ThinkFwd: EP010 Diana Butler Bass - A People's History of Chr...

History is to a country (or spiritual community or denomination) what memory is to an individual. And loss of memory is a tragedy and ultimately, fatal. Diana Butler Bass, in her new book, A People's History of Christianity, seeks to capture the history, the memory of Christianity. She talks with host Spencer Burke about the history of Christianity-using a different framework than most contemporary historians. Their framework, which may be true but perhaps with some gaps that need to be filled in, tells the history via the "big Cs"-Christ, Constantine, Christendom, Crusades, Calvin, and Christian America.

Butler Bass believes we've lost some of our memory about Christianity's history-importantly, some of the positive history. So she tells the story of Christianity from the framework of the great commandment-love God and love your neighbor. Her history includes some of the well-known and influential characters you'd expect, but also some who are completely off the radar, like Sam Green, a pastor in Maryland in the 1850's whose quest for freedom is inspired by his understanding of the freedom of the gospels.

Butler Bass says history is telling the story of the past and including both the good and the bad. Nostalgia is remembering only the good parts and jettisoning the bad. But the flip side can occur too-letting the negative history overpower the positives, and Butler Bass believes the history of Christianity has focused too much on the bad and lost the memory and the power of the good. This what she hopes to bring with her book.

Without memory-without history-we stop knowing who we are. We disconnect from ourselves and our future. History is about time: what happened, what is happening and what will happen in the future. These are beautifully woven together in a mystery that we as humans long to participate in. We live in a time in history that is not boring, says Diana, and she is hopeful for the future. We can fill in the goods parts of our history, and see the fullness of the good and the bad together. We can see the work that still needs to be done in our time and have a place of wisdom from which to do our work.History is to a country (or spiritual community or denomination) what memory is to an individual. And loss of memory is a tragedy and ultimately, fatal. Diana Butler Bass, in her new book, A People's History of Christianity, seeks to capture the history, the memory of Christianity. She talks with host Spencer Burke about the history of Christianity-using a different framework than most contemporary historians. Their framework, which may be true but perhaps with some gaps that need to be filled in, tells the history via the "big Cs"-Christ, Constantine, Christendom, Crusades, Calvin, and Christian America.

Butler Bass believes we've lost some of our memory about Christianity's history-importantly, some of the positive history. So she tells the story of Christianity from the framework of the great commandment-love God and love your neighbor. Her history includes some of the well-known and influential characters you'd expect, but also some who are completely off the radar, like Sam Green, a pastor in Maryland in the 1850's whose quest for freedom is inspired by his understanding of the freedom of the gospels.

Butler Bass says history is telling the story of the past and including both the good and the bad. Nostalgia is remembering only the good parts and jettisoning the bad. But the flip side can occur too-letting the negative history overpower the positives, and Butler Bass believes the history of Christianity has focused too much on the bad and lost the memory and the power of the good. This what she hopes to bring with her book.

Without memory-without history-we stop knowing who we are. We disconnect from ourselves and our future. History is about time: what happened, what is happening and what will happen in the future. These are beautifully woven together in a mystery that we as humans long to participate in. We live in a time in history that is not boring, says Diana, and she is hopeful for the .....