Why a Biblical Perspective on History Matters

The historian’s task to make sense of the past involves more than merely examining events and relaying the details. It involves interpretation. In practice, especially in an upside-down world where facts are often considered fiction and fiction considered fact, “history” is manipulated and used to advance a social agenda. For example, those who view history from a Neo-Marxist perspective look for the oppressors and the oppressed. They don’t look for those who actually committed acts of oppression or who were victims of it. Rather, having already grouped humanity into pre-determined categories, they know going in who the good guys and bad guys are. In this view, anyone with power is an oppressor and, therefore, evil, and all without power are marginalized and oppressed victims and, therefore, innocent and virtuous.  

This version of America began in 1619 with the arrival of the first African slaves. Under this rubric, the story of America, like all of Western civilization, is a story racism and oppression of minorities. Even today, the story of the world is seen as little more than a set of evil and exploitive colonial powers dominating people of color. This ideology has been widely mainstreamed through education and also promoted by media, big tech, legal, and government voices. 

An equal but opposite ideology has emerged to combat this understanding of American and Western identity. Though not fully coherent as a narrative or as effective a crusade (it certainly hasn’t influenced the nation’s public school system), this response comes from the far Right and aims more at defeating the historical revisioning of the far Left than telling the truth. 

This version goes like this: Abraham Lincoln supposedly destroyed the federal system, states’ rights, and the Tenth Amendment, which centralized power in the national government; FDR vastly expanded Washington’s power over the economy; and by supporting Stalin against Hitler in World War II, the U.S. condemned Eastern Europe to Soviet domination and opened the door for Communism to infiltrate the West. This, in turn, made possible the leftist takeover of our schools, institutions, and government. Some would even argue that America was on the wrong side of this war and instead should have supported the fascists against the Communists. 

This ideology opposes what’s known as the “post-war consensus,” which sees America as the “essential nation,” a force for good that necessitates our intervention around the world and enriches the military-industrial complex. Believers of this version of history think that the U.S. should mind its own business and return to isolationism. For some, it also involves believing America should be a white ethnic state, a reaction to the Left’s emphasis on DEI and open borders. 

Among the many ironies that emerge when comparing these opposite and ideologically extreme views of history is that both see the powers-that-be as the enemy. Both identify some of the same people as villains, though for different reasons. For example, for the far Left, Churchill is a villain because of colonialism. For the far Right, he’s a villain because he made an alliance with Stalin. Both see the role that America has played on the world stage negatively. Both have an unbiblical and immoral focus on race. Both tend toward antisemitism, with extremes on both sides attempting to rehabilitate Hitler, soften the evils of the Holocaust, and support Hamas against Israel. Of course, the differences are stark and radical, but the common ground is striking. 

Any truth from either of these sides has been distorted beyond recognition and forged into ideology. Chuck Colson rightly observed that ideology is the enemy of truth and the Gospel. Forcing all facts into a pre-determined narrative denies how complicated history is, not to mention how complicated people are.  

The biblical account is not an ideology built on partial truth but an interpretive framework that, above all, gets the human condition. Humans are not mere victims of the flow of history but responsible actors. Made in the image of God, humans are not only central to the story but uniquely valuable. We are also deeply fallen, often operating from selfish, racist, or other sinful motives. We need not think of America or Americans as either flawless or inherently evil. Thus, we can recognize and acknowledge the good wherever we see it while also recognizing that even the best among us are flawed and sinful.  

Even more, we know that history is not aimless. It is moving toward a conclusion, superintended by the one whose Kingdom will come on Earth as it is in Heaven. However, this Kingdom will not be ushered in by ideological purists from the Left or Right but by the risen Christ, who is Lord of Heaven and Earth.

Photo Courtesy: ©David Greitzer

Published Date: November 14, 2024

John Stonestreet is President of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview, and radio host of BreakPoint, a daily national radio program providing thought-provoking commentaries on current events and life issues from a biblical worldview. John holds degrees from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (IL) and Bryan College (TN), and is the co-author of Making Sense of Your World: A Biblical Worldview.

The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily reflect those of CrosswalkHeadlines.

BreakPoint is a program of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview. BreakPoint commentaries offer incisive content people can't find anywhere else; content that cuts through the fog of relativism and the news cycle with truth and compassion. Founded by Chuck Colson (1931 – 2012) in 1991 as a daily radio broadcast, BreakPoint provides a Christian perspective on today's news and trends. Today, you can get it in written and a variety of audio formats: on the web, the radio, or your favorite podcast app on the go.