In my writing and teaching my aim is to help you follow Christ more effectively in this complex and changing world.
I’m a Church historian by training. I am convinced that to be a confident and competent disciple you need to know more about our Christian past — the people, the movements, the ideas, that have shaped Christianity.
Church history is your own story, as a member of the living Body of Christ. I want to give you back the treasures that belong to you:
- Resources for your spiritual life
- Deeper understanding the biblical faith
- Amazing role models for Christian living
- Challenging examples Christian community
It is not true that history repeats itself, or that if you don’t know history you are doomed to repeat it.
On the other hand, if you don’t know history, life is a lot harder.
Take the case of family history:
- If you don’t know about your grandmother’s heroic struggles and achievements you can’t follow in her footsteps.
- If you don’t know about that crazy great-uncle a couple of generations ago, you’ll never understand the hidden pain that shaped your dad’s life.
- If you don’t know there is diabetes, or cancer, on both sides of your family you might not know what to watch out for in your own health.
Our history, recent and long past, shapes us, drives us, wounds us, and gives us great strength.
When Isaac Newton referred to seeing farther than others by standing on the shoulders of giants, even his words were based on a great predecessor — Bernard of Chartres from the 12th century. I think they were both speaking genuine wisdom.
Some of our ancestors had insights that have mattered to millions of people for thousands of years. They asked great questions that can challenge us. They came up with creative solutions to problems we still face. Don’t give in to the our culture’s historical amnesia.
The Christian past is certainly not all wisdom. People back then were just as prone to making mistakes as we are. But it is good to know about those mistakes. It helps us know what to repent from, and it might just prepare us to make better choices today
Christian faith, life in the Church, and ministry can all be more effective and more life-giving in conversation with the best voices of the past.
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In my day job I am Associate Professor of Church History at the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary. This blog is an entirely independent project, and views expressed are not necessarily those of my employer.
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Background photo: Cloisters (c) Henkbouwers | Dreamstime.com
Headshot: Todd Adamson, Adamson Studios, Iowa City