A People's History of Christianity

January 12, 2009
In this panoramic view of two millennia of Christian history, Butler Bass (Christianity for the Rest of Us
) attempts to give contemporary progressive (the author prefers the term “generative”) Christians a sense of their family history, refracted through little known as well as famous men and women whose work within and outside the institutional church fueled sometimes “alternative” practices as they tried to follow Jesus the Prophet. “Without a sense of history, progressive Christianity remains unmoored,” argues Butler Bass, a former columnist for the New York Times
syndicate. Organized chronologically, each section of the book includes a chapter on religious observance and one on social justice, illuminating the author's conviction that authentic Christianity can be discovered in the practice of loving God and neighbor. Laced with stories from the author's own life and with contemporary examples of “generative Christianity,” Butler Bass's version of Christian history includes familiar figures like the fourth-century church father Gregory of Nyssa and lesser-known individuals like the 19th century American abolitionist Maria Stewart. Is this truly “the other side of the story,” as the subtitle proclaims? It's definitely a start.

Starred review from February 15, 2009
What an exciting book: a history, modeled somewhat after the methodology of Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the United States", that focuses "on the moments when Christian people really acted like Christians, when they took seriously the call of Jesus to love God and love their neighbors as themselves." Columnist and teacher Bass (senior fellow, Cathedral Coll. of the Washington National Cathedral; "Strength for the Journey"), who has a Ph.D. in church history, calls this book's narratives "usable history, stories told for the purpose of strengthening community by deepening its spiritual practices and renewing its vision of social justice." She divides Christian history into five major parts: "The Way (100500 C.E.)," "The Cathedral (5001450)," "The Word (14501650)," "The Quest (16501950)," and "The River (1945-Now)." For each period, she discusses the embodiment of the titular theme, devotion, and ethics. These divisions emphasize what people, known and relatively unknown, actually did in worship and in attempting to live the Gospel. This easily read book encourages Christian activism, inclusivity, and transformed hope that can be lived. Highly recommended for seminary, public, and undergraduate libraries.Carolyn M. Craft, emerita, Longwood Univ., Farmville, VA

Copyright 2009 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2009
Bass borrows Howard Zinns perennial concept of history from the perspective of ordinary people to tell the story of Christianity by focusing not on institutions but on tales told down through the ages by the constituents of what she calls generative Christianity, who sought to live the Christian life by doing right in the eyes of God, as well as on those who rebelled against the church when they felt it necessary; that is, when the church became too rich or too comfortable with the wielding of power. Still, besides ordinary folks, she includes well-known authors, pastors, and theologians (e.g., Origen, John Calvin, Henri Nouwen). Its a messy story, incorporating plenty of personal anecdotes en route from the early Christians (100500) through medieval (5001450) and Reformation (14501650) Christianity to modern (16501950) and contemporary Christianity (1945the present). Clearly, Bass intends this to be the alternative history of a complicated topic and an important contribution to the historiography of Christianity.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)