Is History Really Cyclical?
It is oft said that history repeats itself.
But does it?
Let’s go on a little thought experiment here as I was intrigued by a social media post of our classmate Jennifer.
We tend to frame history as a wash cycle: soak, rinse, repeat. In this view of history, it almost feels as if we are doomed to repeat ourselves in some fashion, no matter what we might do. In this week’s reading it seems that historian Tom Holland is portraying a different view of history. In his book, Dominion: The Making of the Western Mind, Holland has the hubris to take on an enormous project, focusing on the development of the Western mind out of its history. His historical take begins with the nation of Israel scattered into the Persian empire, into the iron grip of Roman history, through the Middle Ages and the depths of religious hermits. Finally, Holland ends the book with a short touch looking at MAGA and modern-day politics.
There are many different themes throughout his book that highlight a repetitive nature of history. For instance, he notes a few different historical characters who declared when “the end” would come. “In the event, the millennium of Christ’s death came and went, and he did not descend from the heavens. His kingdom was not established on earth. The fallen world continued much as before.”[1] Predictions for the end of the world came and went. Even Christopher Columbus is noted to have predicted the end times. “The news of Christ would be brought to the New World, and its treasure used to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem. Then the end of days would come. Columbus could even identify a date…the 1650’s.”[2]
Another theme that was cyclical was the Temple in Jerusalem. Obviously, as we will get into the reading in a few weeks, the physical Temple continues to be a cyclical issue that simply seems to be going through a wash cycle. Other themes noted were slavery, war, immigration issues, religious fighting, and more. It is helpful that Holland looks back through so much of our history because as Frank Furedi warns, “Put simply, to determine where we go, we need to know where we came from.”[3]
Through all the cycles of rinse and repeat, Holland followed a thread that was more linear than cyclical as he navigated the historical retelling. The line he lays, he called the development of the Western Mind. In the development of the Western Mind, there are certain things that continue to develop and not repeat. For instance, marriage relationships are noted to have gone through a point where mutual attraction and love become the driving point of marriages. This was a linear progression.
Here’s my working theory after reading Holland: the cyclical parts of history tend to be rooted in sin, woven into cultures and repeating themselves across time. But running through it all is a linear progression—the growing kingdom of God, foretold by the prophets and inaugurated by Jesus Christ. His story is moving us somewhere.
Let’s look at an example. Holland writes, “Darwin’s theory, more radically than anything that previously had emerged from Christian civilization, challenged that assumption. Weakness was nothing to be valued. Jesus, by commending the meek and the poor over those better suited to the great struggle for survival was existence, had set Homo Sapiens upon the downward path towards degeneration.”[4] Jesus’ life, death and resurrection set a trajectory that has moved his followers in a linear fashion towards the growing kingdom of God. Yet, Darwin’s theory demonstrated this to be weak. Contrary to Jesus’ teaching, development of thoughts that came from Darwinian theories have led entire nations into very autocratic and utilitarian rule. This sinful perspective has become cyclical.
Currently, it seems that our own nation is in our own cycle as well. MAGA – (Make America Great Again) literally has the cyclical nature in its name. In fact, MAGA is a redo from a couple of generations ago. Rather than looking forward in a linear fashion towards the growing kingdom of God, we as a nation are looking back to sinful pasts. Likewise, MAHA – (Make America Healthy Again) seems to be leading us to a Darwinian model of ‘survival of the fittest.’ Though there are aspects of MAHA that might be very valuable for our nation, many of the theories RFK posits are not based on data but rather on conspiracy theories.[5] His take on vaccinations, while not being clear, seems to highlight a survival of the fittest and strongest mentality. The sinful cycle continues.
What are your thoughts? Am I off base here? Is history moving in a linear fashion towards the kingdom of God with sinful cycles all along the way? A linear movement towards the kingdom is the only way I can have hope. If we are in a continual washing machine cycle and there is nothing, we can do about it then it simply feels hopeless.
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[1] Tom Holland, Dominion: The Making of the Western Mind, Paperback edition (ABACUS, 2020), 204.
[2] Holland, Dominion, 288.
[3] Frank Furedi, The War Against the Past: Why the West Must Fight For Its History (Polity, 2024), 212.
[4] Holland, Dominion, 425.
[5] “A Running List of RFK Jr.’s Controversies,” The Week, April 23, 2025, https://theweek.com/1025265/rfk-jr-controversies.
About the Author
Adam Cheney
I grew up in California, spent five years living along the beautiful coast of Kenya and now find myself working with refugees in the snow crusted tundra of Minnesota. My wife and I have seven children, four of whom have been adopted. I spend my time drinking lots of coffee, working in my garden, and baking sourdough bread.3 responses to “Is History Really Cyclical?”
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Hey buddy, I enjoyed your framing of history as both cyclical in sin and linear in God’s kingdom purposes!! If the cyclical elements of history are rooted in sin and the linear movement is God’s kingdom advancing, how do you see the church today discerning which parts of our current moment are “repeats” of sin’s cycles and which are genuine steps forward in God’s kingdom story?
What a thought-provoking classmate you have!
Your post was very visual for me. As I read it, I pictured a group of people in the ocean, treading water and waiting for a savior. Suddenly, a lifeline from heaven is thrown in. It’s a rope stretching straight and far across the ocean. Many Christians grab hold, and as God begins to pull everyone to safety, some slip away (faith growing weak) into the currents below. At the same time, others (new believers) swim hard and are able to reach the rope. But there are whirlpools (cycles of sin) all along the way. We can’t avoid them; we just have to hang on for the ride while God pulls us out of the mess. Literally, our survival depends on how tightly we hold on.
I believe that Christians always have hope because of the cross. We know from scripture that this (earth/human life) is not our home. We are here temporarily (hopefully chosen for such a time as this to add value), but from the day we are born, we are walking a short line to heaven. I think it’s how we spend our time that matters most because it’s one of the very few things that we can “sometimes” control.
I still believe history is cyclical, but your perspective gave me a richer view to think about how we help ourselves and others navigate uncharted waters ahead – and the courage to do so when we hold tight to Christ.
Great post Adam and I appreciate your working out. I think of the quote from MLK, “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.” I do think that underneath the cyclical nature of our world is moving toward the kingdom of God. I think we see this cycle even in the book of Revelation where the story of Scripture is summarized and completed drawing on images and stories from the beginning (i.e. the tree of life). This gives me hope, and is the Great Hope we have as believers. Jesus is coming back to make all things new and set all things right. Maranatha, Lord!