--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Christians believe that God speaks…" description: "\"“Christians believe that God speaks through history; and only by knowing that history can we hope to interpret momentous events like the Japanese perse..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfc/philip-jenkins-10529_christianity_christians-believe-that-god-speaks-throu_154404.jpg" --- # Christians believe that God speaks through history; and… ![“Christians believe that God speaks through history; and only by knowing that history can we hope to interpret momentous events like the Japanese persecutions and the fall of the Asian churches. Yet Christians have systematically forgotten or ignored so very much of their history that it is…” quote by Philip Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfc/philip-jenkins-10529_christianity_christians-believe-that-god-speaks-throu_154404.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfc/philip-jenkins-10529_christianity_christians-believe-that-god-speaks-throu_154404.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfc/philip-jenkins-10529_christianity_christians-believe-that-god-speaks-throu_154404.jpg) > ““Christians believe that God speaks through history; and only by knowing that history can we hope to interpret momentous events like the Japanese persecutions and the fall of the Asian churches. Yet Christians have systematically forgotten or ignored so very much of their history that it is scarcely surprising that they encounter only a deafening silence. Losing the ancient churches is one thing, but losing their memory and experience so utterly is a disaster scarcely less damaging. To break the silence, we need to recover those memories, to restore that history. To borrow the title of one of Charles Olson’s great poems: the chain of memory is resurrection.”” [Philip Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-jenkins/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Understanding history is essential for interpreting significant events; forgetting it leads to silence and loss of identity. **In simple terms:** History helps interpret events; forgetting it creates silence. Key Takeaway Recover and study forgotten history. Themes history interpretation memory faith identity Mood reflective concerned Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - churches - Japanese persecutions - Asian Christianity - faith communities Key Concepts theology historical consciousness cultural memory Questions to Reflect On - How can we ensure history is remembered? - What steps restore forgotten memories? A Different Perspective Memory alone cannot solve present problems without action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Christianity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christianity/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Memory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory/) [Resurrection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/resurrection/) ## Related quotes > [I think I was interested in history without knowing it and that became very clear when I arrived in France. Everything that I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-howe/i-think-i-was-interested-in-history-without-knowing-it-and-that/) [John Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-howe/) > [Christians are being systematically exterminated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/christians-are-being-systematically-exterminated/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [“My entire cooking life has been about memory. It's my moth indispensable ingredient, so wherever I find it, I hoard it. I tell stories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-w-twitty/my-entire-cooking-life-has-been-about-memory-it-s-my-moth/) [Michael W. Twitty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-w-twitty/) > [People had taught me what Christians believe, but no one had told me how Christians live,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-claiborne/people-had-taught-me-what-christians-believe-but-no-one-had-told-me/) [Shane Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-claiborne/) > [Christians believe that true worship is the highest and noblest activity of which man, by the grace of God, is capable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stott/christians-believe-that-true-worship-is-the-highest-and-noblest/) [John Stott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stott/) > [“Happiness is an art mastered by the very few. Genuinely happy people are as rare as Christians who believe in God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-vigoleis-thelen/happiness-is-an-art-mastered-by-the-very-few-genuinely-happy-people/) Albert Vigoleis Thelen > [Red Letter Christians believe in the doctrines of the Apostle's Creed, are convinced that the Scriptures have been inspired by the Holy Spirit, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-campolo/red-letter-christians-believe-in-the-doctrines-of-the-apostle-s-creed/) [Tony Campolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-campolo/) > [Christians believe that God came amongst us as a man, do they not? Yet the Muselmen say he was only a prophet, and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-clement-davies/christians-believe-that-god-came-amongst-us-as-a-man-do-they-not-yet/) [David Clement-Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-clement-davies/) > [I know there are some Christians who believe that war and their participation in it are morally wrong. While I respect their views and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-robertson/i-know-there-are-some-christians-who-believe-that-war-and-their/) [Pat Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-robertson/) > [When the state executes a member of the human family, it declares that person worthless, without possibility of redemption. As Christians, we believe this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-davidson/when-the-state-executes-a-member-of-the-human-family-it-declares-that/) [Doug Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-davidson/) > [Is Christianity fair? It is certainly not fair to God. Christians believe that God sent His Son to die for your sins and mine.