We continue our Lenten podcast series by considering the spiritual practice of remembering with historian and author, Margaret Bendroth.

Remembering is a Scriptural Imperative

The promise of modernity was progress, and so our default orientation is often to the present and future and away from the past, which can be seen as either irrelevant or even benighted. But it is uncanny how often the Bible instructs us to remember the great story, to meditate upon it, ponder it, write it in our heart, dwell on it, and never forget.

In this conversation, Margaret Bendroth invites us to reflect on our own stories, to see our lives as the product of a long choosing linked to the generations that have come before. And then to be willing to examine our family and spiritual histories as part of knowing ourselves and our place in God’s story.

Righteous Remembrance Means Extending Grace to our Ancestors

And while she acknowledges the potential for discomfort in looking back, Bendroth encourages us to a posture of “righteous remembrance,” extending the charity to our ancestors that we hope will be extended to us. In doing so, we open up the door to healing not only of our own past, but also to gain access to resources and wisdom from previous generations.

May this conversation inspire you to reflect on your own history and its place within the great story.

Learn more about Margareth Bendroth.

Authors and books mentioned in the conversation:
Miroslav Volf 

Related Trinity Forum Readings:
Devotions by John Donne and paraphrased by Philip Yancey
The Confessions of St. Augustine by Augustine of Hippo, Introduced by James K.A. Smith
Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard, Introduced by Tish Harrison Warren
Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan
God’s Grandeur: The Poems of Gerard Manley Hopkins
A Spiritual Pilgrimage by Malcolm Muggeridge 

Related Conversations:
Liturgy of the Ordinary in Extraordinary Times with Tish Harrison Warren
Caring for Words in a Culture of Lies with Marilyn McEntyre
Invitation to Solitude and Silence with Ruth Haley Barton
On the Road with Saint Augustine with James K.A. Smith and Elizabeth Bruenig
The Habit Podcast, Episode 26: Tish Harrison Warren with Doug McKelvey
The Spiritual Practice of Remembering with Margaret Bendroth

To listen to this or any of our episodes in full, visit ttf.org/podcast, and to join the Trinity Forum Society and help make content like this possible, visit ttf.org/join.

Special thanks to Ned Bustard for the artwork and Andrew Peterson for the music.