Washington National Cathedral

The Sunday Forum: Critical Issues in the Light of Faith

The Very Rev. Samuel T. Lloyd III, host

Cathedral Dean Samuel T. Lloyd III hosts Diana Butler Bass for a discussion about her new book, A People’s History of Christianity.

Bass uses the term “big-C Christianity” to describe the narrative usually told about the faith: “It goes from Christ to Constantine to the Crusades to Calvin and to a Christian America.” It’s not a pretty picture, she asserts. This arc is typified by wars, institutions, manifest destiny.

An alternative to this version of history begins with the Great Commission: “Go ye into the world and make disciples to the ends of the earth.” But did Jesus truly say those words? Not all scholars agree.

Bass decided to start with earlier words of Jesus, the Great Command: to love God and love our neighbors as ourselves.

A history of love? What might that be? Bass writes about some prominent figures of the historical church, but also “regular folks, who opened their homes and practiced this amazingly radical act of welcoming the stranger.” Most ancient Romans offered hospitality according to strict customs of class. Early Christians, however, literally welcomed anyone. For this, Christians were criticized and marginalized as social radicals, people who were willing to upset the class structure.

Although we might think of hospitality as being nice and offering tea and cookies, Bass points out that in the ancient world, “hospitality was a way of being community that violated the imperial structures of Rome.” Christians offered a different vision of being brothers and sisters.

Christianity did not initially spread because of what people believed but because of their deeds: hospitality, healing, caring for “the least of these.” Their practices attracted people.

Among the church figures that Bass mentions is Hildegard von Bingen, a mystic and abbess who stood up to church authorities. In describing Hildegard’s portrayal of hope, Bass explores the transformative power of words.

She reports a brilliant quip about the problems and strengths of the mainline church: “It’s better to try to turn around the Titanic than fifteen thousand guys in lifeboats.”

Diana Butler Bass is the author of seven books on American Protestantism, including Christianity for the Rest of Us, Strength for the Journey, and The Practicing Congregation. She has taught at the University of California at Santa Barbara, Rhodes College, and Virginia Theological Seminary, and is currently Senior Fellow at the Cathedral College of the Washington National Cathedral. From 1995 to 2000 she wrote a weekly column on American religion for the New York Times syndicate and is a popular speaker at retreats and workshops across the country.

About Diana Butler Bass

Diana Butler Bass is the author of seven books on American Protestantism, including Christianity for the Rest of Us, Strength for the Journey, and The Practicing Congregation. She has taught at the University of California at Santa Barbara, Rhodes College, and Virginia Theological Seminary, and is currently Senior Fellow at the Cathedral College of the Washington National Cathedral. From 1995 to 2000 she wrote a weekly column on American religion for the New York Times syndicate and is a popular speaker at retreats and workshops across the country.