Totomundo [the whole world]

Jan-Feb Vol. 2, Is. 1

Doing History for the Glory of God

Does the Bible have anything to say about the academic Likewise, the cyclical pattern of history in Eastern traditions
study of History? Does a Christian have anything unique to does not account for the obviously purposeful view of
offer the field of historical studies compared to a scholar human history described in the Bible. Despite the common
writing from another view? If so, how does a Christian “do experience of “history repeating,” the biblical view is that
history” for the glory of God? Is Church History the only history truly is linear, not cyclical. As Christian students and
kind of history in which God’s character and presence in teachers, we must beware of unconsciously building on a
the world has been displayed? Or, do political, artistic, and false metaphysical base of impersonal determinism or
technological histories have stories to tell about our great meaningless cycles.
God and King?
Also, the Christian who is researching the past, whether
To answer these questions, one must have an idea of the subject is explicitly religious or not, should give ample
Christianity as a total worldview. Francis Schaeffer often thought to what lies beyond the physical subject matter he
exclaimed, God’s truth is “true truth.” He meant that the or she is addressing always keeping the infinite-personal
worldview found in the Bible and in Jesus, over all other God, as revealed in Scripture, at the center.
worldviews, best accounts for all of reality. A conscious
application of a biblical worldview to history involves four Many history textbooks look with skepticism upon the
areas: metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, and aesthetics. impact of Christian beliefs and thought on historical events,
These four areas make up the essential components of a like the founding of the American Republic. For example,
worldview. consider the “inalienable rights” described in the
Declaration of
First, let’s discuss the metaphysical aspects of “The worldview found in the I n d e p e n d e n c e . O n e
historical inquiry. Metaphysics is the answer to historian may emphasize
these two questions: What is real? and, What is Bible and in Jesus, over all other the deism of Jefferson
the nature of reality? So if God, humans, and the worldviews, best accounts for all and the apparently
earth exist, metaphysics still asks what kind of of reality.” humanistic origin of his
God exists, what are humans in essence, etc. (borrowed) phrase.
Another historian may link
History is greatly impacted by the underlying metaphysical this concept to the stream of Reformation principles
beliefs every historian carries with him or her. Beliefs about coming down from British Common Law, founded on the
the origins and purpose of the universe affect historical existence of a Law-giver who has endowed His image-
investigations and accounts. bearers with inherent dignity and rights. More often still,
historical accounts which should include the activity of God
The particular philosophy of history one uses is a and his people are summarily deleted from the story. One
metaphysical issue. For example, a historian may look at textbook may have a chapter on the Great Awakening of
events in a very mathematical fashion, more in tune with a the 18th century. Another may have just one sentence.
mechanistic or naturalistic view of the universe. People This is metaphysical bias at its worst.
and events and dates are merely cogs in the machine of
history, jumbled together in a deterministic way to produce The second dimension of historical inquiry is epistemology,
inevitable results. Or, he may read into history patterns and the study of knowledge. Epistemology answers the
cycles which are more in line with an Eastern religious questions: How do you know what you know? And, What
view of the universe – history repeats itself, without amount of confidence can we have about our knowledge?
exception.
Epistemology has been the focus of recent conflict within
The Bible does not allow for a completely deterministic history. The conflict has centered around the well-known
view of history. The historical accounts in Scripture concern “revisionist” theory, which has both positive and negative
real people and take place in a personal universe under aspects. Revisionist history does allow for free inquiry into
the holy and loving reign of an infinite-personal God. the historical status quo, cultivating new interpretations that
Humans are agents in the world, and exercise freedom may actually be closer to the truth than commonly held
and choice underneath God’s sovereignty. assumptions. One bright example has been David

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 Totomundo Jan-Feb Vol. 2 Is. 1

Doing History for the Glory of God cont.

