Worldview is the lens through which people view the world. For Christians, that worldview is centered around the Bible being God’s true and inspired word. When studying history through the lens of Christianity, we focus on the story of the world as God’s creation of the world, man’s fall from grace, and God’s redemption of man through Jesus Christ, ultimately ending in the return of Christ. This worldview makes the decisions of every person important.
As followers of Christ, we have free will to obey the call of God. When we obey God’s call, good things happen for us and those around us. When we disobey God’s call, things do not go well for us. Understanding how this dynamic works in our lives helps us understand how it works in the course of history. Every person has the choice to obey God’s call in their lives or to disobey God’s call. Those who obey impact history in a positive way, be it large or small. Those who disobey impact history negatively. This free will applies to great and powerful people like George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, as well as seemingly insignificant people like Molly Pitcher or Betsy Dowdy.
As parents, we have many important things to teach our children: how to get along with others, not to talk to strangers, to take responsibility for their own actions. As Christian parents, the most important thing we teach our children is to be a follower of Christ. Jesus himself gave us this command when he issued the Great Commission: “Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). By teaching history, or any other subject, through the lens of Christianity, we teach our children that God’s way is the best way.
As mentioned earlier, sometimes people disobey God’s call. There are many moments when the history of our world isn’t pleasant or positive. Using a Christian worldview to study history will help explain those times when God was disobeyed and the result was not good. It also gives a framework to introduce those who were obedient to God’s call in the face of those who did not follow the will of God or the teachings of Christ. These obedient servants include those who hid Jews during the Holocaust, those who worked with the Underground Railroad in the United States, and many others who made a positive impact during times of strife.
As Christians, everything we do reflects our relationship with Christ, including the lens through which we teach and study history.
Becky Frank has been steeped in American History from her early days growing up on the family farm in Northeastern North Carolina. Although Barrow Creek Farm has been in her family since the 1680s, her parents were the first to live on it in three generations. On the farm she learned to milk cows, sheer sheep, and drive a tractor.
After an internship at Historic Edenton, she received a B.S. in Public History from Appalachian State University in 1992. Answering God’s call to teach in a classroom setting, she added teacher certification from East Carolina University to her degree in 1998. Becky then taught social studies in Gates County, North Carolina where her classes included U.S. History, World History, Economics, Government, and Humanities. In 2003 she married her husband John and left the classroom to start a family.
Becky has been teaching online for more than 10 years. She also homeschools her three children and is an active leader in the Children’s and Youth’s ministry at her church. She also enjoys gardening, cooking, scrapbooking and long walks with her kids and the family dog. Sharing the heritage of our great country is one of her passions as well. Her lifelong dream is to return to the family farm and make a portion of the acreage a living history site.
The thoughts and opinions expressed are those of the author and should not be taken to represent the views of Excelsior Classes, LLC or the consortium of teachers.
