This weeks giveaway is sponsored by B&H Publishing. They are giving away 3 sets of the Holman Handbook Series. Each set will include the Old Testament Handbook, New Testament Handbook, and the forthcoming Church History Handbook.
Why is history important? Most people rarely pause to consider this. Perhaps without realizing it, some have been conditioned to esteem the study of history as legitimate for reasons they cannot identify. Maybe it’s for the sake of preserving the human legacy for posterity. Maybe it’s because of a sense of patriotism and heritage for a given country or culture. Or maybe it’s mainly for the sake of meeting societal standards of what it means to be an educated and well-rounded individual. Many, however, will cite the famous George Santayana quote: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
While there is some validity to these reasons, we as Christians should approach the study of the past with an even more reverent mindset. If God is the Creator and Sustainer of the world, then he is also Lord of history, the one who declares “the end from the beginning and from long ago what is not yet done” and who says, “My plan will take place, and I will do all my will” (Isa 46:10). In short, history is coherent and meaningful because of God.
The history of the church is both the history of God’s faithfulness and the history of our waywardness, much like the history of Israel that we find in the OT. Though beyond the book of Acts we do not possess a supernaturally inspired record of the church’s “warts and all” experiences and contributions, we nonetheless can learn from the records we have by measuring them according to Scripture. We will make mistakes like those who came before us, but the same God who preserved His people in the past will continue to preserve His people into the future.
Accordingly, the contents of the Church History Handbook are intended to serve as a means to the end that is the Great Commission, namely, the preservation and empowerment of God’s people for their God-given mission of proclaiming the truth of the gospel to the world. By equipping the church in the present to learn from her past, we set her up to remain faithful into the future. As we study church history, may God be glorified in the church throughout all generations.
“Now to him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us—to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (Eph 3:20–21).
To celebrate the release of the Church History Handbook, we would like to give away three sets of the Holman Handbook Series. Enter for your chance to win a 3-volume set of the Holman Handbook Series including the Old Testament, New Testament, and Church History Handbooks. The three winners will receive their copies once the Church History Handbook becomes available for shipping (after 4/15/25). Entries are limited to North America.
