I miss Christian History and Biography. I know that the magazine still exists online, but I miss reading cover-to-cover the stories of ancient Christians.
Chris Armstrong’s book Patron Saints for Postmoderns: Ten from the Past Who Speak to Our Future
Chris puts his finger on one of the weak points of evangelicalism that drives the younger generation’s desire to be linked to history. He writes:
“There was no sense at all of the whole mystical, historical massiveness of the church. No sense that Christ had created and then defended and nurtured this church over two thousand years. No sense that our foundation actually stretched down and back through time to rest on such giants in the faith as John Wesley, Martin Luther, Bernard of Clairvaux and Ignatius of Antioch…We needed to know whose shoulders we were standing on.” (9)
Because “there is no essence of Christianity that is not clothed in history” (11), Chris believes that the stories of Christians in the past have something to offer those of us sojourning in a postmodern world. The book features biographical portraits of ten Christians – from Antony of Egypt to Dorothy Sayers.
From Antony, we learn the power of pursuing holiness in the context of community. Though monasticism can lead to unhealthy tendencies, “a ‘separated life’ may turn out to be a most powerful evangelistic technique” (32).
From Gregory the Great, the first practicing monk to be elected to the papacy, we learn that a secular task can be transformed into sacred duty.
From Dante, we learn that disordered loves lead to disordered lives.
From Margery Kempe, we learn the importance of spiritual touch – through intuitive emotion and practical imitation.
From Comenius, we understand the importance of curiosity in education.
From John Newton, we see how faithful gospel proclamation breaks down social barriers.
From Charles Simeon, we learn how preaching should humble the sinner and exalt the Savior.
From Amanda Berry Smith, we are encouraged to believe that by the grace of God people do indeed change.
From Charles Sheldon, we are challenged to know our neighbors and serve them in the name of Christ.
From Dorothy Sayers, we learn how to become story-tellers of the gospel, keeping the drama of the redemption story at the forefront of our imaginations.
My only quibble with this book is that Chris teaches us to learn from the positive aspects of these saints, but rarely shows how we can learn from their failures. Though he admits that they were wrong here and there (sometimes arriving at extremes – whether monastic, Pentecostal, mystical or liberal), he does not tell us how we can learn from their strengths and still avoid their weaknesses.
Overall, if you like Christian History and Biography, you will enjoy Patron Saints for Postmoderns. Chris dips into the major streams of Christianity, offering contemporary insights and lessons from these remarkable individuals.
