betsy & Giulio Maestro
from HarperTrophy
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$9.99
Down the Big River
Purple House Living History Library
by Stephen W. Meader, illustrated by Edward Shenton
from Purple House Press
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$10.99
Draw 50 Boats, Ships, Trucks, and Trains
by Lee Ames
from Watson-Guptill Publications
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Duke Ellington
by Andrea Davis Pinkney
1st edition from Hyperion/Madison Press
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1999 Caldecott Honor Book
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$6.99
Echo Mountain
by Lauren Wolk
from Dutton Children's Books
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$8.99
Encounter
by Jane Yolen
1st edition from Voyager Paperbacks
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$8.99
Escape North!
Step into Reading Level 4
by Monica Kulling
from Random House
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$4.99
Explorers News
The History News
by Michael Johnstone
from Candlewick Press
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Famous Men of Modern Times - Student Guide
by Leigh Lowe & Tanya Charlton
from Memoria Press
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$19.90 $12.00 (3 in stock)
Famous Men of Modern Times - Teacher Guide
by Leigh Lowe & Tanya Charlton
from Memoria Press
for 3rd-8th grade
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$19.90 $12.00 (1 in stock)
Farmer Boy
Little House Series #3
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade
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Farmer Boy
Little House Series #3
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade
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$9.99
Finding Providence
An I Can Read Chapter Book
by Avi
from HarperCollins
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Finding the Titanic
by Robert D. Ballard
from Scholastic Inc.
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$3.99
First Farm in the Valley
by Anne Pellowski
from Bethlehem Books
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$9.50
First Flight
DK Eyewitness Readers Level 4
by Caryn Jenner
from DK Children
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$4.99
First Four Years
Little House Series #9
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade
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$8.99
First Thanksgiving
Step into Reading Level 3
by Linda Hayward
from Random House
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$4.99
Flower Fables
by Louisa May Alcott
from Dover Publications
for 3rd-6th grade
$5.99
Follow the Drinking Gourd
by Jeanette Winter
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
Historical Fiction for 2nd-4th grade
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Forty-Acre Swindle
TrailBlazer Books
by Dave & Neta Jackson
from Castle Rock Creative
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$8.99
Fourth of July Story
by Alice Dalgliesh
2nd edition from Aladdin Paperbacks
Historical Non-fiction for 2nd-4th grade
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$8.99
Frederick Douglass: The Right to Dignity
from Emerald Books
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$11.99
Freedom on the Menu
by Carole Boston Weatherford
Reprint from Puffin Books
for Kindergarten-4th grade
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$6.99
Freedom's Pen
Daughters of the Faith
by Wendy G. Lawton
New Edition from Moody Press
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$7.99
George vs. George
by Rosalyn Schanzer
Reprint from National Geographic
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$6.95
George Washington
by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire
from Beautiful Feet Books
Picture Book Biography for 3rd-6th grade
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George Washington
by Cheryl Harness
from National Geographic
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Gettysburg Address in Translation
by Kay M., Olson
from Capstone Press
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$7.95
Glorious Flight
by Martin & Alice Provensen
from Puffin Books
Historical Non-Fiction/Picture Books for 1st-3rd grade
1984 Caldecott Medal winner
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$8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Gold Cadillac
by Mildred D. Taylor
Reprint from Puffin Books
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Grandfather's Dance
by Patricia MacLachlan
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
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$6.99
Hallelujah Lass
Daughters of the Faith
by Wendy G. Lawton
New Edition from Moody Press
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$7.99
Hidden Figures: Young Reader's Edition
from Harper
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$9.99
Hiroshima
by Laurence Yep
from Scholastic Inc.
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$4.99 $3.00 (1 in stock)
Holling Clancy Holling's Stories from Many Lands
by Holling Clancy Holling
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
$14.99
How We Crossed the West
by Rosalyn Schanzer
Reprint from National Geographic
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$7.95
I Am David
by Anne Holm
from Harcourt
Realistic Fiction for 3rd-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$7.99
I Will Come Back for You
by Marisabina Russo
Reprint from Dragonfly Books
for 3rd-5th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
If You Were There When They Signed the Constitution
If You Were There
by Elizabeth Levy
from Scholastic Inc.
Non-Fiction for 2nd-5th grade
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$7.99 $5.00 (2 in stock)
If Your Name Was Changed at Ellis Island
If You Were There
by Ellen Levine & Wayne Parmenter
from Scholastic Inc.
Historical Non-Fiction for 2nd-5th grade
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$6.99 $4.00 (2 in stock)
Immigrant Kids
by Russell Freedman
from Puffin Books
Non-fiction for 3rd-6th grade
in Immigration & Emigration (Location: HISA-20IM)
$8.99
Industrial Revolution
by Carla Mooney
from Nomad Press
for 2nd-8th grade
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$15.95 $8.00 (1 in stock)
Isaac Newton and the Laws of Motion
by Andrea Gianopoulos
1st edition from Capstone Press
for 1st-4th grade
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$7.95 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Jamestown
Adventures in Colonial America
by James Knight
from Beautiful Feet Books
Non-fiction for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Jamestown Colony (Location: HISA-17JA)
$6.95 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Jazz Man
by Mary Hays Weik
2nd edition from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 3rd-6th grade
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$6.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)
John Lincoln Clem: Civil War Drummer Boy
Based on a True Story
by E. F. Abbott
from Square Fish Publishing
for 2nd-6th grade
in American Civil War (1860-1865) (Location: HISA-19CW)
$9.99
Journey That Saved Curious George
by Louise W. Borden
from HMH Books for Young Readers
for 3rd-8th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$8.99
Just a Few Words, Mr. Lincoln
An All Aboard Reading Reader Level 4
by Jean Fritz
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 2nd-3rd grade
in Step into Reading (Location: EAR-STEP)
$4.99
Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie
by Peter & Connie Roop
from Carolrhoda Books, Inc.
Historical Fiction for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Lacemaker and the Princess
by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
from Margaret K. McElderry Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$8.99
Language of Flowers
by Kate Greenaway
from Dover Publications
for all ages
in Poetry Anthologies (Location: POET-ANTH)
$6.95
Leonardo da Vinci
by Diane Stanley
from HarperCollins
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
1997 NCTE Orbis Pictus Award
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$11.99
Letters from Rifka
by Karen Hesse
from Square Fish Publishing
Realistic Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
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$7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Lewis & Clark
by Steven Kroll
from Holiday House
Historical Non-Fiction for 1st-4th grade
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$7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Liberty!
by Lucille Recht Penner
from Random House
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$8.99
Life of Washington
by Josephine Pollard
from Beautiful Feet Books
Biography for 3rd-8th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$10.95 $7.50 (1 in stock)
Listen for the Whippoorwill
Trailblazer Books
by Dave & Neta Jackson
from Castle Rock Creative
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
$8.99
Little House in the Big Woods
Little House Series #1
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$8.99 $5.00 (2 in stock)
Little House on the Prairie
Little House Series #2
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$8.99
Little Polar Bear
by Hans de Beer
from NorthSouth
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.95
Little Ships
by Louise Borden
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 2nd-6th grade
in WWII: European Theater (Location: HISA-20WW2E)
$8.99
Little Town on the Prairie
Little House Series #7
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade
1942 Newbery Honor Book
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$8.99
Little Town on the Prairie
Little House Series #7
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade
1942 Newbery Honor Book
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$9.99
Long Winter
Little House Series #6
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade
1941 Newbery Honor Book
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$9.99
Long Winter
Little House Series #6
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade
1941 Newbery Honor Book
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$10.99
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