A People’s History of Christianity

I was privileged to emcee a public conversation between Diana Butler Bass and Brian McLaren at the World Future Society conference last summer on the future of North American Christianity in conjunction with Foresight@Regent. Diana’s in-depth personal, historical, and anthropological knowledge of the Church in her many facets is quite striking  – and, I’m imagining,  what so many local congregations and denominational bodies she consults with find particularly helpful. So imagine my delight when my very own copy of her just-released A People’s History of Christianity arrived in my mailbox! I haven’t read much beyond the introduction yet, but I’ll be taking it on the plane with me to the CAC’s New Mexico conference tomorrow with Spencer, Jon, Shayna and TheOOZE team!

Here’s what others are saying about A People’s History

http://images.contentreserve.com/ImageType-100/0293-1/%7BF00518F7-1EC3-4F96-8FF1-E1060BA4EBCE%7DImg100.jpg“It would be difficult to imagine anyone reading this book without finding some new insight or inspiration, some new and unexpected testimony to the astonishing breadth of Christianity through the centuries.”
—Philip Jenkins, author of The Lost History of Christianity

“A perfect armchair companion for contemporary Christians. Charmingly written and refreshing to read, yet rich in details and thorough in its mapping of the major themes and events that have shaped the evolution of the Western Church, A People’s History of Christianity is our story re-told with both clear-eyed affection and a scholar’s acumen.”
—Phyllis Tickle, author of The Great Emergence

“In this beautifully written history, Diana Butler Bass reveals the living, beating heart of love at the core of Christian faith.”
—Sara Miles, author of Take This Bread

4 Responses to A People’s History of Christianity

  1. brotherjohnny March 18, 2009 at 6:43 pm #

    Looks like a very interesting read.
    I would like to know what both conservatives and liberals have to say about it….
    Or I guess I could actually read it myself…
    🙂

  2. zoecarnate March 18, 2009 at 6:46 pm #

    Well Philip Jenkins is a conservative…Phyllis and Sara, not so much. So you see some consensus right there! 🙂 But yeah, that link (above) takes you to the intro and some sample chapters…read away!

  3. Heather W March 18, 2009 at 10:55 pm #

    I’m so jealous that all this stuff is going down in Albuquerque and I can’t be there. When i lived there, nothing interesting went on. All the sudden it’s on the map. Not fair.

    Say hi to the mountains and the sky and the desert for me…. bring me back a teeshirt. (Ok, not really. Albuquerque really does sell quite a few teeshirts and after you live there for a while you really don’t want one anymore. Buy one for yourself and wear it on a ROM video, ok? 🙂

  4. Carl Ruge March 19, 2009 at 10:54 am #

    Thanks Mike,
    I love church history & have never heard of this author but on your recommendation I’ll put it on my list to buy,which is getting too long now. LOL

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