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| Nathan Hatch |
Tracy McKenzie of Wheaton College is calling our attention to a recent chapel talk at Wheaton by Nathan Hatch. As many of you know, Hatch is a Wheaton graduate, the author the award-winning The Democratization of American Christianity, and the current president of Wake Forest University. Hatch’s chapel talk was titled: “Engaging History: The Redemptive Power of the Past.” (Scroll to October 31, 2014).
Here is a taste of Tracy’s commentary on Hatch’s talk:
Hatch begins by observing that we evangelicals have long been suspicious of the past. We pride ourselves on grounding our religious beliefs wholly on the Bible, not on human tradition, and that tends to make us skeptical of the past as a source of wisdom for our lives today.
As American evangelicals, we are doubly skeptical, inasmuch as we have been affected by a national culture that is relentlessly present-minded.
Hatch then explains why he finds this regretable, but he does so in a novel way. He shares brief vignettes of two of his classmates in Wheaton’s class of ’68: John Piper and Mark Noll. Both went on to great distinction after leaving Wheaton–Piper became a nationally-recognized evangelical pastor and writer, while Noll developed into arguably the most distinguished and prolific Christian historian of the last century.
When Piper and Noll were in their twenties, Hatch relates, both experienced a religious awakening by delving into the past. Each story is fascinating, but I won’t spoil them by sharing too much of the specifics. Building on these examples, Hatch identifies two general benefits to the Christian who, like Piper and Noll, chooses to delve into the past. First, serious study of the past can “expand our view of God and His work in the world.” Second, it can do much to improve our understanding of our own times. Both benefits are invaluable.
Thank you for posting this.