Why History Matters

Dear Friends,

My church history professor in seminary gave me such a huge appetite for history that I originally planned to graduate from seminary and start my PhD on an area of great interest in the 4^th century. It didn’t happen; however, I still have enormous enthusiasm for what the professionals call social history. This is history not as singular events, or famous people, or dates, rather it is the study of the everyday people and the records and stories they left at various “great moments” in history. Having plunged into this territory on occasion I have gained perspectives on these events that sweeping textbooks that need to tell the story of human beings from ancient civilizations to at least the 20th century rarely hints at.

Of late several of you have shared with me the fascinating history of Grace Church. While that first arrived as a recounting of significant dates and events, especially fires, more recently you have begun to share stories of the people involved in these events, the ministry groups that met, and their evolving names that are rooted very much in the mores of the time. What I am beginning to hear more of is the all-important stories of how people experienced these events, and what helped them stay the course, and sometimes what may have driven them elsewhere. History matters because in the end it is the story of a group of people as God’s own, and their lived experiences, hopes, expectations, challenges and joys. That human experience and perspective need to be respected, even if it isn’t exactly what you or I may have experienced or remembered.

That’s why I am wary of people who want to change signs or pictures about historical events or places because they are uncomfortable with an experiential reality that isn’t their own. Human history is complex and because it is human, from a Christian perspective it is as full of the bad as it is of the good. If we recognize that, then what we have not done well in our history can be changed. If it is forgotten, or neglected, our capacity to grow in forgiveness and grace is greatly diminished. Having walked the grounds of a concentration camp, the sign that read “Never forget” is a reminder that keeping a memory of what we have done wrong is not just a sign of judgment, it is also a sign of how by repentance and faith we can make the world more like the kingdom God rules. History does matter.

God’s peace and keeping,

Mary+