Why I Like Diana Butler Bass

I have become a fan of Diana Butler Bass—if one can have “fans” in the world of theology and church life.  My appreciation for her work began when I first read her book, Christianity for the Rest of Us: How the Neighborhood Church is Transforming the Faith, as part of a reading assignment Bishop Allan Bjornberg gave to the pastors and leaders of our synod almost two years ago.  (I have to confess that I haven’t completed the assignment, which included two other books—though I have purchased one of them!)

      I was so taken by Bass’ book that I decided to lead a study of it at Holy Shepherd.  So, together with about 20 others, I read Christianity for the Rest of Us again this past spring—and my respect for Diana’s work grew some more.  As we read and discussed together, I was both challenged and encouraged—challenged to be the best possible pastor for the best possible church we can be, and encouraged that the church can--contrary to popular assumptions about the mainline church--actually grow and flourish in the 21st century.  We had a stimulating and uplifting time together in that Sunday-morning study—and also were only able to scratch the surface.

     As serendipity (or God) would have it, Bishop Bjornberg had invited Diana to be one of the keynote speakers at our Rocky Mountain Synod assembly in late May—shortly after our group completed our study.  Hearing and seeing her in person only increased my appreciation for what she is offering the church.  There I picked up another of her books, The Practicing Congregation: Imagining a New Old Church, and read it early in my sabbatical.

     Meanwhile, another opportunity presented itself.  I saw an ad in The Christian Century periodical for the annual Washington Island (Wisconsin) Forum, with Diana Butler Bass as the featured presenter.  I couldn’t pass it up!  In addition to hearing Diana once more, I would also be able to visit family and friends in my home state of Wisconsin, enjoy some down time on beautiful Washington Island with Brenda, and attend the wedding of the daughter of long-time friends—all in one trip.  No, I couldn’t pass it up.

     And, once again, Diana Butler Bass delivered! This time, she presented material from her forthcoming book (in 2009), which has the working title, A People’s History of Christianity. This time she took us on a quick tour of the major eras of Christian history, drew lessons from each for the church today, and imagined with us what the faithful and thriving church might look like in the 21st century.    I continue to find her stimulating, engaging, learned, and hope-giving!

     It’s been a long time—25+ years, when I heard theological giants Walter Brueggemann and Douglas John Hall lecture back in Iowa—since I’ve been so taken with the work of a particular theologian and scholar.  So I’ve been asking myself why.  And here’s a list of some of the reasons "Why I Like Diana Butler Bass":

• She clearly loves God and loves God’s church—warts and all!
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• She tells good stories.  She makes church history come alive and seem relevant!
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• She is a thorough and careful scholar.
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• She is not content to keep presenting the same material.  In everything I’ve heard her say and everything I’ve read, I’ve never failed to receive something fresh and new.  She’s not a “one-hit wonder” in the world of theology, who has one idea or one program that she’s beating to death and milking for all it’s worth.  Diana is a person of depth, with wide-ranging interests.
• She doesn’t expect the church to be what it’s not.  Specifically, she doesn’t think the mainline traditional denominations like ours, who are generally struggling to remain relevant in our current culture, need to mimic the non-denominational mega-churches in order to thrive.
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• She takes issue with any who want to insist that “our best days (as the church) are behind us”.  She is convicted and convincing when she declares, “The church’s best days are ahead of us!”
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  She proposes that thriving as the church is not a matter of buying into a particular program or formula but, rather, faithfully an intentionally practicing the ancient and time-tested disciplines of Christianity.  It’s not rocket science!  Congregations who want to follow God’s call need to practice the following: Hospitality, Discernment, Healing, Contemplation, Testimony, Diversity, Justice, (Relevant) Worship, Reflection, and Beauty (use of the arts).  In fact, she claims (and the extensive research she’s done supports this conclusion) that churches flourish when they intentionally practice three of these disciplines.
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• She agrees with me in my conviction that the mainline church has done a good job of training church members, but needs to do much better at training disciples of Jesus Christ.
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• In short, Diana Butler Bass gives me hope—hope that the mainline church can be a faithful, effective witness to God’s love and justice in 21st century America!

     Do you agree?  Do you agree that the church can live into the future with hope?

     If you want to learn a little more about Diana for yourself, visit her website.

     Well, thanks for taking the time to read these reflections.  Now, I’ve gotta go.  You see, I’ve got some reading to do--I bought another of Diana Butler Bass’ books at the Washington Island Forum, and I’m eager to discover what else she has to offer!