What if there were no history? What if the chroniclers of the past had chosen simply not to pass stories along? For example, what if those early followers of Jesus had said "this isn't important enough to tell anyone?" Or, "no need to write this down."

Or, imagine if no one thought documents were important enough to preserve and pass on. For example, how would it change your perception if teachers and parents told you about the Declaration of Independence, but no copy of it was actually available for your inspection? Or, what if someone had passed down to us a vague recollection of what Lincoln said at Gettysburg, but the actual document had not been preserved in paper and stone?

Would it have altered your life experience if there were no Bible in print? No Gospels, no Psalms or Proverbs, no letters from Paul.
You're getting my point. If any of these things were fact, of course it would change how you see the world.
Someone has said that to understand who we are, we must first understand who we were. Another added that to know where we are going, we must know where we've been. With no history as reference point, it is impossible to find a firm place to stand and gain a vantage point of where we are in the world.

At the Disciples of Christ Historical Society, our mission involves faith. And it is a particular faith arising on American soil and creating a unique chapter in Christian heritage. In fact, we are the only organization in the world that has as its primary purpose the material preservation of this particular faith. When it comes to what we call the Stone-Campbell movement, there are others who have secondary interest, but we stand alone as the primary keeper of this intriguing story.

Our branch of the Christian family emerged 200 years ago and has resulted in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), the Churches of Christ (sometimes called the a capella churches), and the Christian Churches/Churches of Christ (sometimes called independent Christian churches). That has made for thousands of congregations and millions of lives changed in the United States alone, not to mention the millions in other nations around the globe. Benevolent ministries bearing the flags of these three streams of the movement have served countless people in virtually every nation. And dozens of institutions of higher education have trained generations in every walk of life.

So, I am confident in saying that our faith story is not only worth preserving, but that it must be preserved so future generations can enjoy the same hope in Christ that we have. We also share our story today, through lectures and publications and exhibits, because we believe it is one worth telling. The Disciples of Christ Historical Society is the member-based organization that serves as the memory for the whole Stone-Campbell family.

To learn more about the traditions all Disciples share, please visit our historic building in Nashville, Tenn., or our Web site at www.discipleshistory.org.

The Rev. Dr. Glenn Thomas Carson is president of Disciples of Christ Historical Society, a general ministry of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).