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-stanley/is-christianity-fair-it-is-certainly-not-fair-to-god-christians/) [Andy Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-stanley/) > [In America, fundamentalist Christians believe the world was created 6,000 years ago - in England people drink in bars that are older than that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-aylett/in-america-fundamentalist-christians-believe-the-world-was-created-6/) [Steve Aylett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-aylett/) > [In the christian view, the ultimate evidence for the existence of God is Jesus Christ. If there is a God, we characters in his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/in-the-christian-view-the-ultimate-evidence-for-the-existence-of-god/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [Christians believe that there will be a Judgment Day at the end. And it is my belief that on that day justice will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miroslav-volf/christians-believe-that-there-will-be-a-judgment-day-at-the-end-and/) [Miroslav Volf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miroslav-volf/) > [I have come to think that the challenge confronting Christians is not that we do not believe what we say, though that can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-hauerwas/i-have-come-to-think-that-the-challenge-confronting-christians-is-not/) [Stanley Hauerwas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-hauerwas/) ## More by Philip Jenkins > [“Yet even when such languages did not face direct official sanction, speakers of older tongues knew that they had little chance of getting on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-jenkins/yet-even-when-such-languages-did-not-face-direct-official-sanction/) [Philip Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-jenkins/) > [“Christianity offers similar stories, and the global Christianity that perished in the late Middle Ages has revived in the past century. China offers an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-jenkins/christianity-offers-similar-stories-and-the-global-christianity-that/) [Philip Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-jenkins/) > [“Where the African church failed was in not carrying Christianity beyond the Romanized inhabitants of the cities and the great estates, and not sinking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-jenkins/where-the-african-church-failed-was-in-not-carrying-christianity/) [Philip Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-jenkins/) > [“Perhaps theological attempts to explain the destruction of churches or of “Christian nations” are asking the wrong question, if they judge success and failure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-jenkins/perhaps-theological-attempts-to-explain-the-destruction-of-churches/) [Philip Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-jenkins/) > [“Another difficulty with the reservation scheme was that it reinforced the popular association of Christianity with foreign imperialism, and thus with enmity to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-jenkins/another-difficulty-with-the-reservation-scheme-was-that-it-reinforced/) [Philip Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-jenkins/) > [“Far from anti-Christian purges ceasing with the official end of war in 1918, they actually intensified during the ensuing war between Greece and Turkey.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-jenkins/far-from-anti-christian-purges-ceasing-with-the-official-end-of-war/) [Philip Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-jenkins/) > [“Middle Eastern Christians, in short, tried every possible tactic to survive and flourish, and their efforts have largely failed. Partly, this is a matter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-jenkins/middle-eastern-christians-in-short-tried-every-possible-tactic-to/) [Philip Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-jenkins/) > [“Besides the missionary theology cultivated by many churches, we also need a theology of extinction.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-jenkins/besides-the-missionary-theology-cultivated-by-many-churches-we-also/) [Philip Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-jenkins/) > [“Our accepted chronology of the ancient church is wrong: ancient Semitic Christianity dies out not in the fourth century, but in the fourteenth.8”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-jenkins/our-accepted-chronology-of-the-ancient-church-is-wrong-ancient/) [Philip Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-jenkins/) > [“Christianity in this region remained as much a colonists’ religion as it would be once again during the French Empire of the twentieth century,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-jenkins/christianity-in-this-region-remained-as-much-a-colonists-religion-as/) [Philip Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-jenkins/) > [“Any acquaintance with recent history made nonsense of any claim that God was on the side of Christian states. As one scholar suggests, what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-jenkins/any-acquaintance-with-recent-history-made-nonsense-of-any-claim-that/) [Philip Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-jenkins/) > [“For much of the history of Islam, moreover, the Christian world was not noticeably ahead in political or economic power, or in culture. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-jenkins/for-much-of-the-history-of-islam-moreover-the-christian-world-was-not/) [Philip Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-jenkins/) > [“While nobody can pretend that Christian religious practice is thriving in most of Europe, the situation is nothing as grim as some recent accounts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-jenkins/while-nobody-can-pretend-that-christian-religious-practice-is/) [Philip Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-jenkins/) > [Religion appears in so many contexts in WW1. Religion shaped the national identities and ambitions of several of the key players, especially Germany and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-jenkins/religion-appears-in-so-many-contexts-in-ww1-religion-shaped-the/) [Philip Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-jenkins/) > [“The violence that began in 1915 killed perhaps half the Armenian Christians in the region. Although the accumulated stories of massacre numb after a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-jenkins/the-violence-that-began-in-1915-killed-perhaps-half-the-armenian/) [Philip Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-jenkins/) [Explore all 65 Philip Jenkins quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-jenkins/) ## More Christianity quotes > [Christianity was never meant to be defined by its disciplines, but by its passions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-johnson/christianity-was-never-meant-to-be-defined-by-its-disciplines-but-by/) [Bill Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-johnson/) > [I