Thursday Journey: How We Got Here; The Story of Saints, Sinners, and Sacred Surprises
From the chaos and creeds of the early church to the pews and protests of today, the story of our faith is filled with daring saints, flawed sinners, and the astonishing ways the Spirit keeps showing up. We’ll trace the story of the church through the ages with Diana Butler Bass as our guide. Join us for twelve sessions of eye-opening stories, lively conversation, and a few sacred surprises of our own. As we put it all together, we’ll discover how our church got to where it is today.
Some things to know
Each session will consist of a 30 minute video followed by a discussion.
There is no homework unless you want to follow along in Diana Butler Bass’s book.
You are welcome to come to all the sessions or any single session.
All adults, from young to old, are welcome to participate.
Available on Zoom upon request.
The schedule
September 25 The Spiritual Practice of History Diana Butler Bass
October 2 In the Beginning Part 1 Diana Butler Bass
October 9 In the Beginning Part 2 Stewart and Kevin
October 16 Medieval Christianity Part 1 Diana Butler Bass
October 23 Medieval Christianity Part 2 Diana Butler Bass
October 30 The Reformation Diana Butler Bass
November 6 The Unfinished Reformation Diana Butler Bass
November 13 Quest and the Modern World Diana Butler Bass
November 20 The Modern Quest for the Kingdom Diana Butler Bass
November 27 THANKSGIVING No Class
December 4 The River of Contemporary Faith Diana Butler Bass
December 11 The Post-Modern Church Stewart
December 18 Questions and Comments Diana Butler Bass
Suggested book to enrich your participation
A People’s History of Christianity by Diana Butler Bass. HarperOne, 2009.
(Amazon: $8.99 paperback)
Our Guide
Diana Butler Bass was born in 1959, Baltimore, Maryland and grew up in Scottsdale, Arizona. Raised a United Methodist, she became an evangelical. She attended Westmont College, a Christian college in Santa Barbara, California, from which she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1981. Bass received a Master of Arts in Theological Studies degree in ecclesiastical history from Gordon–Conwell Theological Seminary in 1986. She earned a PhD in religious studies from Duke University in 1991 with an emphasis on American ecclesiastical history.
Diana’s passion is sharing great ideas to change lives and the world—a passion that ranges from informing the public about spiritual trends, challenging conventional narratives about religious practice, entering the fray of social media with spiritual wisdom and smart theology, and writing books to help readers see themselves, their place in history, and God differently. She does this with intelligence, joy, and a good dose of humor.
Diana is the author of eleven books, although her husband insists she’s actually written one really long book in eleven volumes, each one building on what came before. In her books, she has traced developments in Christianity in the United States and in her own life. She has written books for congregations and for those who have thought about leaving the church behind. In the process, she has helped many people understand what they are experiencing and discover new ways of exploring their spiritual lives. Her books in order of publication:
Standing Against the Whirlwind: Evangelical Episcopalians in Nineteenth Century America
Strength for the Journey: A Pilgrimage of Faith in Community
Broken We Kneel: Reflections on Faith and Citizenship
The Practicing Congregation: Imagining a New Old Church
From Nomads to Pilgrims: Stories from Practicing Congregations
Christianity for the Rest of Us: How the Neighborhood Church Is Transforming the Faith
A People’s History of Christianity: The Other Side of the Story
Christianity After Religion: The End of Church and the Birth of a New Spiritual Awakening
Grounded: Finding God in the World — A Spiritual Revolution Spirituality & Practice
Grateful: The Transformative Power of Giving
Freeing Jesus: Rediscovering Jesus as Friend, Teacher, Savior, Lord, Way, and Presence
A Beautiful Year: 52 Meditations on Faith, Wisdom, and Perseverance
The Cottage is Diana’s newsletter, published on the Substack platform. Free subscribers receive two posts each week, one on a matter of topical interest and another, Sunday Musings, usually focused on that week’s lectionary text. Paid subscribers ($50 annually) receive additional posts, participate in monthly Zoom conversations and interviews with leading thinkers, and enjoy occasional special series.
Our prayers for the course
My Lord God,
We have no idea where we are going.
We do not see the road ahead of us.
We cannot know for certain where it will end.
Nor do we really know ourselves,
And the fact that we think we are following your will
does not mean that we are actually doing so.
But we believe that the desire to please you
does in fact please you.
And we hope that we have that desire in all that we are doing.
We hope that we will never do anything apart from that desire.
And we know that if we do this you will lead us by the right road,
though we may know nothing about it.
Therefore will we trust you always though
We may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death.
We will not fear, for you are ever with us
and you will never leave us to face our perils alone.
— Prayer of Thomas Merton (adapted)
The original prayer is in the singular. It is adapted here in the plural as a prayer for the church.
O God, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go, but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us.
— The Holden Prayer from Evangelical Lutheran Worship