McCullough’s resurrection of John Adams as perhaps the
central character on the stage of the American Revolution.
The detrimental side of revisionist theories is that they have
led some so-called historians to deny the existence of
major events, like the Jewish Holocaust. Although this
example is rather extreme, some of these theories have
become wildly popular. For instance, Dan Brown’s
goddess-worshiping version of Christian history can still be
found in bookstores worldwide.
The root problem with revisionism is that it is set on a
relativistic base. It does not accept any criteria or
guidelines for establishing the validity of any claim and any
proposed criteria are quickly dismissed. The revisionist
may operate out of pure
skepticism, but the raging “...the biblical worldview
sea of perpetual doubt will
never land us on the fixed [ g r o u n d s ] historical
shore of certainty (James methods of inquiry
1:6). image-bearing capacity for
reason and in the logical be
Now, history is not a
c o m p l e t e l y s c i e n t i f i c order of the natural world.”
endeavor. We can’t use the
scientific method or repeatable experimentation to pin
down a historical theory. “By the standards of science, it
makes a lousy laboratory,” says Wilfred McClay. “But the
problem is, it is all we have. It is the only laboratory
available to us for assaying the possibilities of our human
nature in a manner consistent with that nature.” That is the
key phrase. The revisionist says that perpetual skepticism
is the manner consistent with our nature. The Bible
disagrees.
Scripture provides a balance of epistemic inquiry that sees
human knowledge as substantial, but not exhaustive. This
balance replaces the revisionist’s skepticism with a
humble, yet confident footing. In fact, this balance to the subjects he or she is writing about. Whether his
provided the catalyst for the modern scientific revolution
which began with Isaac Newton. While early scientists like
Newton understood they could never know exhaustively,
they took confidence from the existence of a transcendent
Law-giver, who gave such order to His universe that
substantial knowledge of it could be obtained through
careful study.
Today, however, the relativist denies all absolute truth-
claims, and to an extent we can understand his frustration.
The plurality of truth-claims we face is overwhelming. How
can anyone, including a historian, say with any certainty
that something has truly happened? The scientific method,
useful in many other situations, does not apply to history.
But, the biblical worldview does ground historical methods
of inquiry in our image-bearing capacity for reason and in
the logical order of the natural world. The physician-
historian Luke displayed this kind of epistemic confidence
when he wrote the following introduction to his history of
the life of Jesus:
“Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative
of the things that have been accomplished among us, just
as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and
ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed
good to me also, having followed all things closely for some
time past, to write an orderly account for you, most
excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty
concerning the things you have been taught.” (Lk. 1:1-4).
Luke provides some first steps toward a Christian
epistemology: (1) multiple sources, including
eyewitnesses and even the personally invested, are
in our sufficient for trustworthy evidence; (2) close
examination is required, for the truth will not always
obvious in a fallen world; and (3) an orderly
account is a fit vehicle for the narrative to make
sense to the reader. The historian can investigate
the past with integrity through these kinds of
methods. The results will be knowledge that is absolutely
true, however finite it may be. We can therefore make
conclusions about our research with substantial
confidence, even to the point of forming penetrating
critiques and serious moral applications. This feeds directly
into the ethical questions that face historians.
The third realm of inquiry is the ethical realm. We have
already touched on some ethical ideas in the first two
realms. Historians have a moral responsibility with regard
to metaphysical bias and epistemic integrity. What is left to
be said? Well, the historian plays another ethical role in
the area of assigning moral judgments, implicit and explicit,
thesis is to vilify some historical figure, or he is just leaving
a vague sense of disgust about a character while claiming
moral neutrality, the realm of ethical judgment is powerful
and relevant to the Christian historian.
The Christian may immediately feel the pull to condemn the
unrighteous and vindicate the godly of the past. This is a
natural instinct which is often inversely shared by non-
Christians, especially atheists. However, these ethical
pronouncements are a great opportunity to display sincere
civility. Christians indeed have a duty to uphold the
reputation of godly men and women throughout history. We
should be grateful for the special role that church historians
play in this regard, yet the arm of fellowship should be