think, here's what I've realized from interviewing people, and I've been very open about my Catholicism and my love of Christ and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mohr/i-think-here-s-what-i-ve-realized-from-interviewing-people-and-i-ve/) [Jay Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mohr/) > [“God hates Hell. He hates the idea of people going there. He hates it so much that He was willing to take on human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-minton/god-hates-hell-he-hates-the-idea-of-people-going-there-he-hates-it-so/) [Evan Minton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-minton/) > [“some of my good Baptist brethren in Georgia had done a little preaching from the pulpit against the KKK, I would have a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-moss/some-of-my-good-baptist-brethren-in-georgia-had-done-a-little/) [Norman Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-moss/) > [I pray that wherever we are and whatever duties we have in the priesthood of God, we will be united in the cause to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-b-eyring/i-pray-that-wherever-we-are-and-whatever-duties-we-have-in-the/) [Henry B. Eyring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-b-eyring/) > [Why do Christians sing when they are together? The reason is, quite simply, because in singing together it is possible for them to speak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/why-do-christians-sing-when-they-are-together-the-reason-is-quite/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [“every church can treat each discipleship class and each worship service as an opportunity for continual rehearsal of what the words, stories, symbols, rituals,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-arthur/every-church-can-treat-each-discipleship-class-and-each-worship/) [Sarah Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-arthur/) > [The ability of the gospel to unite us on common strengths and common truths is one of the great miracles . . . of the gospel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-ability-of-the-gospel-to-unite-us-on-common-strengths-and-common/) [Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > [“A question for Christians who accept evolution: When did we gain a "soul"? Did Homo habilis have a soul? Homo ergaster? Did God only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-g-mcafee/a-question-for-christians-who-accept-evolution-when-did-we-gain-a/) [David G. McAfee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-g-mcafee/) > [The notion of a non-religious Christmas is ridiculous. But so is the insistence on the part of Christians that politicians and retailers carry out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-campos-duffy/the-notion-of-a-non-religious-christmas-is-ridiculous-but-so-is-the/) [Rachel Campos-Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-campos-duffy/) > [A real Christian in an odd number anyway. He feels supreme love for One whom he has never seen, talks familiarly every day to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-real-christian-in-an-odd-number-anyway-he-feels-supreme-love-for/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Because the truth is that gossip is as good as gospel in this town. You can save face but you won't ever save your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-oberst/because-the-truth-is-that-gossip-is-as-good-as-gospel-in-this-town/) [Conor Oberst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-oberst/) > [How else but through a broken heart may Lord Christ enter in?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/how-else-but-through-a-broken-heart-may-lord-christ-enter-in/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Every saved person this side of heaven owes the gospel to every lost person this side of hell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-platt/every-saved-person-this-side-of-heaven-owes-the-gospel-to-every-lost/) [David Platt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-platt/) > [I grew up in Synagogue in the boys' choir. We didn't listen to music in the house; only at temple. Then I went to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-patinkin/i-grew-up-in-synagogue-in-the-boys-choir-we-didn-t-listen-to-music-in/) [Mandy Patinkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-patinkin/) [Browse all 14,385 Christianity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christianity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Christians believe that God speaks through history; and only by knowing that history can we hope to interpret momentous events like the Japanese persecutions and the fall of the Asian churches. Yet Christians have systematically forgotten or ignored so very much of their history that it is scarcely surprising that they encounter only a deafening silence. Losing the ancient churches is one thing, but losing their memory and experience so utterly is a disaster scarcely less damaging. To break the silence, we need to recover those memories, to restore that history. To borrow the title of one of Charles Olson’s great poems: the chain of memory is resurrection.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Philip Jenkins" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-jenkins/christians-believe-that-god-speaks-through-history-and-only-by/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Christianity" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-jenkins/christians-believe-that-god-speaks-through-history-and-only-by/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfc/philip-jenkins-10529_christianity_christians-believe-that-god-speaks-throu_154404.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfc/philip-jenkins-10529_christianity_christians-believe-that-god-speaks-throu_154404.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfc/philip-jenkins-10529_christianity_christians-believe-that-god-speaks-throu_154404.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Christians believe that God speaks through history; and only by knowing that history can we hope to…” — Philip Jenkins", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Philip Jenkins", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-jenkins/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Christians believe that God speaks through...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-jenkins/christians-believe-that-god-speaks-through-history-and-only-by/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-jenkins/christians-believe-that-god-speaks-through-history-and-only-by/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```