"Mr. de Jong, how would you consider your general knowledge?” This question came right out of the blue from my boss, Max Brokamp. Although only a couple of years older, and a good friend of mine, it is his custom to use the polite form (Mr.) at work, at least when others are around.

“Well, I dare to say better than average, but I’m not yet satisfied. There are lots of subjects I aspire to delve into further... but on the whole I think I can’t really complain. But why this question?”

Mr. Brokamp started telling me about the extra course he was thinking about providing for some students who wanted to switch from under-bachelor to a bachelor’s study, but who didn’t have all of the proper background education.

Soon he gave me the responsibility for the contents of this “brush-up” course. In determining what the course should consist of, I had a lot of freedom. This was much to my liking—I could earn some money and, at the same time, brush up on some of the things I’ve wanted to know more about.

I aligned the outline of the course with the chronology of world history, dealing with subjects like philosophy, politics and religion. It was a challenge, yes, but one I was only too eager to dive into.

I started explaining the current situation in our world.

Mr. Brokamp himself is a religious man—which is a rarity in the Netherlands—and he knew I was too. What he didn’t know, however, was that my beliefs differed significantly from his. Regardless, I showed him the outline and contents of my planned course, including the biblical aspects. With a smile he responded: “You are a lucky man, to have the chance to teach the better subjects.” I was aware that Max himself aspires to know and understand all things.

Creation and evolution

In the first session, I spoke to the teenagers about the beginning of mankind, and the big dispute on the global level about which paradigm we should cling to: creation by a creator (religion) or creation by evolution (atheism). As objectively as I could, I explained both, providing the usual arguments for both sides. I did not neglect to mention the prevailing notion that “it is the conviction of philosophy that in our world of science, there is no place for incomprehensible gods.”

Then I started explaining how the earth came about by divine creation, and what has been discovered that validates the historical book called the Bible—how archaeology and other ancient writings help prove its authenticity.

Ancient promises fulfilled today

With the aid of the narratives recorded in Genesis, I started explaining the current situation in our world. Then in walked Mr. Brokamp (sometimes he would enter the room because of sheer interest). Right at that moment, I was aiming to prove the authenticity of the promises given to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and how they have come about in our modern world. I explained how the tribes of Israel got lost, supporting my points with the aid of history books (for example, “In 722 B.C., the capital of Israel, Samaria, was taken captive by the Assyrians and the ten tribes were spread out”).

I asked the students the following questions: Why did the British Commonwealth get to be so mighty, and why has America become such a powerful nation? These are things most people don’t think of. They don’t realize they happened for a reason that is stated in Genesis.

Because of these fascinating stories, the class was locked on to me. Even Mr. Brokamp looked interested to hear this story from a whole different angle. He had never heard it this way before.

But how would Mr. Brokamp regard this all? When I walked by him in the corridor during the break, he gave me a quick smile and complimented me: “Good story.”

As I walked on, his words lingered in my head. “Good story.” Yes, it is a good story! But it’s more than that—it’s a true story and a very important part of history. It is His story—God’s story.

Maarten de Jong is a part-time teacher at a private college.