What do you know of the heritage of your faith? The great saints of the past?

What’s your view of history and its importance to your life? To our world?

I love history, always have, always will. I have studied history and taught history. I read traditional history books and historical fiction. I listen to The Rest is History podcast, and I love history documentaries. I believe that understanding our past helps us to make sense of our present. Sadly, I know that many people find history boring and irrelevant.

Australian Professor of History, Sarah Irving-Stonebraker, knows this problem well. Her book Priests of History invites Christians to engage with history and understand the importance of tending and keeping our past, especially our Christian heritage. Sarah argues that the Western world has entered what she calls the ‘Ahistoric Age.’ She defines this as meaning that we have largely ceased to think of ourselves as historical beings and have almost completely lost the ability to meaningfully engage with the past.

In the past decade or so, we have come to know less than ever about history, and both individually and collectively we are losing the ability to grapple with history’s ethical complexities without descending into culture wars. Underpinned by the idea that life is at heart a matter of self-invention and fulfilment, the Ahistoric Age holds that the past has nothing to teach us.

I am concerned that, in the attempt to appear ‘relevant,’ the church has largely acculturated itself to the Ahistoric worldview by jettisoning the historic ideas and practices of Christian formation. This is creating unintended and concerning consequences, leaving us unmoored from our history and struggling to live distinctive Christian lives. (p. xxii)

While this might sound like a niche book to read, it does contain much for modern Christians to consider. Her testimony of her conversion from unthinking atheism while a research fellow at Oxford University is certainly interesting, and the many examples of recovered, overlooked stories are worth reading and knowing. Her theme of the importance of tending and keeping (the role of priests) the past is important and thought-provoking.

Sarah believes that our Christian heritage offers much to help us. And for me, this was the most impactful part of her work. As a member of the generation that believed in modernising everything so that we could connect with the modern world, this book has really made me think. I am thinking about our church services in a new way. What was there that connected us with our Christian heritage? Did we say a creed? Were the prayer book prayers used, or was it all our thoughts from today? What did we sing? Are we too modern for our own good?

To quote John Dickson’s foreword, in this book, Christians will “learn humility, empathy, wisdom, and the joy of seeing God at work through all times and places. To be a ‘priest of history’ is to drink deeply from the great well of human experience, and the human experience of God, and then to share the refreshing waters with our thirsty Ahistoric Age.”

So, do I recommend this book? Yes!

While the title may seem strange, the book is a worthwhile read. Sarah argues her case with clarity and great conviction. It is only just over 200 pages and has many fascinating stories, including her own, to tell. Our God is great, and the gospel is true, good, and beautiful. This book will help you become even more convinced of these things.

Megan Engel