History and the Christian Worldview

 

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In history we find so many amazing and wonderful things, some things have even been lost to time only to be found again centuries later. As Historians, we delve into the many depths of civilizations and learn as well as discover their beginnings and development over time compared to how these civilizations are today. One view in history many may not think about when learning about ancient civilizations and their religions is the Christian worldview of history. 

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To start I'll try to answer the question many have, what is the Christian Worldview of history? It's not what one might automatically assume it to be, as a narrow-minded way of thinking or that they only try to make everything into a Christian view. The Christian worldview isn't cynical or even random, and can even help one understand history. It simply means that history is viewed in a linear perspective full of meaningful events, that there is one God, and that all of the events that happen in history have happened in accordance with God's plan for humanity. The linear view that Christian worldviews of history are different from that of the circular view of history. What I mean by that is the Christian worldview of history doesn't coincide with the classic saying, "History repeats itself". 

    Circular views in history believe that history does indeed repeat over time, a never-ending circle of similar or the same events happening at different points in time. While some historical events do seem similar, there is still a "line" in place, that some events have thankfully not repeated themselves. There is still a higher power at hand whether you are Christian or not, which makes it hard to dispute that things do happen for a reason. 

  picture courtesy of blog.history.ac.uk

     One of the greatest philosophers that have looked at and shown a good perspective of both sides of thinking is British philosopher, Hebert Butterfield. His book, "The Whig Interpretation of History" is one of his most recognizable and impactful works that is worth a read when trying to understand different perspectives of history. Butterfield believed that being able to separate mindsets and views on the present can help how you study, critique, and interpret the past without letting today's viewpoints influence you. Historians, Christian and Atheist alike, have to be mindful of other beliefs and perspectives and not let bias misinterpret facts from being true. This is what Butterfield discussed and believed to be of the utmost importance in historian studies, and I agree. If we go into a project, situation, or research in the wrong mindset we tend to already have our perspective already lined up for what we may think is true due to the modern world around us. In Butterfield's words and thoughts on Whig Historians, who leaned in favor of writing a history of progress and revolutions, they look into history incorrectly and make it out to be something it isn't. The Christian worldview of history has its beliefs in line but keeps an open mind to other beliefs and does not let its own hinder it's striving for finding absolute truths in its historical research. 

    I think Butterfield summed it up very well with one of his most famous quotes, "The academic mind can eat away the very basis of its own assurance ... produce contortions when it tries to bend over backward ... allow itself to be dismayed by the picture it has created of the relentless historical process". In other words, the mind, even the best of academic minds, can twist perspectives to what they want to see and believe. 

    

Important qualities for Historians

 People tend to automatically think of one thing when they think of historians and history: boring when they first hear about them. Some people may think of a dashing Harrison Ford, who would wear a leather jacket and hat and scare villains away with his whip.

There are times when historians must be brave, but not when faced with villains and their greatest fear, snakes! The researchers must be brave enough to endure the time-consuming, and almost never-ending, research necessary for their chosen historical period or field of study. If you think about endless research followed by endless writing up of your findings, you're likely to lose interest fast. A historian's historic journals or writings after their research don't always read like a novel, as their professors hound them into their minds countless times during their university careers that they should have a certain style of writing if they wish to become historians.

It seems to me that writing should be fun. Why shouldn't a historian write in such a way that it almost feels like they are reading an Indiana Jones novel, where the reader can feel the excitement of their discoveries? My opinion is that there are four qualities that a historian should possess.

The first would be to be able to research to the best of their ability. Research is a vital instrument that historians need to implement when discussing a topic of interest. Even though doing research can be time-consuming, the more information and facts a historian can gather the more valuable tools he or she has. A historian must be able to use those facts fairly, honestly, and justly. Historians rely on more than just a few things they find on the internet to elaborately describe how people or the past were. That's not to say that a historian cannot retell what they uncover in an artistic way to engage their readers.

In ancient times, historians essentially played the role of storytellers. They were efficient and thorough, yet they were also engaging storytellers. To keep their history alive, they recount events vital to their people about their ancestors, reciting the words they were told and passed down through generations.

Our goal as historians today is to uncover the past and tell its story to the best of our ability after extensive research, but we should be able to captivate our audience in the same way Stephen King does with his readers. History is already considered boring by most people, and reading academic journals doesn't always change that. More people may come to appreciate and learn more about history if historians can craft a more artistic and creative narrative, while still following the evidence found in their research.

Passion would be another quality a historian would need to possess. The ability to efficiently research and find quality evidence to back up your theories is essential to having a creative and engaging narrative for your audience, never mind being able to find quality evidence to back up your arguments. Passion for history also enhances your storytelling abilities and helps keep your audience engaged.

Having context in your arsenal of qualities is equally important for historians. Without context, you can't talk about anything, and you need to make your content engaging as well. It is important that you are able to correctly quote other works that have researched the same thing as what you are quoting to teach others about the topic at hand.

These four qualities make for a strong historian who is capable of relaying information they have gathered to be able to correctly, strongly, and passionately discuss their research topic.