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More Than Dates and Dead People: Recovering a Christian View of History
Making History Come Alive For many students, the study of history is as boring as being lost in a nothing but dates and dead people, dead people and dates—dry, meaningless, and useless. This seems odd in view of the subject of history—people and how they live, what they believe, and what they do. According to Stephen Mansfield, the difference between thinking of history as boring or as fascinating is to be found in the world-view of its students. Those who follow a materialistic, evolutionary philosophy, believe that history control the present and that God, who made history in the first place, is irrelevant. On the other hand, people of biblical faith believe that God has decided what the end of history will be and that He has been drawing mankind through the ages toward a final destiny. In this view history is no longer the story of a blind man groping toward a dark and fearful future but the unfolding of a destiny that God decided before all creation, providing hope for all and making history a fascinating journey that never gets out of the Maker's control. More Than Dates and Dead People is an edgy and slightly irreverent look at history from a biblical point of view as well as a look at the ideas that shape the teaching of history in most classrooms today. It offers a fresh alternative on looking at history and provides tools for understanding adn enjoying the past in light of the future.
144 pages, Paperback
First published September 20, 2000
2 people are currently reading
86 people want to read
About the author
Stephen Mansfield
97 books158 followersStephen Mansfield is a New York Times bestselling author and a popular speaker who is becoming one of the nation’s most respected voices on religion and American culture. He is also an activist in a variety of social causes.
Stephen was born in Georgia but grew up largely in Europe due to his father’s career as an officer in the United States Army. After a youth filled with sports, travel, and mischief, he was recruited to play college football but turned down the opportunity when a Christian conversion moved him to attend a leading Christian college.
He earned a Bachelor’s degree in history and philosophy and then moved to Texas where he pastored a church, completed two Master’s degrees, hosted a radio show and began acquiring a reputation as a popular speaker of both depth and humor. He moved to Tennessee in 1991 where he again pastored a church, did relief work among the Kurds in Northern Iraq, served as a political consultant, and completed a doctorate.
It was during this time that he also launched the writing career for which he has become internationally known. His first book on Winston Churchill was a Gold Medallion Award Finalist. He also wrote widely-acclaimed biographies of Booker T. Washington and George Whitefield as well as a number of other books on history and leadership. In 1997, the Governor of Tennessee commissioned Mansfield to write the official history of religion in Tennessee for that state’s bicentennial.
In 2002, Stephen left the pastorate after twenty fruitful years to write and lecture full-time. Not long afterward he wrote The Faith of George W. Bush, which spent many weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and won numerous national awards. The book also became a source for Oliver Stone’s internationally acclaimed film W, which chronicled Bush’s rise to the presidency.
This international bestseller led to a string of influential books over the following eight years. Stephen wrote The Faith of the American Soldier after being embedded with U.S. troops in Iraq. He also wrote about the new Pope in Benedict XVI: His Life and Mission. His book The Faith of Barack Obama was another international bestseller and was often a topic in major media during the presidential campaign of 2008. To answer the crumbling values of portions of corporate America, he wrote The Search for God and Guinness and soon found himself speaking to corporate gatherings around the world.
Stephen continues to write books about faith and culture—recently on topics like Sarah Palin, Oprah Winfrey and America’s generals—but beyond his writing career he has founded The Mansfield Group, a successful consulting and communications firm, as well as Chartwell Literary Group, a firm that creates and manages literary projects. Together with his wife, Beverly, Mansfield has created The Global Leadership Development Fund, a foundation that sponsors leadership training and networking around the world.
In recent years, Stephen’s popularity as a speaker has nearly eclipsed his reputation as a bestselling author. He is often to be found addressing a university gathering, a corporate retreat or a fundraising banquet and stirring his audience with the humor and storytelling that have become his trademark.
Mansfield lives primarily in Nashville, Tennessee, with his beloved wife, Beverly, who is an award-winning songwriter and producer. For more information, log onto MansfieldGroup.com.
Stephen was born in Georgia but grew up largely in Europe due to his father’s career as an officer in the United States Army. After a youth filled with sports, travel, and mischief, he was recruited to play college football but turned down the opportunity when a Christian conversion moved him to attend a leading Christian college.
