Understanding History and Culture through Christian Education

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

Helping students see the “how” and “why” of history

At Eastern Christian, our Reformed biblical perspective informs us that every subject has equal importance in the eyes of God. We pursue knowledge in every subject area because every subject always points back to Him and equips us to better seek and accomplish His will. Every subject has importance in the redemption of God’s creation, as well as our personal lives.

But our students don’t leave a Social Studies course with a simple list of events caused by self-interested humans. We train our students to look beyond the superficial sequence of history to seek the how and why of events. We equip our students to analyze motivations and outcomes, and importantly we give students a biblical framework for understanding the world they live in today. Ms. Yebon Kim, sixth grade Social Studies and Bible teacher, elaborates, “History gives us a compass for understanding the present and discerning how we should move forward, while the study of other cultures helps us understand the biblical context as well as the experiences and perspectives of others. This equips students to engage the world with wisdom, thoughtfulness, and a greater readiness to share the Gospel.”

Preparing students to engage the world with wisdom and faith

We aim for our students to become transforming agents for Christ in this world, and the core guiding principle in our social studies classrooms, therefore, is that our loving, creator God uses every event in our lives and in the history of the world to bring about His purposes. God uses events to accomplish His purposes, ultimately for the redemption of his Creation and His glory.

High school social studies teacher Mr. James Uitermarkt explains, “We believe that ultimately all of history is about God’s “big story” of Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Restoration. All of us are God’s children, who are being called by Him to be active participants in His Kingdom work. It is Christ who is the central figure in all of human history, as our Redeemer who brings healing and transformation to all facets of our world.”

As people called to His purpose, we have the privilege of accomplishing works that He has prepared in advance for us to do. It is our prayer that students who leave EC understand the importance of fulfilling God’s will for their lives and who seek to contribute cooperatively and responsibly to God’s mission of renewing all of creation.

Curious how a Biblical worldview informs our other classrooms? Check our blog for other articles such as our view on financial literacy and literature.