More than 20 Reasons to Study the 20th Century (and the Modern Era)

Posted byscriptoriumhalltutorPosted inUncategorized
  1. See that self-deception and apathy repeatedly lead to death.
  2. See that dictators everywhere function in the same way: imitate God – but lie.
  3. Be challenged by the courageous individuals who oppose godless regimes and suffer for doing it.
  4. See that no matter how much people say “human nature changes”, it really does not.
  5. See how and why family and morality – which were considered essential foundations for society – have collapsed over the past 100 years.
  6. See over and over again how Solomon was right: there is nothing new under the sun – ancient societies collapsed in similar ways.
  7. Consider how recent inventions that have made our lives more convenient have radically changed daily life – and not always for the better.
  8. See that the core of socialism/communism is not economic but theological.
  9. See how socialism/communism fails wherever it is tried.
  10. Realize that your life is not as hard as it would have been 100 years ago – and get incentive to stop complaining.
  11. Advance your knowledge the fun way – by interviewing your parents, grandparents, and folks in nursing homes who would enjoy talking to young people.
  12. See how and why education and the arts have recently declined.
  13. See the lies that are told to defend ungodly actions and be on guard against them.
  14. See how through all the bad events, God is still at work and real good is still being preserved.
  15. See how the Gospel spread around the world.
  16. Learn, as Dickens says in Little Dorrit, “how not to do it”.
  17. See how and why moral relativism took over Western civilization.
  18. Learn the truth about many lies told by modern historians.
  19. See how and why Europe, and increasingly the United States, lost Christianity and consider how similar processes might be prevented.
  20. See how essentially every aspect of life has rejected the common assumptions of 500 years ago.
  21. See how dramatically culture has changed in only the first quarter of the 21st century.
  22. See that knowing examples of failure does not prevent failure: you personally must depend fully on God every second.
  23. See how governments, in the name of perfecting society, increasingly insist on taking over God’s role of transforming the soul.
  24. See that “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church” – Christians have never been persecuted on so wide a scale, and yet the Church is growing.
  25. See that virtue becomes visible when it is tested – even small lights shine bright in great darkness.