He earned a Bachelor’s degree in history and philosophy and then moved to Texas where he pastored a church, completed two Master’s degrees, hosted a radio show and began acquiring a reputation as a popular speaker of both depth and humor. He moved to Tennessee in 1991 where he again pastored a church, did relief work among the Kurds in Northern Iraq, served as a political consultant, and completed a doctorate.
It was during this time that he also launched the writing career for which he has become internationally known. His first book on Winston Churchill was a Gold Medallion Award Finalist. He also wrote widely-acclaimed biographies of Booker T. Washington and George Whitefield as well as a number of other books on history and leadership. In 1997, the Governor of Tennessee commissioned Mansfield to write the official history of religion in Tennessee for that state’s bicentennial.
In 2002, Stephen left the pastorate after twenty fruitful years to write and lecture full-time. Not long afterward he wrote The Faith of George W. Bush, which spent many weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and won numerous national awards. The book also became a source for Oliver Stone’s internationally acclaimed film W, which chronicled Bush’s rise to the presidency.
This international bestseller led to a string of influential books over the following eight years. Stephen wrote The Faith of the American Soldier after being embedded with U.S. troops in Iraq. He also wrote about the new Pope in Benedict XVI: His Life and Mission. His book The Faith of Barack Obama was another international bestseller and was often a topic in major media during the presidential campaign of 2008. To answer the crumbling values of portions of corporate America, he wrote The Search for God and Guinness and soon found himself speaking to corporate gatherings around the world.
Stephen continues to write books about faith and culture—recently on topics like Sarah Palin, Oprah Winfrey and America’s generals—but beyond his writing career he has founded The Mansfield Group, a successful consulting and communications firm, as well as Chartwell Literary Group, a firm that creates and manages literary projects. Together with his wife, Beverly, Mansfield has created The Global Leadership Development Fund, a foundation that sponsors leadership training and networking around the world.
In recent years, Stephen’s popularity as a speaker has nearly eclipsed his reputation as a bestselling author. He is often to be found addressing a university gathering, a corporate retreat or a fundraising banquet and stirring his audience with the humor and storytelling that have become his trademark.
Mansfield lives primarily in Nashville, Tennessee, with his beloved wife, Beverly, who is an award-winning songwriter and producer. For more information, log onto MansfieldGroup.com.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
July 29, 2008
The first half of the book offers a great framework for studying history through a Biblical worldview, and presents a compelling argument for the obligation for Christians to know and understand history. The second half of the book relates several historical vignettes and applies the framework of the first half, but (in my opinion) the author veers too far right in many of his assessments and neglects some important historical factors that would temper his conclusions. This may be because the book is written to be short and sweet and is aimed at people who hate history, so the author presents less nuanced arguments. A good read for anyone who wants to learn to love history, or who teaches history but isn't sure why it's important or how to apply Biblical thought to the discipline.
May 1, 2008
A pretty lightweight book on how to approach, and ultimately teach, history from a Christian viewpoint. The concept was good but it didn't really deliver.
December 28, 2020
As an aspiring historian—for my friends reading this I have polymathic aspirations, thank you very much—and an aspiring Christian historian who was a kind of “day-to-day historian” (only if you’re telling the truth) better known as a journalist, I completely recommend this book.
Mansfield teaches a history deficient generation real history that inspires to keep on learning history from a Christian perspective.
Secular historians do downplay the role of faith in the founding and formation of the country, just as secular journalists downplay the role of faith on a day-to-day basis, but there are some secular works out there that correct the record too.
There are lots of surprises here.
From the real story of Pocahontas, to the story of the early American Christian religious revivals, to the unexpected story of how the Beatles opened a Satanic can of worms into the United States, this 120+ page book surprises and fills in gaps I’m sure don’t know about.
But it also urges to think about what each movement meant for its time in light of Christian religious realities (which is the true reality).
Mansfield’s insight that the 1960s youth culture were seeking what the church proper was designed by God to provide but instead filled those spiritual needs with drug culture, music, and other forms of rebellion against the past was instructive.
On that same point, he points out that the church of the 1950s and 1960s simply rubber stamped American values but was not really being the church.
