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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94 Items found Print
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A is for Abigail
by Lynne Cheney
1st edition from Simon and Schuster
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ABC Book of Early Americana - Coloring Book
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2012 Dover from Dover Publications
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Abraham Lincoln & His Family - Paper Dolls
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AIO Imagination Station Book #06
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American History for Young Students III
by Michelle Miller
from TruthQuest History
History Curriculum for 1st-6th grade
Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks
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$29.95
Apples to Oregon
by Deborah Hopkinson
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Balto and the Great Race
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Baseball Saved Us
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Beethoven's Heroic Symphony (Once Upon a Masterpiece)
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Choosing Brave
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2023 Robert F. Sibert Honor Book
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Classical Acts and Facts History Cards: Modern World
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Classical Acts and Facts History Cards: New World
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by Ann Turner
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$4.99
Early American History for Primary Grades - Guide
by Rea Berg
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Encounter
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Famous Figures of the Civil War
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Finding Winnie
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First Thanksgiving
Step into Reading Level 3
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First Thanksgiving
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$7.99
Flag for Our Country
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Freedom on the Menu
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George Washington's Breakfast
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Gingerbread for Liberty!
by Mara Rockliff, Illustrated by Vincent X. Kirsch
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Glorious Flight
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1984 Caldecott Medal winner
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How Sweet the Sound
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Isaac Newton and the Laws of Motion
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Jamestown
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Johnny Appleseed
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Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie
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Lewis & Clark
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Liberty!
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Little Polar Bear
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Lost and Found
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Lotus Seed
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$7.99
Mama, Do You Love Me?
by Barbara M. Joosse
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Meet Abraham Lincoln
Second Series Landmark / Step Up reprints
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Meet Martin Luther King, Jr.
Second Series Landmark / Step Up reprints
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$4.99
Mighty Jackie
by Marissa Moss
1st edition from Simon & Schuster Macmillan
$11.00 $96.00 (1 in stock)
Moonshot
by Brian Floca
Expanded Edition from Atheneum
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2010 Robert F. Sibert Honor Book
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Moses
by Carole Boston Weatherford
1st edition from Hyperion/Madison Press
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2007 Caldecott Honor Book
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New England Primer of 1777
by Gary & Wanda Sanseri
from Back Home Industries
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One Giant Leap
by Don Brown
from Houghton Mifflin
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Paul Bunyan
by Steven Kellogg
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Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for
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Phonics Museum Reader #20 (old)
by Ned Bustard
from Veritas Press
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Picture Book of Sacagawea
by David A. Adler, illustrated by Dan Brown
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$7.99
Pilgrim Adventures
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Pilgrims of Plimoth
by Marcia Sewall
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History Reference/Picture Book for 1st-4th grade
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$8.99
Rosa
by Nikki Giovanni, illustrated by Bryan Collier
from Square Fish Publishing
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2006 Caldecott Honor Book
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Sarah Morton's Day
by Kate Waters
from Scholastic Inc.
Non-fiction for Nursery-3rd grade
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Saving the Liberty Bell
by Megan McDonald, Illustrated by Marsha Gray Carrington
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Sky Boys
by Deborah Hopkinson
from Dragonfly Books
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$8.99
So Tall Within
by Gary D. Schmidt, Illustrated by Daniel Minter
from Roaring Brook Press
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$18.99
Squanto's Journey
by Joseph Bruchac
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Statue of Liberty
A Step into Reading Book Level 1
by Lucille Recht Penner
from Random House
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$4.99
Stories of Great Americans for Little Americans
by Edward Eggleston
from Yesterday's Classics
Narrative History for 1st-4th grade
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$11.95
Stories of Great Americans for Little Americans
by Edward Eggleston
2nd edition from Memoria Press
Narrative History for 1st-4th grade
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$14.65
Story of Ruby Bridges
by Robert Coles, Illustrated by George Ford
Rep Anv Sp from Scholastic Inc.
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$6.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Story of the Pilgrims - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Fran Newman-D'Amico
from Dover Publications
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$3.99
Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt
by Deborah Hopkinson
1st edition from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
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$7.99
Tacky the Penguin
by Helen Lester
from Sandpiper Books
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$8.99 $4.00 (2 in stock)
Teaching the Constitution with Games
by John De Gree
from Classical Historian
for Preschool-6th grade
in Clearance: History & Geography (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
$7.50
Thanksgiving Story
by Alice Dalgliesh
from Simon and Schuster
Historical Fiction for 1st-3rd grade
1955 Caldecott Honor Book
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$8.99 $5.50 (2 in stock)
They Were Strong and Good
by Robert Lawson
from Viking Press
for 1st-3rd grade
1941 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$18.99
Three Young Pilgrims
by Cheryl Harness
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Biography for 1st-4th grade
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$7.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Through My Eyes
by Ruby Bridges, Compiled and Edited by Margo Lundell
from Scholastic Inc.
for 1st-4th grade
2000 NCTE Orbis Pictus Award
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$17.99
Timeline of Modern History
by Terri Johnson
from Knowledge Quest
Timeline Resources for 1st-6th grade
in Clearance: History & Geography (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
$17.00
Titanic Lost...and Found
Step into Reading Level 4
by Judy Donnelly, illustrated by Keith Kohler
from Random House
for 1st-4th grade
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$5.99 $3.00 (1 in stock)
Trains
Usborne Beginners
by Emily Bone
from Usborne
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in Usborne Beginners (Location: SCI-USBREA)
$4.49
True Story of Pocahontas
A Step into Reading Book Level 3
by Lucille Recht Penner
from Random House
for 1st-3rd grade
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$5.99
U.S. Constitution and Fascinating Facts About It
by Terry L. Jordan
8th edition from Oak Hill Publishing
for 1st-3rd grade
in New Nation (1783-1800) (Location: HISA-18NN)
$3.95
Unspeakable
by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Floyd Cooper
from Carolrhoda Books, Inc.
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
2022 Robert F. Sibert Honor Book
in Civil Rights Movement (1955-1968) (Location: HISA-20CIV)
$17.99
What You Know First
by Patricia MacLachlan
from HarperCollins
for Nursery-2nd grade
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$6.99
Where the Buffaloes Begin
by Olaf Baker
from Dover Publications
for Preschool-2nd grade
1982 Caldecott Honor Book
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$16.95
Who in the World was the Forgotten Explorer?
by Lorene Lambert & Jed Mickle
from Well-Trained Mind Press
Picture Book Biography for 1st-3rd grade
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$9.50
Who's That Stepping on Plymouth Rock?
from PaperStar Books
in Pilgrims at Plymouth (Location: HISA-17PIL)
$6.99
Winter at Valley Forge
Adventures in Colonial America
by James Knight
from Beautiful Feet Books
Non-fiction for Kindergarten-3rd grade
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$6.95