It pains my history-loving heart to admit, but most people today simply ignore the past. Some will twist history for partisan gains. Few can sit underneath the wisdom of the past and learn to discern God’s work in this fallen world still marked by his grace.

I have found Sarah Irving-Stonebraker to be a reliable, inspiring guide for receiving that wisdom. Her new book, Priests of History: Stewarding the Past in an Ahistoric Age (Zondervan Reflective), offers stories, examples, and arguments that will change you, whether you’re already convinced of Christianity or still wrestling with its claims.

Sarah converted from atheism to Christianity while an assistant professor at Florida State University. You know that’s a story we discussed! Historian conversions are kind of our thing on Gospelbound. She warns that our societies have become confused about how to make sense of good and evil in the past and lack hope for the future. Especially in the last decade history has been captured by the culture wars, making it even harder for us to wrestle with historical and moral complexities.

She joined me on Gospelbound to discuss the five major characteristics of what she terms our Ahistoric Age, the wrong side of history, and more.