Diana Butler Bass

Diana Butler Bass is an author, speaker, and independent scholar of American Religion and culture. She regularly consults with religious organizations, leads conferences for religious leaders, teaches, and preaches. She is the author of several books including "A People's History of Christianity: The Other Side of the Story," "Christianity and the Rest of Us," and "Christianity After Religion: The End of Church and the Beginning of a New Spiritual Awakening." There are five predictable stages to an awakening: 1) Cultural Breakdown-a crisis of legitimacy 2) Cultural Distortion-a lack of trust in institutions that causes the institutional dysfunctions to be addressed 3) New visions arise from grassroot or a number of various sources before they culminate 4) Once a vision is in place the vision has to be lived- break the old rules and patterns and new pathways of belief cause cultural revitalization 5)When enough people convert then the institution changes. Religion is measured by three metrics: belief, behavior, and belonging. Across the board churches are going through something new. Currently belief is about God, doctrine, and structured around creeds. People are moving from this form of belief to more experiential truths about God and themselves. Behavior is changing from polity and a set of rules to community practice where skills are developed over time and getting one's hands on it. Belonging currently means your name is written on a card in the church office whereas in the future is moving toward relationships defined by "Whose I am." As leaders we are the makers of the future.