Mission and Vision Statement

The World History Institute is dedicated to preserving the God-given inheritance of liberty by teaching the Biblical principles from which it grows, instilling in each generation a deep understanding of God’s providential plan throughout history in order to inspire faithful service for God’s glory and free, flourishing societies.

In 1976, Dr. Marshall Foster and his wife Trish founded the World History Institute (formerly the Mayflower Institute), a non-profit, distinctly Christian history-focused educational foundation committed to sharing Biblical principles of liberty. Dr. Foster was a joyful evangelist and captivating story-teller interests in finding the foundations of freedom; that is, in those truths that lead to liberty for individuals and nations. As such he studied the paths of Providence from the Pentateuch to the present, tracing the legacy of liberty flowing from Moses to the Magna Carta, from the Decalogue to the Declaration and beyond. He loved to tell of the men and women who were willing to lay their lives down “as stepping stones” to pass on not only the inheritance of liberty but also of the faith from which it flows. His stories of Alfred the Great, Columba of Scotland, the Signers of the Declaration, the Scottish Covenanters, William Wilberforce and Patrick of Ireland sought to instill these lessons of liberty in order to inspire God’s people to live in light of them.

Today, Dr. Foster’s legacy continues through those he taught and loved as the World History Institute maintains its commitment to instilling in a new generation and a deep understanding of the past in order to inspire a firm resolved for both faithfulness in the present and hope for the future. Our vision is to continue to be a major force in the movement to restore faith in the public square for God’s glory and humanity’s good.

The mission and vision of the World History Institute may be summarized in the ancient wisdom revealed to Jeremiah which speak to the importance of history centered around God’s Word and His ways: “Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your sounds” (Jeremiah 6:16). In this verse, the LORD directs his people to do the following in order to find rest for their souls: stand, look, ask and walk. These actions correspond to the mission of the World History Institute.

  • Stand by the roads and look

There are many roads; that is, many ways to live. In order to find “the good way,” God tells His people that they must first stop walking (going about your daily life) and stand so that they can take the time to look in order to consider the various roads before them (the various ways to live). This demonstrates the importance of the Institute’s historical research, preservation and encouragement of historical scholarship. As people either engage in historical research or are exposed to the information that the Institute has preserved, they can “stand and look” by comparing and contrasting the differing ways to live. As they consider various worldviews and their consequences throughout history, they can and see that God’s way is truly best.

  • As for the ancient paths

Christianity teaches that Truth must be revealed – either in General Revelation (e.g. Psalm 19; Romans 1) or in Special Revelation (e.g. Psalm 19; Psalm 119; Timothy 3:16-17). Therefore, true wisdom (“where the good way is”) can only come from God, and so we must not only look for it, but we must ask for it as well (Provergs2). Scripture also clearly tells us that one of the means God uses to instill this truth to succeeding generations is through teaching and education (Deuteronomy 6; Psalm 78; Ephesians 6:4). Thus, the World History Institute seeks to instill Truth in future generations through creating curriculum and publishing resources that will help those who are asking “for the ancient paths.”

  • Walk in it

It is not enough simply to know the Truth; God calls us to live out the Truth. This true wisdom knowledge rightly applies. Through various current and proposed initiatives, the World History Institute seeks to not only instill knowledge, it seeks to inspire people to live out this knowledge.

In light of these principles, the mission and vision of the World History Institute may be summarized with these three words: 

Inherit, Instill and Inspire.

  • Inherit We are dedicated to exceptional historical research, preservation, and scholarship. Research and preservation are at the core of our mission as we pass down the powerful ideas that have sustained liberty through the ages, beginning with the Hebrew Republic.
  • Instill We are committed to excellence in curriculum development and publishing. We believe that education from a Christian worldview is an essential component of building a free and flourishing society.
  • Inspire We are passionate to plan formative community-building experiences such as campfire meetings, library events and fellowships. We plan these in the hope of Washington’s words: “Freedom, when it begins to take root, is a plant of rapid growth.”