A People's History of Christianity
The Other Side of the Story

Butler Bass gives a kinder sort of history. She walks through the centuries looking for neglected heroes, and focuses on what has been good in people. Where many historians would expose the dark sides of founding fathers or crusading reformers, Butler-Bass highlights their acts of generosity. Concern......more

A People’s History of Christianity is not so much a “history” (either scholarly or general) as it is an argument for a return to the roots of Christianity that finds fault with both modern expressions of “liberal” and “conservative” religion. As Bass argues in her introduction, liberal theologians a......more

Diana Butler Bass has very openly used Howard Zinn's successful history of the other sides to her specialty, Church History. In A People's History of Christianity she attempts to draw attention to the threads of hospitality, openness, welcoming and love that purport to be at the center of Christiani......more

Perhaps because I was hoping for a history like Howard Zinn's or Eduardo Galeano's. I was very disappointed with this book. I was hoping to read stories of the underside of Christianity - or, better, to read Christianity from the side of the poor, of the underdog, of the marginalized. There are place......more

This book is an answer to the question "Why would I ever want to be a Christian when the Christian Religion is responsible for such horrific and tragic events throughout history?". Diana (a history prof) concedes the horrific events, but notes that History is the story of the rich, powerful and succ......more