Sean McDowell | April 17, 2023

The Worldview Behind Yearbook

A Biblical View of (Quite Literally) Everything

There is a biblical way to think about everything. That’s right­–everything.

And the reason is simple: Since God is the Creator of all, there is a biblical lens through which everything within creation can be viewed. Abraham Kuyper famously said that there is not a square inch of creation out of which God does not cry out “It’s mine!”

What about Yearbook?

Recently I was speaking to a group of educators about the importance of teaching within a biblical framework, which as I see it, is the distinct aspects of Christian education.

When I opened for Q&A, a teacher asked me a question I had never really considered before, “What about Yearbook?” she asked. “Is there really a biblical way to teach Yearbook?” I thought about it for a moment, and as best as I can remember, here is what I said:

We have to begin with the nature of yearbook. What is it? As far as I can tell, a yearbook is a collection of memories of people, events, and experiences that best capture a given year. Why do we have yearbooks? Because they offer us memories about our experience in the past that helps define who we are in the present. We look back to a yearbook because it informs who we are today.

This is also true in the Bible. Consider the nation of Israel. God consistently reminds them of His actions in the past and how they demonstrate His faithfulness in the present. For instance, before God gives the Ten Commandments to Israel, He reminds them that He is the God who brought them out of Egypt and freed them from slavery. Why did they continue to practice Passover? It was a reminder that the God of the past is still the God of the present. The Israelites were commanded to record Scripture, in part, so future generations could remember the character and actions of God in the past and trust Him in the present. And this same pattern continues into the New Testament.

Yes, there is a biblical view of everything. And that includes yearbook.

For a guide on how to pass on faith to the next generation, check out my book with J. Warner Wallace: So the Next Generation Will Know.

Sean McDowell, Ph.D. is a professor of Christian Apologetics at Biola University, a best-selling author, popular speaker, and part-time high school teacher. Follow him on Twitter: @sean_mcdowell, TikTok, Instagram, and his blog: seanmcdowell.org.