History Department

In II Corinthians 5 Paul states; "We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though Christ were making his appeal through us.  We implore you on Christ's behalf:  Be reconciled to God."  As Christians we are called to be ambassadors, the agents of reconciliation in this world.  No one can be an effective ambassador without having knowledge of what they represent as well as having knowledge of the people to whom they are bringing the message.  The study of history equips Christians to be effective ambassadors.  As Christians we are rooted in the truth, but a historical perspective allows us to understand the world we are trying to reform.  A knowledge of history will enable us to be in the world but not of it.  We can understand our fellow man and bring the message of truth to him.

In our history classes we emphasize that history has a beginning (Creation), middle (the life, death and resurrection of Christ) and an end (Christ's second coming).  Man is not just aimlessly wandering through time, but creation is headed for a goal. 

What has happened in the past can help to serve us as guideposts for the present and the future.  A Christian approach to history provides us with a corporate memory, and it also provides us with perspective.   We can analyze the society in which we live and compare society's perspective with our own as Christians.  At times, those perspectives will be similar or the same, and at other times, those perspectives will be radically different.  A Christian study of history should not just be a criticism of our society, but it should also encourage the positive role, which Christians have and can play as citizens of a secular state.  After all, Christ wants us to render to Caesar what is his. 

A study of history can challenge students to struggle with the difficulty of living their faith in a broken world.  It will call them to be thermostats--people who read what's going on in their environment and then try to control it.  We hope that our students will come to know culture so that they can transform it.

During the four years at Illiana Christian the student is required to earn 3 credits in social studies.  As part of that requirement a student takes the following: one semester (1/2 credit) of Early Civilization as a freshman, one year (1 credit) of Modern History/Early United States History - taken as a sophomore, one year (1 credit) or United States History - taken as a junior, and one semester (1/2 credit) of International Relations taken as a senior.