It’s a pretty amazing thing, this great huge globe on which we live.
Many of us are familiar with the Bible verses regarding the wonders of the earth, but are you aware of the intentional purpose of the continents?
Yes, you read that correctly. After all, God is sovereign over all of His creation. And nothing about His creation is done without intention and purpose.
Why Teach Homeschool Geography
I’m excited to share with you about these truths, and I think you’ll love taking geography beyond labeling maps and memorizing capitals as you begin sharing God’s purposes regarding the continents in your homeschool geography lessons.
In the Beginning…
Asia is known as the Continent of Origins. We find in Genesis that the first man and woman are there by design. As mankind reproduces and spreads, we read about the other ancient locations that God’s Story uses as a setting.
Especially, an ever so small piece of Asia is precious to God. Indeed, I’m referring to Israel. In His story, Jesus is always the Focal Point. And it’s the setting of this land where we learn about Christ’s birth, ministry, death, burial, and resurrection.
It’s where the Gospel is given. And from it, the Gospel spreads westward over to Europe. For certain, it’s the direction that the Apostle Paul took the Gospel. Because we read in Acts about his missionary journeys to both Greece and Rome.
While studying about Asia’s geography, we can make note that:
- It has the highest mountains
- It’s the continent that’s closest to all of the other continents
- Archaeology finds show that the history of the Bible is true
In summary, “Western Asia is not only the geographical center of the human race, but it is, moreover, the spiritual center; it is the cradle of man’s moral nature.” Teaching and Learning America’s Christian History ©1965 by Rosalie J. Slater, p.150
Development Over Time
Excitingly and faithfully, the Gospel keeps spreading westward. As mentioned above, God uses Paul to take the Gospel to Europe.
As many people are aware, there’s some beautiful architecture in Europe from the Ancient World. As temporary of a beauty it is in this world.
Of note, he didn’t get caught up in vain philosophies and stories that the Greeks were captivating each other with. Mathew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible shares about how Paul was on a mission to reach these people with the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
And another stirring thing to note is this. Under Ancient Rome’s pagan rule, people’s hearts were preparing to receive the Gospel message. Consider:
“And if the wisdom of the divine pre-arrangements is illustrated by the period of the spread of the Greek language, it is illustrated no less by that of the completion and maturity of the Roman government. When all parts of the civilized world were bound together in one empire,-when channels of communication were everywhere opened- when new facilities of travelling were provided,- then was ‘the fulness of time’ (Gal. 4:4), then Messiah came.” Teaching and Learning America’s Christian History ©1965 by Rosalie J. Slater, p. 165.
Therefore, Europe is known a the Continent of Development.
Unique Purpose
But what then?
In all the centuries of man’s early history, it makes one ask what took so long for North America to be discovered. This isn’t to say that people weren’t living there already. For history tells us that there were people already in North America. However, is there a reason why God would want to keep North America from being settled?
If we consider the geography of the northern continents, we can see that they’re purposefully in place for the Gospel to continue spreading westward.
And the Protestant Reformation is the beginning of this continual movement. Because individuals, having the Bible in their own hands, allow for God’s wisdom to flourish in education. And it’s these hearts that we see separating from the Church of England.
To be sure, these hearts belong to the Pilgrims. As such, they flee to Holland and learn Bible Principles from Pastor Robinson for eleven years. Together, with their love of God’s Word and brotherly love, they travel to North America. For the purpose of clarity, God Providentially prepared these people to further spread the Gospel westward.
With this in mind, generations learn Bible Principles and Biblical Principles of Government in education. As a result, we have the Founding Era when America is built upon God’s Law and Grace. Therefore, America’s unique purpose is as the Most Complete Expression of the Christian Civilization.”
What About the Southern Continents?
Of course, people in the southern continents need the Gospel, too! But they also have a unique purpose.
When we consider them and consider it, we can see that Australia, Africa, and South America have a northern continent that they pair with, while Antarctica’s, buddy is the North Pole. And this is because Antarctica is along the South Pole. Together, these two help control the climate. With this in mind, there may be more to God’s plan for Antarctica. But for now, this is what we can reason.
Because of the lush plant life and variety of animal life in the southern continents, we see so much of God’s creative attributes and wisdom.
Indeed, we have an amazing God who has so much purpose for His creation. And one of the exciting ways to learn more about Him and His creation is to study Geography.
Geography Resources for Homeschool
Too many young Americans are unable to make effective decisions, understand geo-spatial issues, or even recognize their impacts as global citizens. National Geographic created Geography Awareness Week to raise awareness to this dangerous deficiency in American education and excite people about geography as both a discipline and as a part of everyday life.
If you are interested in teaching U.S. Geography to your students, grades 3-8, I have published a unit study for each state here on the blog. They are comprehensive and include studies of the history, flora and fauna, famous people, popular sites, interesting facts, arts, crafts, recipes, and more. Each unit study also includes a large book recommendation list. You can find each unit study linked from this page.
The most recommended resource for this series is the from NotebookingPages.com, and while I believe it will be very helpful if you will be studying all of the states, it is not required. If you do wish to purchase the pack, use the code benandmeUSA for a 25% discount.
Two of our favorite homeschool geography companies include Unit Studies by Amanda Bennett and Geography Matters
Unit Studies by Amanda Bennett has published several geography-themed unit studies, including the Expedition series (grades K-4) and Passport Geography (grades K-12). Your family can study Africa, China, Canada, Ireland, Israel, Australia, and Mexico with the Expedition series and Great Britain, Germany, Italy, and France with the Passport Geography Series. You’ll find all of the unit studies here.
Geography Matters has put together several amazing bundles for geography and more. You’ll find maps, curriculum, books and more. Take a look at what they have to offer here.
