Why We Think Church History is So Important

Historical Fiction / Why We Think Church History is So Important

Why We Think Church History is So Important

by Daniel Mills

As you may have noticed, if you have visited the New Releases section of our website, we have been republishing a lot of books on Church history lately. I want to take a little time in this newsletter to explain why we have been focusing in this area and why we think that Church history is so important.

In Psalm 78, parents are exhorted to tell their children about the wonderful works of God.
"... shewing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done..."

Certainly the Bible is the best way to do this; however God has continued to do many wonderful works through the centuries since the time of the early Church. One way to learn about these works is through the writings of Church historians like Eusebius in The Church History or D'Aubigné in his History of the Reformation, but these books can be a bit challenging for students. God-honoring historical fiction is another way to bridge the gap between then and now, bringing history to life in the context of an interesting story. Once they are more familiar with the time period, students will also be better able to benefit from more in-depth resources.

Another important reason is that Church history is history! Despite our secular society's attempts to remove God from history, an honest look will reveal that all of history has been influenced by religion. From the idolatry of Greece and Rome to Emperor Constantine declaring Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire, from the Muslim conquests to the power of the popes, we can see the struggles of light with darkness, and over all, God's providential plans for His people and His Church.

Lord willing, we will continue to republish a variety of books as we seek to be a blessing to homeschooling families, and more than likely, many of them will be on Church history.

(This article first appeared in our September 2009 Newsletter)