Why Study History?: Reflecting on the Importance of the Past

After a mailing error the seller gave an immediate refund even though the error was not his own. The gesture was greatly appreciated to a college student such as myself. Additionally, I would highly recommend the seller for such actions as well as their taste in literature. The book provides a different perspective on historic methodology.

Why it is important to study history may be the most difficult question a history teacher faces every semester. To the teacher it is obvious, yet trying to prove why is not so easy, especially when you have to convince a roomful of students that history has a purpose beyond taking up their time. John Fea, history department chair at Messiah College in Grantham, Pennsylvania answers the question with this well thought out exploration of the reasons why history is so important and worthy of study by all people. John is no stranger to discussing this subject. He has operated his blog, The Way of Improvement Leads Home at philipvickersfithian.com for several years and has been talking about the importance of history every day for his audience. In fact, his blog seems to have helped him articulate about the subject so much that he was able to take what he had learned from it and put it in a book. The result is a very compact, extremely thoughtful, and amazingly deep look at why history is important to everyone. No one reading this should be surprised to understand we live in the middle of a large culture war where the events of the past are used in many ways, mostly incorrectly, in order for people or groups to present their opinions and beliefs to the public. John does not shy away from this fact. He uses it to its utmost effect in demonstrating just why the public should know their history. He gives several examples of people who try to pass themselves off as historians who then deliberately distort history in presenting their own beliefs. Fea doesn’t shy from naming the worst offenders either which makes the statements he delivers ring home. David Barton and Glenn Beck are presented exactly as they are, individuals who are mangling history to give legitimacy to their ideologies and beliefs. Fea is a devout Christian teaching at a Christian college. He does not shy away from making that announcement either. The fact that Fea is calling out other Christians for their lies establishes Fea as a man who believes the means have to justify the end. As a historian, Fea recognizes the importance of truth in any message, truth which is extremely important in any religion if anyone expects faith to be anything but shallow. He explores this in the book and explains why historical accuracy is critical for evangelical faiths. Fea isn’t calling on a liberal interpretation of history either. He constantly points out the importance of truth and accuracy for all historians as well as anyone who seeks to use history in explaining their beliefs and opinions. This book is written for students taking their first history courses, but it has a great deal of meaning for anyone and any historian. It is usable at all levels of academia as well which should be refreshing for graduate students who are in historiography courses grappling with the question of why history is important. Each chapter explores a facet of historical study and does so in a clear and rational manner. Chapter Six, History for a Civil Society, is a very moving chapter. John lays out the importance history has for everyone in American society. He follows that with Chapter Seven, The Power to Transform. These chapters form a one-two punch that literally crushes those that would distort the past to their own ends. In the process, John answers why history is so important. He uses examples of actual students who struggled with the questions history presented to them and how they let the facts speak for themselves. The truth revealed by the facts allowed the students to make decisions based upon the facts which in turn deepened their appreciation of the past and allowed them to see things through a different lens. Instead of manipulating the past to reach a desired outcome that fit in with their beliefs, these students learned that the people of the past did things for their reasons, expectations, and beliefs which are in many ways incompatible with ours today. The results made the students look at themselves as well. The realization that they were as flawed as the people of the past were was a maturing process. All in all, as an instructor who teaches the beginning American History survey courses, I found this book to be an outstanding resource. Fea’s sources are cited throughout the book. He cites historians and educators and their works which have had an impact on him. This is a valuable resource for instructors seeking to explain why the study of history is so important to their students. Considering the fact that we live in a culture war where history is used to mislead people for many reasons, accurate historical knowledge helps arm people against those that would mislead the public for their own gain. I would be quite happy to make this required reading in my courses.

I had to read this book for a class in a doctoral program. While there are many helpful recommendations in this book, and some inspiring accounts of how the development of the skills of a historian and attainment of historical knowledge can help everyone, there are a number of anecdotes and sloppy use of terms (such as “progressive,” and “conservative”) that not only obscure the message of the author, but which betray a commitment to a particular ideological point of view. Fea does demonstrate his excellent skills as a historian so long as he is talking about the distant past generally, but once he addresses more recent events (as in the last 20 years or so), his biases become more evident. Worse yet, the very people he spends most of his time criticizing (mostly political and theological conservatives), he fails to understand, despite his constant calls for historians to learn to understand others better to improve the quality of discourse in the modern day. He fundamentally misunderstands modern conservative political movements, and this impairs his overall argument. It is hard for me to believe an author who claims that by learning to understand the people of the past better, we will be able to understand one another better, when he clearly doesn’t understand his own critics, economics, epistemological considerations, and the conservative worldview. At the very least, he would have benefitted from reading Thomas Sowell’s A Conflict of Visions or Jonathan Haidt’s The Righteous Mind before writing this book. That said, there is still much good to be found in this book in encouraging Christians to study history and to see the need for recognizing nuance, complexity, and the realities of human nature.

I am an amateur historian who was never able to answer my father's questions about the use of history.I wish I had read this book before I tried to answer my father's questions. Clear reasons, with examples why every thinking person should have a grounding in their culture and religion. The two go hand in hand.

As both a Christian and a history teacher, I have yet to find a more helpful book than Fea's "Why Study History?" His prose is both eloquent and easy to read, his points are clear, and his message is convincing: We should all be studying history. In many facets, Fea has proved helpful for my own classroom, but this book has probably shaped that passion I try to bring to my classroom more than any other book. I am always happy when a new history teacher enters the profession and I get to buy them this book.

This book was a great overview of why studying history is important. I really enjoyed reading it.

John Fea has put together a sound rationale for Christian history teachers to adopt the current understanding of what the writing of history entails. While a good number of Christian teachers--especially in Christian schools--are heavy into TRUTH, mostly, they are ab out justifying their truth. Fea urges us to understand our biases, to use the methods of historians, and not be afraid of the truths that might emerge. He sets this up as fitting well within Christian values. I'm convinced and I bought copies to give to Christians I know who teach history. I only wish I had had this wisdom when I was a new teacher.

I really loved this book. Any serious student of history should read this. This book is a book that teaches about the different schools of present history. Well written a filled with lots of great stories.

This is an attempt at doing "history in motion." Historical thought is promoted as a discipline to enrich one's life today, by appreciating how yesterday became today. Historical thought is presented as a mover to engender a personal reflection on the past, and to challenge towards inspiration today. This was illustrated in a very moving way when the author recounted how one of his students, who also studied art, was inspired to re-create a philosophical slogan in art form to provide a provocative appreciation for contemporary thought. You should read the book to discover how! Altogether, this is a refreshing contribution to the important and indispensable study of history. Very well written and clearly presented, with cogency and coherency.

A bit 'American' in it's examples, but highly readable, and a great resource of ideas as to why history is important in life.