Homeschool History Curriculum from a Biblical Worldview

By James Leonard

As a Christian and parent, finding the right homeschool history curriculum for your children is absolutely crucial— especially since they are growing up in a society that values progression and revisionism over tradition and truth.

If we want to raise up a generation of strong Christian leaders and world changers, then our children must be taught history from a Biblical worldview.

The importance of teaching history from a biblical worldview 

Simply put, worldview is the lens through which people view the world. For Christians, our worldview is centered around the Bible as God’s true and inspired word.

When we study history through a biblical worldview, we start with God’s creation of the world. This is where history begins. Makes sense, right? We certainly think so!

Then, throughout the Bible, we’re presented with the story of the Gospel—Man’s fall, God’s redemption of man through his Son Jesus, and His coming return when He establishes new heavens and earth. 

We read countless stories of people who disobeyed God, experienced the consequences, and were reconciled back to Him. These stories continuously point us back to this truth: man is a special creation of God, accountable to his Creator and His Law.

As parents, you have many important things to teach your children. By teaching history, or any other subject, through the lens of Christianity, you instill in your kids that God’s way is always the best way.

In summary, Teach Diligently explains that there are six main reasons why history must be taught from a Christian Worldview:

1. History is linear. It has a beginning and an end that begins with creation and ends with Christ’s return.
   
   
2. History is directed and orchestrated by God. More than just a collection of names and dates, history is a story and therefore must be interpreted so we can see God’s purposes woven throughout.
   
   
3. History requires moral judgments, and proper judgments require a biblical perspective. History is made alive when we debate the decisions of generals or the actions of tyrannical kings and then learn from it.
   
   
4. Ancient history requires interaction with Israel. It’s impossible to study ancient history without studying Old Testament Israel, and there are massive worldview implications for whether one views ancient Israel as the chosen people of God or just another nation in the ancient world.
   
   
5. The history of Western civilization requires interaction with the church. The New Testament has been so influential in Europe and America that to ignore its teachings makes one ignorant of Western history. (Unfortunately, many high schools today do not cover Western civilization, probably because it would require significant attention to church history.)
   
   
6. Jesus is Lord of history. Our seven day week is patterned off God’s creation in Genesis 1, and our system of dates is based on the coming of Christ as the central event of history. 

If we are to bring up our children in the “nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4), we want them to be taught history from God’s perspective.

The ACE history curriculum - Our approach 

Basic Christian Education Academy (that’s us!) is an accredited homeschool institution that utilizes the Accelerated Christian Education (ACE) curriculum for all of our subjects. 

Before we dive into the specifics of our homeschool history curriculum, here are the defining features present in all ACE curriculum that help set your student(s) up for success:

• Integration of Biblical Principles (I.E. Scripture memory & wisdom principles)
• Godly Character Training 
• Mastery-Based and Individualized Learning
• Development of Critical Thinking Skills
• Socialization (Social skills presented through character trait cartoons in grade school and graphic stories in high school)

Unlike public schools or other secular homeschool curricula, we always teach World History through the lens of the Bible, paying special attention to God’s people Israel and the early church. 

With the discovery of the New World and its exploration, the influence of Christianity is presented as an integral part of history. Our curriculum also emphasizes the birth and growth of the United States of America as influenced by Godly men who understood man’s relationship with God and His Law. 

The ACE history curriculum is developed in an ever increasing spiral of complexity where each year (from first grade through highschool) builds upon the previous, alternating between world history and U.S. History.

In the primary grades, your student will:

• Review the Creation story and learn about Adam, Eve, Cain, Abel, and Noah
• Expand their understanding of our country—freedom, the Capital, our President, citizenship, flags and pledges, famous buildings, and rules and laws
• Study the Ten Commandments
• Learn about early America—colonial life, the native Americans of New England, Waodoni Indians of South America, John Bunyan, Señor Coronado, and the Pilgrims
• Discover Christian leaders and missionaries in America’s history
• Study heroes from the Bible—Abraham, Isaac, Isaiah, Joseph, John the Baptist, the prodigal son, and Daniel
• Learn about systems of government, great leaders, wars, and current events affecting our world
• Study early American history to present history

In middle school, your student will:

• Gain insight into the New World after the Flood
• Explore the beginning and colonization of America
• Learn about  the U.S. Presidents from Grover Cleveland to George W. Bush

In high school, your student will: 

• Study the beginning (Postdiluvian) earth and earth’s resources
• Compare and contrast political regions
• Learn about ancient civilizations, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, Colonialism, the Age of Revolution, and the history of Europe between 1850-1990s.
• Learn about the fall of Communism—the spiritual awakenings and the missionary outreach
• Study the growth of industrialism—its background, products, benefits, and the expansion of liberalism (1890-1914)
• Review the Biblical, Greek, Roman, and Anglo-Saxon governments; types of church governments; origins, structures, functions, and limitations of state and local governments
• Study the reasons and results of the Reformation and the influence of the philosophies of the Enlightenment on today’s culture
• Summarize the historical, social, and economic conditions that led to the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, the Constitution’s ratification, and the colonial and modern meaning of “separation of church and state.”

Why choose the ACE history curriculum from BCE? 

When people hear the word “history”, they often view it as the boring and irrelevant subject in school. We want to change that. 

That’s why our ACE history curriculum teaches history in a way that keeps students engaged and promotes critical thinking. At BCE, our ultimate goal is to provide your children with a well-rounded, Christian perspective of history, grounded in truth and tradition. 

Think our history curriculum is right for your family?

Click here to request a copy of our curriculum catalog, and consider scheduling a Discovery Call today at 937.548.1155!