This is a tragic ongoing reality.
It reminded me of Jamar Tisby’s book “The Color of Compromise” and Joel McDurmon’s book “The Problem of Slavery in Christian America” where both authors point out how the Church rubbed stamped and at times aided and abetted the values of racist America.
The Church has got to be bold.
At her best, she is a reflection of her husband and King the Lord Jesus Christ. So, she has to be a reflection of Him. That’s the action step. She must plead with God for grace and repentance.
Great book and great starting point for those who are (or don’t know yet that they are) interested in history.
Mansfield teaches a history deficient generation real history that inspires to keep on learning history from a Christian perspective.
Secular historians do downplay the role of faith in the founding and formation of the country, just as secular journalists downplay the role of faith on a day-to-day basis, but there are some secular works out there that correct the record too.
There are lots of surprises here.
From the real story of Pocahontas, to the story of the early American Christian religious revivals, to the unexpected story of how the Beatles opened a Satanic can of worms into the United States, this 120+ page book surprises and fills in gaps I’m sure don’t know about.
But it also urges to think about what each movement meant for its time in light of Christian religious realities (which is the true reality).
Mansfield’s insight that the 1960s youth culture were seeking what the church proper was designed by God to provide but instead filled those spiritual needs with drug culture, music, and other forms of rebellion against the past was instructive.
On that same point, he points out that the church of the 1950s and 1960s simply rubber stamped American values but was not really being the church.
This is a tragic ongoing reality.
It reminded me of Jamar Tisby’s book “The Color of Compromise” and Joel McDurmon’s book “The Problem of Slavery in Christian America” where both authors point out how the Church rubbed stamped and at times aided and abetted the values of racist America.
The Church has got to be bold.
At her best, she is a reflection of her husband and King the Lord Jesus Christ. So, she has to be a reflection of Him. That’s the action step. She must plead with God for grace and repentance.
Great book and great starting point for those who are (or don’t know yet that they are) interested in history.
December 1, 2024
A while ago, my mother told me to read this, and I replied, "Sure." ... The book then sat on top of my computer tower for several years, where it blocked the power indicator while I slept and served as a haunting reminder of my wishy-washy nature.
I read it. A lot of its content is easily predicted by the title, but it did give me the obvious insight that a culture's art reveals its grander desires as well as the psychological inertia that moves its people. While reading this, that idea sort of clicked into place. I had never thought about that before, though I should have, as it is certainly a useful truth.
I read it. A lot of its content is easily predicted by the title, but it did give me the obvious insight that a culture's art reveals its grander desires as well as the psychological inertia that moves its people. While reading this, that idea sort of clicked into place. I had never thought about that before, though I should have, as it is certainly a useful truth.
January 18, 2020
Short insightful read on recovering a Christian view on history. Very readable for people of all ages and contains numerous resources to check out if interested. This book should be read in every middle school history class!
October 7, 2023
My granddaughter and I read this together. Her major is History and she loved it. I did too.
December 27, 2014
A short book that develops a Biblical view of history
24 December 2012
There are some things that I agree with this book and some that I don't. The main agreement I have is that history is far more than dates and dead people: it is a story that is moving from one point to another (teleological as opposed to cyclical) and that there are so many small interrelated events that end up having a huge impact. What I do not necessarily agree with is the fairly Christian Fundamentalist interpretation of history, in that we have a definite seven days of Creation and ending with a tribulation.
While I am a Christian and I do believe that the world is moving from creation to the second coming of Christ, I do not necessarily accept a literal seven days of creation. Personally it could have been, but since time is relative (particularly where God is concerned) it is difficult for me to take such a dogmatic view of the world. However, I believe that it is important, particularly for Christians, not only to have a good understanding of History, but also where history sits within the grand story. Unfortunately, too many Christians today only restrict their understanding of history to what is in the Bible, and even then simply turn the biblical stories into fables that end with a moral lesson.
