Psalm 78 is a Jewish History curriculum for grades K-12. It is written by Asaph to parents who are reminded of God’s mandate that they tell the stories of the past to their children so that the next generation will learn and subsequently pass along the stories to their children.
The goal of the history lesson is two-fold: first, to ensure that each generation will understand God’s role in their history and put their hope in God (vs.6-7) and second, to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past. (vs. 8). The rest of the Psalm is account after account of ancestral sin and rebellion against God. The ancestors are not models of virtue, faith or courage. They are presented as ungrateful whiners and faithless idolaters. Despite God’s grace, forbearance and provision, the people keep turning away from God to lawlessness..
THAT is the honest truth. Instead of offering a litany of heroic battles and iconic personalities, Asaph reminds his parent/teachers that those who fail to known the past and learn from it are bound to repeat it. This is hard history for a better future.
Right now, there is a battle over the stories we tell our children. Some are demanding that we tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. And the truth is hard–the American apartheid, the forced removal of indigenous peoples from their lands and the slaughter of those who resisted, the generational enslavement of Africans, the lynching trees and the systemic discrimination and disenfranchisement of minorities. Christian author, Jim Wallis, has identified racism and white supremacy supported through Christian Scriptures and manifest destiny as “America’s Original Sin.”
But there has been backlash to all the truth-telling. Many others want to silence the hard history and erase the memory of those who challenged the status quo. They prefer the patriotic stories of the past–the stories of American exceptionalism and American superiority and American glory. Thanks to an Executive Order signed on January 29, 2025, entitled, “Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling,” the hard truths of American history are being whitewashed. The president calls the efforts to include the darker parts of our history “anti-American, subversive, harmful and false,” and demands instead that schools devote themselves to “patriotic education” that will “instill a patriotic admiration for our incredible Nation.” A “Patriotic education” is defined in the following way:
(i) an accurate, honest, unifying, inspiring, and ennobling characterization of America’s founding and foundational principles;
(ii) a clear examination of how the United States has admirably grown closer to its noble principles throughout its history;
(iii) the concept that commitment to America’s aspirations is beneficial and justified; and
(iv) the concept that celebration of America’s greatness and history is proper.
While all that has a ring of noble intent, the ultimate goal is to stifle critical analysis and silence honest assessment of our past.. Embedded in the Executive Order is the elimination of ‘‘Discriminatory equity ideology’” (code for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Critical Race Theory.) As a result, we are literally watching history disappear.
Last fall, my wife and I followed a portion of the Civil Rights trail, starting in Atlanta, Georgia, traveling to Montgomery, Alabama, with a day trip to Selma. The trip was filled with hard history. On the return trip to Atlanta, we spent several hours at the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site. It was a sacred place of endurance and resilience, of struggle and strength. Legalized segregation was used to keep them in the shadows, but it could not keep them from shining. The Tuskegee Airfield is now a National Park Service museum campus that tells their stories.
But despite their accomplishments and the honor that has been given to these persevering pilots and mechanics, the Department of Defense began removing all references to the Tuskegee Airmen from its web site on March 7. Also removed were pages dedicated to Jackie Robinson and the Navajo Code Talkers. It was all a part of complying with the Executive Order that required the removal of anything that seemed to promote Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). Thankfully, due to the outcry of thousands of veterans, the Pentagon has returned some–but not all–of the pages and images.
Our nation has a long history of progress toward the ideal of “justice for all” followed by periods of backlash and regression. We are in a time of regression. But those whose eyes are opened must not give up or give in. We must keep telling the truth about our past and tell the stories of those who overcame adversity so that our children and their children will learn of God’s ways and renounce the sins of their ancestors. The future depends on it.
Tongue on Fire 