E146: Struggling With Church History? Study More, Not Less

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What do you do when a student, a friend, or your own adult child comes to you shaken by something they read about church history? Seminary and institute teacher Justin Bates, who is finishing a PhD in history with a dissertation on the Brooklyn Saints, joins Kevin Jones and Julie Hillyard to talk about teaching hard history in a way that builds faith and relationships instead of winning arguments. Justin explains why there's usually a "question behind the question," why a good legal case doesn't change a heart, and how the Savior's Bread of Life sermon in John 6 shows us to train fishermen instead of handing out fish. He also shares practical ideas for any 25-minute class: ask your class what they need before you prepare, let them vote on the direction, and give them the sources so they can practice finding answers themselves.

In the second half, Justin takes us inside a historian's toolkit. "The past is a foreign country," so we have to guard against presentism, remember that we only hold one piece of a thousand-piece puzzle, and see people like Peter and Moses as whole persons rather than their worst day. He walks through the historical method (source acquisition, source verification, and synthesis) and points to easy-to-reach resources in the Gospel Library, including Church History Topics and Answers to Church History Questions. His message is clear: don't be afraid of studying history, be afraid of not studying enough. And then take your conclusions to God, the source of all truth.

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