“Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted … Now these things happened unto them by way of example; and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages are come.” (1 Corinthians 10:1-11, ASV)
No doubt you must have heard that one of the reasons for studying history is to try to understand past failures so we don’t make the same mistakes twice. This is certainly a true statement in regards to Israel’s history, and the Apostle Paul wants to be sure that readers of Scripture take heed to what happened to them during the Exodus. In verse 12, Paul reminds believers not to be overly confident in their ability to stand against temptation to do evil — the Israelites were led by the very presence of the Lord and witnessed many miracles, yet they still fell in the desert for yielding to evil desires.
The study of history encompasses an enormous array of categories, from ancient empires to modern politi
cal movements, and facts are mined from both disputable and well-founded sources. Resources to present these facts to students are easily subject to bias … and just like every other piece of information a student receives, discernment should be exercised when studying history. In fact, I would argue that even history presented from a Biblical perspective requires careful discernment. Due to limitations of time, history texts are necessarilly selective, but the American Historical Association provides some guidance on how to select instructional material (these are just a few points):
(1) Key principles used in selection of material should be presented in the book so that users can assess the validity of those choices.
(2) Factual coverage should be balanced, dealing with a range of groupings (race, class, gender) in order to convey diverse reactions to key developments.
(3) Religion is a vital aspect of the history of virtually every society and time period. Its treatment must often acknowledge diversity of viewpoints, but the subject must be given appropriate weight for its role in the human experience.
Individual readers of history will assert their own bias in judging the merits of a particular textbook — if it appears to have too little emphasis on the role of God in the development of the United States, for example, that individual reader may judge the text “intentionally biased against God“. Such a broad “intentional bias”, however, is difficult to prove. It would be impossible to write a history textbook without SOME bias (they must be selective) … and, yes, some textbooks may be overly biased … but to suggest (as some do) that a “lack of including God” is equivalent to “hostility towards God” is simply not correct. As a Christian parent, I may want the history lessons my children are taught to include some emphasis on the faith of those who have gone before — therefore, I can choose to supplement what my kids learn at public school with reading times together when they are younger. And whether I supplement their learning with religious references of historical figures or not, I still must emphasize to them that Christ is preeminent over all things, that He is the one who holds all things together, and that history simply would not be history without Him.
In 1525, Martin Luther wrote a letter called, “Against the Robbing and Murdering Hordes of Peasants.” At the time, there was a serious peasant rebellion against the nobility. The historical roots of the rebellion are long and complex, but they involve the roots of both the American and French democratic revolutions that would happen almost three centuries later. They also involve the “Protestant Reformation,” in which Luther played a prominent role. But Luther was no believer in democracy. In fact, he feared it. He ends his letter with a saber-rattling cry to the nobility to put down the rebellion: “Stab, smite, slay, whoever you can. If you die in doing it, well for you!”
Luther had a view of history. He disagreed with the view of the peasants, and was not happy to allow an alternative view to his own. His conclusion, “Stab! Smite! Slay!”
I pray that Christians today learn from the intolerant past, and never bring back those horrendous religious wars. I pray that Christians today have a sense of patriotism and love of the democracy for which so many of our men and women in uniform fought and died to protect. I pray that Christians today will be happy and proud to have their children sit in peace beside the children of fellow-citizens, even if they are from a different religious tradition, or from no religious tradition, and that they will insist on a curriculum that is not insulting to their fellow citizens. Above all I pray that calls for exclusionary education that breeds misunderstanding, mistrust, fear and eventually hatred will never degenerate into impassioned cries to “Stab! Smite! Slay!” our fellow Americans.
I don’t know how broadly the program is implemented, but our school district is using a system called “Character Counts” to emphasize 6 pillars of good character: Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring, and Citizenship. Whereas the teaching of these does not specifically include reference to God, He is VERY MUCH involved in how the kids assess the information and the examples presented by their fellow students. Every one of these pillars can be found in Scripture, and you can be certain that God doesn’t miss an opportunity to draw kids to Himself through this practical demonstration of what is written in His Word — it is a tremendous way for Christian kids to be a witness to those around them.