How We Got Here: The Story of Saints, Sinners, and Sacred Surprises

Thursday Journey Fall 2025

10:00am to 11:30am in the Activities Room

In the Beginning

From c. 100 to c. 500

Part 1

Diana Butler Bass describes the first 500 years of the church as teaching Christianity as a way of life modeled on the way of Jesus: love. “More than anything else, early Christianity is a love song.” So how did the early church live out this teaching?

If we look at contemporary Christianity, “love song” doesn’t seem to fit even the most positive of descriptions. The church of today is not seen as very loving at all. More like judgmental, hypocritical, out of touch, insensitive, boring, exclusive, the very antithesis of love seems to be a more accurate description. Still, love is what Jesus preached and embodied. And in the earliest years of its formation, love shaped lives in the early church which tried to imitate the love of Jesus and follow his way.

“For all the complexity of primitive Christianity, a startling idea runs through early records of faith: Christianity seems to have succeeded because it transformed the lives of people in a chaotic world. The promise of Christianity lay not in its promise of otherworldly compensation for suffering in this life. The crucial change that took place was the rapidly spreading awareness of a faith that delivered potent antidotes of life’s miseries here and now. Throughout the first five centuries people understood Christianity primarily as a way of life in the present, not as a doctrinal system, esoteric belief, or promise of eternal salvation like we do today. This new religion transformed people, giving even women, peasants and slaves a meaningful ability to reorder their lives.” This is what made this new religion so unique. Of all the religious choices people had, Christianly was the only one who offered this, and people were attracted to it.

Come hear what Diana Butler Bass has to say about these first years of the church followed by our usual discussion of her thoughts.

The “High Five” Interchange in North Dallas. Lots of choices.

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)