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 Totomundo Jan-Feb Vol. 2 Is. 1

Doing History for the Glory of God cont.

extended to historical characters and events which are not In addition to being an aspect of a subject, the research,
“sacred” or church-related, but do display goodness and study, writing, and composition itself is an opportunity for
aspects of true humanity. As Christians, we are called to beauty (or ugliness). The historian has a wonderful role to
cultivate, draw out, and emphasize true humanity play as painter of human nature, covering his canvas in a
whenever possible. way that is fitting to the medium. This task calls for
creativity, diversity in methods and forms, and opens up a
Christian historians have a responsibility to hold up their world of possibilities. Evangelicals too often cringe at these
subjects to the light of God’s Word and see what shines concepts because of their unswerving commitment to
and what does not. This is the opportunity to paint human absolute truth and the authority of God’s Word. Instead of
nature in a way that is in tune with the biblical balance: cringing, we must grow in our appreciation of the diverse
mankind is noble, but fallen. We cannot fall into extremes forms of beauty in God’s good creation. In general
here, in either our individual revelation we find the spectrum
judgments or in the body of our of light as it passes through the
work. As Christians, we are called to cultivate, changing phases of water (a
draw out, and emphasize true humanity rainbow!). We see nebulae,
For example, the student of galaxies, worlds without
Nazi Germany may come away whenever possible. Christian historians number, apparently created for
from his studies with incredible have a responsibility to hold up their the pleasure of God alone. In
despair over the realities he is subjects to the light of God’s Word and special revelation we find the
facing. Mechanized murder. amazing story of God’s
Sterilized ethnic-cleansing. Will see what shines and what does not. relationship with mankind, told
to Power. These are very real through a diversity of literature:
and deserving of our moral condemnation. But generally psalms, narratives, parables, visions, letters, and more.
speaking, the Christian must be careful in the body of his And all of them are history!
work to paint both sides of human nature. Even in the
darkest of moments there have been slivers of light and Finally, the historian must impart his vision of beauty in a
beauty. form that is fitting. He must be winsome in argument,
colorful in illustration, and civil in all moral
This is not naïve optimism, but an absolute necessity in pronouncements. These efforts will make historical
today’s academy, which is driving thousands of young endeavor deeply personal, taking the names and dates off
Christians from zealous faith into abject despair. This the dusty shelf and animating them into an unforgettable
unbalanced emphasis on the fallenness of mankind is often and intimate encounter.
held by believers who have held to the self-deprecating
extreme and thought that such attitudes were increasing “...we must grow in our appreciation
admiration for the holiness and grace of God. I wish it were of the diverse forms of beauty in
the case. More often, the absence of any inherent dignity in
mankind, rooted in the image of God, has driven believers God’s good creation.”
to despair of life itself.
It is my hope that the academic field of history will be
This leads directly into the fourth and final category of greatly impacted by a generation of Christians who
inquiry, that of aesthetics. Aesthetics answers the question: consciously apply a biblical worldview to history– who see
What is beautiful? The realities of beauty and ugliness are the God-centered purpose of human history, the hope of
recurrent subjects in historical study. In a world that says substantial certainty in inquiry, the both noble and fallen
“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” the Christian nature of its subjects, and the wonderful diversity of its
historian has an awesome responsibility to show forth a form. And, may God receive all the glory.
standard of beauty in the subject matter of his work. The
basic litmus test for absolute beauty is whether the subject -Jason Shaw, Louisville, KY
accords with what is True and what is Good. For example,
a courthouse that is aesthetically pleasing on the outside Jason has a B.A. in History and Religion from Florida State
may be home to gross injustice on the inside. In this case, University and is currently researching PhD programs in
despite subjective appeal, this courthouse could never be history and communicating with potential PhD mentors. He
truly beautiful. is also working on an MA in Theology at Southern
Seminary.

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