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Reclaiming the Christian Intellectual Tradition
History: A Student's Guide
A robust understanding of the past has the power to shape our perspective on the present and plans for the future. In this introduction to the study of history, a historian helps students grasp what it means to examine and explore history from a distinctly Christian perspective. In addition to opening students’ eyes to the riches of the past, this readable guidebook models an approach to history that embraces the fundamental beliefs and convictions that make up the Christian worldview. Part of the acclaimed Reclaiming the Christian Intellectual Tradition series, this volume will be an invaluable tool in the hands of those seeking to engage with the past with God in mind. Includes illustrations, reflection questions, and a list of resources for further study.
- GenresHistory
112 pages, Paperback
First published January 31, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 6, 2021
A short, helpful primer on the study of history from a Christian perspective.
April 16, 2018
Helpful
This is a short, concise, and helpful guide to history from a Christian worldview. Chapters two and three were the most helpful discussions of the book.
This is a short, concise, and helpful guide to history from a Christian worldview. Chapters two and three were the most helpful discussions of the book.
February 25, 2020
Very persuasive work. A good primer for understanding the relationship of faith and history.
March 6, 2016
I enjoy history. Not the boring, droning of mere facts and figures, but rather, digging into history, finding out the way and why of our past in an effort to inform our approach and understanding of the present. This is really what doing history is all about, an approach that is often not what is at the forefront of our minds when the word history is stated. Understanding the past is vital and Nathan Finn, in his book History: A Student’s Guide, provides the reader with an introductory presentation of what it means to correctly engage the past.
This book is part of Crossway’s Reclaiming the Christian Intellectual Tradition series, a collection of books intended to serve as a gateway to the topic each book discusses. This is not a lengthy treatise on the nature and purpose of historical studies by any stretch. Conversely, this series and Finn’s book on history in particular are meant to provide the reader with the basics. In this case, Finn focuses on the basic construct of understanding history, historical interpretation, and how history relates intimately with matters of faith.
The typical audience for this book is at the undergraduate level. With that said, there is much within this book that everyone at all levels of historical understanding will find useful. For instance, I appreciated Finn’s salient reminder that history is not just about the past. The past includes the reading of the last sentence I just typed. There is an important distinction to be made between the past and history. Finn aptly notes, “history is the discipline of reconstructing and interpreting the past.”
After building a helpful foundation on just what history is, Finn then outlines the various methods by which historians interpret history. Everyone has a particular lens that impacts how they understand events in history. Furthermore, depending on the historical discipline, certain events can be approached from a variety of methods and angles.
I will submit a slight point of disagreement that Scripture points more to a linear path than a cyclical one. We see throughout Scripture processes/cycles. The largest cycle is the movement of history back to the Garden, the return to a state of restoration and redemption that was lost due to sin. As Finn rightly noted, we see the cycle of obedience and rebellion in the book of Judges and I might add in all of history. It would seem then that while there is forward movement (i.e. linear history) taking place, such a movement takes place within the construct of a larger cycle (perfection to redemption) and numerous life processes and cycles that take place daily, weekly, yearly, and so forth.
Finn’s commitment to noting the importance of a biblical worldview as we engage history is noteworthy and valuable. This involves something Finn notes throughout his book and that is the need to do history with all manner of integrity, faithfully investigating the facts, and helping people grasp history through the framework of God’s divine plan for humanity. This is where history and the faith truly intersect, thus the need for what Finn’s labels as “bilingual historians”.
History is not just something that academics do in their so-called ivory towers. History is important for all local gatherings of believers, for all believers personally, and for the world at large. While we are not all professional historians, we should take note the important truths Finn relays in this book because at some point in our lives, we will actively engage in interpreting history, whether it is something we are reading, in conversations with friends and family, or perhaps more importantly, as we combat the revisionist tendencies that are taught in schools today.
I received this book for free from Crossway Books and the opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
This book is part of Crossway’s Reclaiming the Christian Intellectual Tradition series, a collection of books intended to serve as a gateway to the topic each book discusses. This is not a lengthy treatise on the nature and purpose of historical studies by any stretch. Conversely, this series and Finn’s book on history in particular are meant to provide the reader with the basics. In this case, Finn focuses on the basic construct of understanding history, historical interpretation, and how history relates intimately with matters of faith.
The typical audience for this book is at the undergraduate level. With that said, there is much within this book that everyone at all levels of historical understanding will find useful. For instance, I appreciated Finn’s salient reminder that history is not just about the past. The past includes the reading of the last sentence I just typed. There is an important distinction to be made between the past and history. Finn aptly notes, “history is the discipline of reconstructing and interpreting the past.”
After building a helpful foundation on just what history is, Finn then outlines the various methods by which historians interpret history. Everyone has a particular lens that impacts how they understand events in history. Furthermore, depending on the historical discipline, certain events can be approached from a variety of methods and angles.
I will submit a slight point of disagreement that Scripture points more to a linear path than a cyclical one. We see throughout Scripture processes/cycles. The largest cycle is the movement of history back to the Garden, the return to a state of restoration and redemption that was lost due to sin. As Finn rightly noted, we see the cycle of obedience and rebellion in the book of Judges and I might add in all of history. It would seem then that while there is forward movement (i.e. linear history) taking place, such a movement takes place within the construct of a larger cycle (perfection to redemption) and numerous life processes and cycles that take place daily, weekly, yearly, and so forth.
Finn’s commitment to noting the importance of a biblical worldview as we engage history is noteworthy and valuable. This involves something Finn notes throughout his book and that is the need to do history with all manner of integrity, faithfully investigating the facts, and helping people grasp history through the framework of God’s divine plan for humanity. This is where history and the faith truly intersect, thus the need for what Finn’s labels as “bilingual historians”.
History is not just something that academics do in their so-called ivory towers. History is important for all local gatherings of believers, for all believers personally, and for the world at large. While we are not all professional historians, we should take note the important truths Finn relays in this book because at some point in our lives, we will actively engage in interpreting history, whether it is something we are reading, in conversations with friends and family, or perhaps more importantly, as we combat the revisionist tendencies that are taught in schools today.
I received this book for free from Crossway Books and the opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
February 25, 2017
I believe this is a much healthier interpretation of how a Christian should interact and interpret historical facts.
February 3, 2016
Surprisingly robust introduction to the field of history and historiography. Crossway intends these 120-page books, I think, to be for college students and others considering an academic career in various fields (the quality of this volume has gotten me interested in checking out a couple more--political thought and art/music). Finn does well to cover the bases at some depth (he certainly covered a lot of things we never got to in my undergraduate "introduction to history" course). He covers different theories of history (cyclical, marxist, whig, etc.), faith and the historian, the value of history, options today for trained historians, etc. Finn is a professor at Union University, perhaps the most underrated Christian university in our country (I would send my kid there over Wheaton any day of the year). He has an MDiv but is a trained historian (PhD). I hope to see more work from him in the future.
June 8, 2016
Brief introduction to history as a discipline and vocation. Sound arguments, good insights, but occasionally bland writing.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews