Honest History
A truthful past can heal the future
This past week, General Theological Seminary in New York invited me to give the Paddock Lectures, a distinguished series in the Episcopal Church. I chose to speak about the importance of honest history for our lives, the church, and in American culture.
History is an important issue right now - we are arguing about history in politics, schools, media, and faith communities. Whose history counts? How do we know what really happened in the past? What do we do with histories that have been hidden, or histories that cause shame? Can we be honest about history? What is the truth of the past?
Even if history is the source of much contention right now, I also think it can be a source of healing. We need - especially in churches - to practice honest history. This means recovering stories that have been hidden, fearlessly facing the past, and developing a spirituality of integrity regarding history.
Embracing history is not about creating guilt or hating our ancestors. It isn’t about canceling anyone or demeaning any particular group. Instead, honestly facing the past - developing a capacity for both criticism and compassion - is how we can overcome unresolved trauma and residual shame that lingers in our memories and haunts our communities. Being truthful about the past actually honors our ancestors more than continually hiding their sins, covering up for their mistakes, or believing half-truths about their lives. Lying about the past keeps the mistakes of history alive; being honest about the past helps heal what was broken by those who came before us.
Historians are part detectives, part story-tellers, part cultural critics, part confessors, and part therapists. When we do our work well, we come to understand that every life is an odd admixture of bad choices and unexpected goodness (and many quite dull and normal days!). Our job is to uncover daily humanness that is sometimes heroic and oft-times sinful, to remember and reassemble it as part of the larger human story, and to learn from it.
I framed the Paddock Lectures with this extended quote (well worth your reflection) from W.E.B. DuBois’ 1935 book, Black Reconstruction in America:
How the facts of American history have in the last half century been falsified because the nation was ashamed. The South was ashamed because it fought to perpetuate human slavery. The North was ashamed because it had to call in the black men to save the Union, abolish slavery and establish democracy.
What are American children taught today about Reconstruction? . . .
He would in all probability complete his education without any idea of the part which the black race has played in America; of the tremendous moral problem of abolition; of the cause and meaning of the Civil War and the relation which Reconstruction had to democratic government. . .
War and especially civil strife leave terrible wounds. It is the duty of humanity to heal them. It was therefore soon conceived as neither wise nor patriotic to speak of all the causes of strife and the terrible results to which national differences in the United States had led. And so, first of all, we minimized the slavery controversy which convulsed the nation from the Missouri Compromise down to the Civil War. On top of that, we passed by Reconstruction with a phrase of regret or disgust.
But are these reasons of courtesy and philanthropy sufficient for denying Truth? If history is going to be scientific, if the record of human action is going to be set down with the accuracy and faithfulness of detail which will allow its use as a measuring rod and guidepost for the future of nations, there must be set some standards of ethics in research and interpretation.
If, on the other hand, we are going to use history for our pleasure and amusement, for inflating our national ego, and giving us a false but pleasurable sense of accomplishment, then we must give up the idea of history as a science or as an art using the results of science, and admit frankly that we are using a version of historic fact in order to influence and educate the new generation along the way we wish.
It is propaganda like this that has led men in the past to insist that history is “lies agreed upon”; and to point out the danger in such misinformation. It is indeed extremely doubtful if any permanent benefit comes to the world through such action. Nations reel and stagger on their way; they make hideous mistakes; they commit frightful wrongs; they do great and beautiful things. And shall we not best guide humanity by telling the truth about all this, so far as the truth is ascertainable?
The last paragraph is stunning - and this line is so important: And shall we not best guide humanity by telling the truth about all this, so far as the truth is ascertainable?
What truth is ascertainable?
That is part of Christian vocation right now — we cannot afford to lie about history and must speak truth that “is ascertainable.” My two lectures explored this in a variety of ways.
You can watch both lectures at the General Seminary website HERE. The first tells a story of lost history, and the sad truth about misogyny and racism in the Episcopal church. The second explores the relationship between history and tradition, especially how tradition must be continually re-evaluated and contested. Although the specific examples are drawn from Anglican history, they are widely applicable beyond that context.
You can also watch directly on YouTube. Lecture 1 HERE (there was a bit of an audio glitch at the beginning, but it clears up!) and Lecture 2 HERE.
In the second lecture, I introduced a framework that I use when working through history as a spiritual practice. You are free to use this yourself or with your groups and congregations. Many of you will certainly recognize that it is an adaptation of the Jesuit daily examen. The Examen is intended as an individual spiritual practice, but I’ve also learned that it works as a prayerful way to explore the past (I used the examen as I worked through the memories at the heart of my book Freeing Jesus.)
An Examen for Honest History, A Spiritual Practice
(for individuals or communities to embrace both truth and gratefulness)
Recall a particular event or persons from the past - a memory you want to explore.
Listen to and understand the event suspending immediate judgment and with empathy. Understand context and motive as far as is possible.
Name any emotions - surprise, appreciation, sadness, hope, anger, shame, confusion, pride - whatever arises for you. Don’t be afraid of those feelings. Talk about them with others. Judge no one’s feelings and do not correct emotions. Remember that you are exploring something that happened in the past and the continuing impact of history.
Recognize any harm that may have been done. Confess the sins of the past (You can apologize for things done before you were born!).
Find gratitude in this story, look for whatever gifts this memory bears.
Reflect on what you learned from exploring this episode.
Wake up tomorrow and do better.
INSPIRATION
Our stone wall was built by slaves and my bones, my bones
are paid for. We have two
of everything, twice heavy
in our pockets, warming
our two big hands.
This is the story, as I know it. One morning:
the ships came, as foretold, and death
pearl-handled, almost
and completely.
How cheap a date I turned out to be.
Each finger weak with the memory:
lost teeth, regret. Our ghosts
walk the shoulders of the road at night.
I get the feeling you’ve been lying to me.
— Camille Rankine, “History”
Nations reel and stagger on their way; they make hideous mistakes; they commit frightful wrongs; they do great and beautiful things. And shall we not best guide humanity by telling the truth about all this, so far as the truth is ascertainable?
— W.E.B. Dubois
LENT AT THE COTTAGE
Ash Wednesday is March 2.
Here’s what is planned:
For all subscribers (free and paid): Sunday Musings will focus on lectionary readings with informal reflections and poetry. There will also be occasional mid-week pieces as usual. You needn’t do anything to receive the regular essays and the Sunday Lent posts.
For the paid list only: DAILY LENTEN REFLECTIONS delivered to your inbox! The theme: A Grounded Lent. I’ll take you through forty days from Ash Wednesday to Good Friday (but no separate devotion on Sunday other than Sunday Musings) based on a devotional I originally wrote for the paperback of Grounded — with added material and updated for the Cottage.
If you want to get the DAILY Lenten reflections you can sign-up for a monthly paid subscription for March and April, at $5 per month for a total of $10 to receive all of the devotions — and you can cancel at the end of April (I won’t be offended!). If you can’t afford that, please reply to this email (just hit reply as you would for any email) and tell us. We’ll sign you up for two months. No one is ever turned away for lack of funds.For everyone at the Cottage and your friends: A Lenten kick-off with The Cottage, Crackers and Grape Juice, and Homebrewed Christianity called Jesus De/Constructed on Thursday, February 24, at 7:00 p.m. Sign up HERE. This one-night event is free and it will be epic.
For everybody on the planet with a computer: The Cottage and Homebrewed Christianity team up for a 6-week Lenten class on Jesus De/Constructed (same title as above) — on Thursday nights from March 3 through April 7, live lectures, open Q&A, a pop-up learning community, a special SURPRISE pod with guests from Westar on Jesus scholarship, and recordings available for later viewing.
Information and sign-up HERE. This event is free or a free-will donation. Whatever. So far, more than 1600 people have signed up! And we want you to join in the journey.
I live in Australia and in the 1970’s was taught how we helped the indigenous people become better people. The church led this by taking away their language their children and their non English lifestyle. I have had to unlearn so so much and still learning more. Thanks for the article.
And I owe you for another gift of perspective and language. In two fantastic lectures, you gave each and every one of us who carries the burden of our ancestors' past actions a way to look at that past and the emotions it stirs and the shame and confusion so many of us carry as we learn that so much we were taught as history is indeed myth. I too am a trained historian and as we all do I face revelations day in and day out. How many times do I say to myself, "I wasn't taught that...why didn't I learn that." I am grateful for your framing this process as spiritual practice. As often happens, you have given me language when I had none. Thank you.