I do not believe this is how history should be viewed, and in particular, we need to understand history, not just within the Bible, but with the events that surround the Bible as well. For instance, we have a lot of literature from Ancient Rome and Greece, as well as a lot of archaeological understanding of many of the ancient cultures. Should we neglect this to focus only on the Bible? I don't think so. For instance, let us consider the death and resurrection of Christ. In the Bible we have a multitude of prophecies which are all fulfilled in Christ, but in archaeology we have a multitude of cults centred around a dying and resurrecting god king. Surprisingly these cults appear right up until Christ, but then moved to the wayside when Christianity came to the forefront. It is as if these cults where prophecies to the gentiles pointing to Christ.
Let us also consider Zorastianism. We have a very ancient monotheistic cult arising in Ancient Persia, dated to about 1200 BC. Surprisingly enough by the time the Persians had conquered the Babylonian empire, the Zorastrian religion was very popular, and it was about this time that Cyrus also ordered the Jews to return to Israel. It could be that the Jews picked up monotheism from the Persians, but it could also have been that the Persians showed sympathy to another Monotheistic culture, particularly when they were surrounded by polytheistic nations.
The Reformation (coming to a more modern event) is something that transformed the world in which we live. No longer were we forced into a single church and forced to believe a doctrine that we may have considered questionable. In fact, by breaking the back of the Catholic Church, society was able to begin to advance again through science and economics. If we look at Europe now, we note that many of the Catholic nations are still quite backward, while many of the protestant nations have move forward in leaps and bounds.
However, most importantly is that history teaches us lessons. Not only do we learn moral lessons from the Bible, we can also learn them from history. As with our parents and our elders we can learn how living a certain lifestyle can be dangerous and hurtful, we can also, on a national level, learn that going down a certain track can be quite harmful to our society as a whole. The events of 2008 with the stock market crash have been compared in many ways to the events in 1929. In fact, what happened in 2008 was very similar to the collapse of LTCM, where so called mathematical geniuses developed a system for predicting the price of options, and then pretty much losing all of their money after the unexpected event (the Russian default) occurred. Yet, what is scary is that the fact that 2008 occurred demonstrated that we, or at least our leaders, failed to learn from the events of history.
24 December 2012
There are some things that I agree with this book and some that I don't. The main agreement I have is that history is far more than dates and dead people: it is a story that is moving from one point to another (teleological as opposed to cyclical) and that there are so many small interrelated events that end up having a huge impact. What I do not necessarily agree with is the fairly Christian Fundamentalist interpretation of history, in that we have a definite seven days of Creation and ending with a tribulation.
While I am a Christian and I do believe that the world is moving from creation to the second coming of Christ, I do not necessarily accept a literal seven days of creation. Personally it could have been, but since time is relative (particularly where God is concerned) it is difficult for me to take such a dogmatic view of the world. However, I believe that it is important, particularly for Christians, not only to have a good understanding of History, but also where history sits within the grand story. Unfortunately, too many Christians today only restrict their understanding of history to what is in the Bible, and even then simply turn the biblical stories into fables that end with a moral lesson.
I do not believe this is how history should be viewed, and in particular, we need to understand history, not just within the Bible, but with the events that surround the Bible as well. For instance, we have a lot of literature from Ancient Rome and Greece, as well as a lot of archaeological understanding of many of the ancient cultures. Should we neglect this to focus only on the Bible? I don't think so. For instance, let us consider the death and resurrection of Christ. In the Bible we have a multitude of prophecies which are all fulfilled in Christ, but in archaeology we have a multitude of cults centred around a dying and resurrecting god king. Surprisingly these cults appear right up until Christ, but then moved to the wayside when Christianity came to the forefront. It is as if these cults where prophecies to the gentiles pointing to Christ.
Let us also consider Zorastianism. We have a very ancient monotheistic cult arising in Ancient Persia, dated to about 1200 BC. Surprisingly enough by the time the Persians had conquered the Babylonian empire, the Zorastrian religion was very popular, and it was about this time that Cyrus also ordered the Jews to return to Israel. It could be that the Jews picked up monotheism from the Persians, but it could also have been that the Persians showed sympathy to another Monotheistic culture, particularly when they were surrounded by polytheistic nations.
