Studying history is not as simple as watching a documentary, a biopic, or reading a bestselling narrative history. We need to be aware of how historians actually do their craft, and use those same tools as we watch and read. Some use history to advance their political agendas, while others just echo ideas that are not substantiated by historical scholarship. Armchair historians can often get it very wrong.
How should Christians study history? Christians are a people of the Truth, so how do we know what is legitimate history? How do we reintegrate our faith with our understanding of the past?
Our guest is Dr. John Fea, Distinguished Professor of American History at Messiah University in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. He has recently released the second edition of his book, Why Study History?: Reflecting on the Importance of the Past (Baker Academic, 2024). In this book, he talks about what historians do, what bad history looks like, and how studying history can be a form of spiritual formation.
