James Loewen is the author of a controversial book entitled Lies My Teacher Told Me. In it, he says many so-called historical facts students learn in school are sanitized. He says school history books gloss over the way Native Americans, African Americans, and Hispanics have been treated in our country. He believes if textbooks were more honest in portraying the past, we could solve more problems today as we face the future. History is intended to show us where we came from, to explain why things are as they are, so we can prepare for what lies ahead. Historians must not only get their facts straight, but interpret them correctly. If we ignore God’s actions in history, we’ll have a flawed explanation for things as they are. In doing so, we make faulty predictions of our future. The Bible tells us that our fractured society stems from a broken relationship with God. True reconciliation begins when we admit our failures both to God and to each other. Lip service won’t do it. That is why God said in (Jeremiah 29:13, NIV), “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
Dr. Melvin E. Banks, Sr.
Dr. Melvin E. Banks, Sr. is the founder and chairman of UMI (Urban Ministries, Inc.). Under his direction, UMI has grown to be a leading publisher of Christian education resources for churches in the African American community. Read More