The Reformation (coming to a more modern event) is something that transformed the world in which we live. No longer were we forced into a single church and forced to believe a doctrine that we may have considered questionable. In fact, by breaking the back of the Catholic Church, society was able to begin to advance again through science and economics. If we look at Europe now, we note that many of the Catholic nations are still quite backward, while many of the protestant nations have move forward in leaps and bounds.
However, most importantly is that history teaches us lessons. Not only do we learn moral lessons from the Bible, we can also learn them from history. As with our parents and our elders we can learn how living a certain lifestyle can be dangerous and hurtful, we can also, on a national level, learn that going down a certain track can be quite harmful to our society as a whole. The events of 2008 with the stock market crash have been compared in many ways to the events in 1929. In fact, what happened in 2008 was very similar to the collapse of LTCM, where so called mathematical geniuses developed a system for predicting the price of options, and then pretty much losing all of their money after the unexpected event (the Russian default) occurred. Yet, what is scary is that the fact that 2008 occurred demonstrated that we, or at least our leaders, failed to learn from the events of history.
April 23, 2016
This borrowed book has been in my stack for too long, although I'm deeply interested in viewing all of life from a Biblical worldview. Stephen Mansfield who believes that the study of history ought to be fascinating because it is about people and how they think, what and why they believe, what they do, and how they live.
Mansfield asserts a person's worldview will affect how he/she views the study of history--whether or not it is dead and boring or alive and intriguing. He sets about contrasting a materialistic-evolutionary perspective with the Judeo-Christian philosophy--in terms ordinary readers can understand. In other words, he contrasts worldviews--eliminating God or including Him and His purposes in all of life, all of history--seeing what happens in our world as His Story.
Mansfield is slightly in your face on occasion and isn't afraid to challenge our normal view of history. Looking through a different lens than that which is used in nearly every classroom across the U.S. allows readers to "understand and enjoy the past in light of the future." A "back to the future" story, if you will.
Mansfield asserts a person's worldview will affect how he/she views the study of history--whether or not it is dead and boring or alive and intriguing. He sets about contrasting a materialistic-evolutionary perspective with the Judeo-Christian philosophy--in terms ordinary readers can understand. In other words, he contrasts worldviews--eliminating God or including Him and His purposes in all of life, all of history--seeing what happens in our world as His Story.
Mansfield is slightly in your face on occasion and isn't afraid to challenge our normal view of history. Looking through a different lens than that which is used in nearly every classroom across the U.S. allows readers to "understand and enjoy the past in light of the future." A "back to the future" story, if you will.
June 19, 2009
History is not something we put on a shelf and dust off when we "need" it. It vibrant and alive. It is now and we are living in the midst of it. It may be cliche, but it is true ... especially now in our nation ... if we don't know our history, we are bound to repeat it! Mansfield also encourages us to look beyond the pages of the standard history books, look to the reasons behind why decisions were made, what were the true underlying motivations of people (good and bad). A quick read which will renew your love for history and believe you can make a difference now for the future.
May 11, 2013
This is actually a textbook from my kids school. Wish I had it when I was in school and studying history (aka His Story). This short book lays the foundation for how history has been shaped by God, in the past, present and future. It provides a great filter for how to view history through a different filter (the Sovereignty of God) and the story that He has already created. He knew the end before he created you and me. An excellent read for all Christian parents. Thankful for Greyfriar's Classical Academy and the excellent teachers who choose to utilize textbooks such as this.
November 13, 2007
If you are looking for a book that gives a general overview of recent history without being bored, this is the book for you! I enjoyed this book because it was interesting. It is as the title suggests more than dates and dead people
December 15, 2015
I did not finish this book. I might come back to skim some things if time permits, but it is written in the style of super-conversational, "hip" language combined with a relentlessly blatant and simplified Bible-is-the-answer mentality that made it not seem worth my time.
January 26, 2009
V Good
January 10, 2010
Couldn't finish this book. The author has some fairly good ideas but is not a writer.
June 26, 2011
Pretty good. I wish I had read it in high school.
October 11, 2011
Not nearly as good as I expected.
September 10, 2012
Loved this book. If you like history you will really enjoy this
July 24, 2013
Light, easy read...but I walked away with a desire to dig deeper into our American heritage.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews