Is History “Bunk”? A Biblical Theology of History
Henry Ford famously commented, “History is bunk” [1]. What is more, he believed it irrelevant, useless, and paramount to “myth” [2]. High school and college students express similar sentiments. Their cries are all-too-familiar: “History is boring and pointless. Who cares?”
As Christians, we too may wonder, “Is history really that important?” In fact it is. When compared against Scripture, Ford’s comments border on blasphemy. Why? Scripture teaches that history is God’s handiwork, illuminating creation, redemption, the Church, and the great Christian tradition.
History and God’s Creation
First, history teaches us about God’s creation. Although God’s act of creation itself was a one-time event, His identity as Creator and Sustainer continues. In fact, God’s activity within these roles goes by another name: history. In brief, history is the study of God’s acts through His creation. Our God is not the clockmaker god of the Deists, who simply set time’s wheels in motion. No, He is active and present within it.
Perhaps the best place to begin is Psalm 8. In it David expresses wonder at God’s awe-inspiring activity in creation. He reflects upon the heavens, mankind, and animals. G.K. Chesterton demonstrates similar convictions in Orthodoxy, contending regrettably that we’ve grown tired of God’s creative repetition through history, such as the rising sun or blossoming flower. He memorably writes, “The repetition in Nature may not be a mere recurrence; it may be a theatrical encore” [3]. Yet to us: mere monotony. We’ve all-but-forgotten how to wonder at God’s activity through time.
We must guard against this. The psalmists inspire us to marvel at God’s creative work through history. David testifies: “The heavens declare the glory of God / and the sky above proclaims His handiwork / Day to day pours out speech / And night to night reveals knowledge” (Ps. 19:1-2). Note how David connects creation (“His handiwork”) to history (“day to day,” “night to night”).
Yet just as God’s role continues as Sustainer (cf. Ps. 33:6-22; 54:4; Col. 1:17), so does His role as Creator. The miracle of childbirth attests to this. Job, David, Isaiah, and Jeremiah remind us that God knit us in the womb (Job 10:8-12; Ps. 139:13-16; Isa. 49:1; Je. 1:5). He Himself clothed us in skin and flesh, bones and organs. As the potter crafts pottery or artist molds sculptures, so too has God formed us. Similarly, “You cause the grass to grow for the livestock / And plants for man to cultivate / That he may bring forth food from the earth” (Ps. 104:14). Note the psalmist’s use of the present tense: cause. Again, our God is not uninvolved and distant, but near and active.
The point: history is God’s grand story, including everything from setting the stars in place to fashioning human babies. As such, it warrants our attention and study, teaching us about the God we serve. By ignoring it, we ignore God’s handiwork.
History and God’s Redemption
Paul establishes continuity between God’s creation and redemption in at least two instances: the Mars Hill sermon and “new creation” motif (Acts 17:22-31; 2 Cor. 5:17; Gal. 6:15). Just as history then helps us make sense of God’s creation, it does the same with God’s redemption. Ever consider the fact that we’re saved in history?
History is the grand stage upon which redemption occurs (“redemptive history”). From Abraham to Moses to David to Jesus (and the respective covenants they represent), we see this theme of redemptive history. When we turn to the New Testament, we find that Jesus has literally entered time and space (Mt. 1:1-17; Lk. 3:23-38), born of a woman and fashioned in her womb (Gal. 4:4). Without doubt, this is history’s single-most important event.
Today students often learn history in classifications—ancient, medieval, or modern, for example. To be sure, these designations are helpful. Yet Scripture offers another, dividing history into two categories: history before and after Christ. This is indicated by phrases such as “former days” and “last days” (helping us better understand eschatology; Heb. 1:1-2; 10:32). Even secular history has dignified this division: bc (“before Christ”) and ad (“anno domini,” meaning “in the year of the Lord”).
By entering history, Jesus has accomplished our redemption upon a cross. In fact, God’s preachers (e.g., Stephen and Paul) even narrate history in their Gospel sermons (Acts 7:2-54; 13:16-41). Yet redemption itself occurs within the context of God’s family.
History and God’s Family
Third, history helps us understand our spiritual heritage. As members of God’s family, we’re part of something bigger than ourselves—God’s covenant community, stretching across countries and continents, centuries and millennia. We find identity and encouragement from God’s family within history. Time and again, God’s people find their identity by placing themselves in the historical timeline of God’s family. Scripture is chock-full of examples: Moses, Joshua, Samuel, Micah, Daniel, Nehemiah, Ezra, and Jesus are just a few [4]. Similarly, to encourage his readers, Hebrews’ author recalls past believers in faith’s hall of fame.
As members of this family, history is also proof of God’s faithfulness to us, even against our own unfaithfulness. It teaches about God’s punishments and redemption. It even reveals God’s omnipresent character. (In fact, God Himself holds history together, without which the world would crumble.)
For example, consider the theme of God’s faithfulness through history in Scripture’s appeal to remember. Asaph writes, “I will remember the deeds of the Lord / Yes, I will remember Your wonders of old” (Ps. 77:11; cf. 78:5-7, 42a). Again, “Remember the wondrous works that He has done / His miracles, and the judgments He uttered” (Ps. 105:5). Jesus too echoes this motif: “Do this in remembrance of Me” (Lk. 22:19).
The 1994 film The Lion King captures this message beautifully. Recall what Mufasa’s ghost says to Simba as he wrestles with whether to return to Pride Rock: “Remember who you are. You are my son, and the one true king. Remember.” Like Simba, we too must remember. The psalmists’ and Jesus’ appeal to remember is an appeal for history, where we find our identity and God’s faithfulness.
The point: We belong to a covenant community that stretches across geography and chronology. As exemplified in Scripture, we too should look to history as we construct our worldviews and develop our theology.
History and the Great Christian Tradition
Finally, history teaches about the great Christian tradition. After considering a biblical theology of history, we may next wonder: “Which history is important for us to know?” To the extent that history represents God’s presence and work, all history is important. But maintaining a working knowledge of all history in its tedious detail is hardly feasible. So the question we must ask is where to start.
The best place to start: the great Christian tradition. In brief, this refers to God’s work through biblical and extra-biblical history, which He has providentially preserved. Like an artist’s greatest hits album, which remembers his/her best songs, the great Christian tradition remembers Christendom’s best moments. Therefore, if we consider nothing else in history, we should at least consult the great Christian tradition.
Some will object to this by pointing to history’s difficult examples, such as the crusades or racism [5]. Yet even Scripture contains tough examples—just look to the Old Testament. So what’s the answer? To the extent that history contains difficult episodes like these, it is not strictly the great Christian tradition, but helps us in avoiding similar pitfalls. Perhaps Paul can illuminate this for us.
On the one hand, Paul praises his readers for and exhorts them to stand firm in the “traditions” that he’s handed down (1 Cor. 11:2; 2 Thess. 2:15; 3:6). This means we cannot simply dismiss history wholesale. It is God’s after all! Yet Paul also warns against receiving certain “traditions of men” (Col. 2:8). This means we cannot embrace it wholesale either. Practically then, how do we know what to embrace and dismiss? We weigh it against Scripture, like separating wheat from chaff. By definition, that which holds up against Scripture is the great Christian tradition.
By following Paul’s instruction, whether confronting a problem, studying for a sermon, or something else, we should examine the great Christian tradition. While we shouldn’t dismiss contemporary opinion, we should unquestionably look beyond it to our spiritual forbearers. Abraham, Jesus, Paul, Augustine, Aquinas, Luther, and C.S. Lewis are just a few drops in an ocean-full of innumerable examples. We should think of God’s family, not as separated by time and space, but as bound together as a family gathers around a table in fellowship. Certainly this is part of what it means to honor our fathers and mothers.
Conclusion
Despite his critical take on history, Henry Ford made history as Ford Motor Company’s founder—ironically enough. History is neither bunk, nor myth. To suggest this is blasphemy, since history is God’s handiwork. History teaches us about creation, soteriology, ecclesiology, and even eschatology. And in it we find redemption, encouragement, identity, and family.
Ever notice that the greatest stories also have the richest histories? This is certainly true of the Church’s! If only we’ll reclaim it, we will find that it is robust, profound, and a worthy guide.
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[1] New York Times, October 28, 1921.
[2] New York Times, May 15, 1916.
[3] G.K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy (Mineola: Dover Publications, Inc., 2004), 52.
[4] In explanation for the list: Before the Israelites enter the Promised Land, Moses summarizes their post-exodus history (Deut. 1-4). Joshua also reviews Israel’s history in his farewell address, beginning with Abraham (Jos. 23-24). Samuel too does the same after Saul is chosen king (1 Sam. 12:6-11). The prophet Micah appeals to it as a part of God’s indictment against an unfaithful Judah (Micah 6:4-5). The author of Kings does the same after Assyria defeats Israel’s capital, Samaria, in 722 bc to give explanation to the exile (2 Kings 17:7-18).
Similarly, before making requests to God, His children constantly appeal to His faithfulness through history (cf. Dan. 9:15). Even God Himself appeals to His faithfulness through history (cf. 2 Sam. 7:4-7). Then, after King Artaxerxes of Persia releases the Israelites from exile, they return to their homeland and confess their sins to the Lord. And in so doing, they review God’s faithfulness through history (Neh. 9:5-37). Even Jesus dignifies history when He explains salvation history as contained in the Scriptures to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Lk. 24:27).
[5] Others may also raise historiographical concerns. While these are important concerns to explore, they are beyond this article’s scope. Briefly though, while history is a humanistic enterprise (to some extent) practiced by fallible humans, it’s also a divine phenomenon sustained by God Himself. My point: while historical study presents questions and tensions with which we must wrestle, we can’t simply dismiss it, for it belongs to a sovereign God who has guided history according to His will.
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Further Reading:
G. K. Chesterton, the Everlasting Man (1925).
Justo L. González, The Story of Christianity: Volume I: The Early Church to the Dawn of the Reformation (1984); Volume II: The Reformation to the Present Day (1985).
Ronald Nash, The Meaning of History (1998).
Bruce L. Shelley, Church History in Plain Language (3rd Edition) (2008).
September 10, 2012
Matt,
Side note: What do you think of Paul Johnson’s “A History of Christianity” as an adequate summary of Church History?
September 10, 2012
Chris,
Thanks for the question. You know, I probably should have at least made mention of that in the “further reading.” In truth, I’ve not read that specific title. I’ve read his “A History of the American People” (1997) and his “The Renaissance: A Short History” (2002), and if these books are any indication of “A History of Christianity,” I suspect it’s quite good. In fact, I know numerous people who have read it, and they all more-or-less praise Johnson’s work. So, to answer your question, while I’ve not read the work, I suspect it’s an adequate summary of Church History. Thanks, again, Chris.
On a side but related note, his other histories are quite good too. Another secular historian worth mentioning is David McCullough.