Navigating History

I just received an email that I wanted to pass on to you about an exciting history, geography and worldview teaching project, Navigating History.  Rather than try to explain the program myself, I will let you read what team leader, Isaac Botkin, has to say about it.  It sounds exciting!

Here is the email from Isaac Botkin....

Dear Friends:


In less than two weeks, Lord willing, I will be in the oldest nation in the world. For the past seven months, I have been preparing to take a small team of film professionals on an international adventure that will be the history and worldview lesson of a lifetime. Starting December 1, my three team-mates and I will be filming our journey and discoveries, and broadcasting them to you live.


It will be quite an expedition, but the project is more than a simple travel show. We're hoping to examine the history and culture of Egypt in a presuppositional way, and look at the consequences of the ideas that have shaped them. The four dominant ideologies of the globe – ancient paganism, Greek humanism, Christianity, and Islam – have all owned Egypt at different times. A hike down the Nile will reveal pyramids, Roman ruins, early Christian churches, and modern mosques, and the effects that their opposing theologies have had on the surrounding culture.


We're calling this the Navigating History project, and we're hoping that Egypt is just the first of many seasons to come. You can read more on www.navigatinghistory.com. We'll be posting images and video there at least once a day once we hit the ground in Egypt.


In order to maximize the teaching power of the series, we will be giving viewers the ability to interact with the team and ask questions, following the video episodes. This "hands on" approach to the subject matter will provide viewers with as much of the unfiltered perspective of global travel as possible from the comfort of their own homes.


We hope to demonstrate how young Christians can hone their worldviews, and emphasize a true understanding of history by focusing on the events and influences that have shaped nations, illustrating that ideas have consequences and that culture is not neutral. Along the way, we will be providing book recommendations and pointers for further study. (With a little creativity, this could make a great unit study.)


I'm looking forward to learning all that Egypt has to teach about statist bureaucracy, Islam, the history of the Church, and the power of the Gospel. I hope you will consider joining me there.


Sincerely yours,

Isaac Botkin