Churchianity's history
583248
If you are wanting to research your faith because it just is not sitting right with you, then start with this book. After we came across the Hebrew roots of Christianity at eliyah.com, we couldn't stop wanting to know more and more. Apparently, just about everything in our modern culture derives from paganism.  Home church is more honest and natural with interactive studies and forms true friendships in the body of Yahushua Messiah, our husband. We are his bride and we need to get back to keeping our wedding vows.
2031662
A very good book on the Kingdom of God. Particularly good were the essays by Nichols and Bray. I very much appreciated the way the essays defined precisely the distinction between the Church and the Kingdom, updated me on recent scholarship (especially since late 90s when I was at seminary), and the fine overview of kingdom and eschatological thinking in church history. I recommend this to pastors, seminarians, and Christians interested in digging deeper on this topic. I purchased this book to help me with introductory matters for my next sermon series on the Gospel of Mark.
2726571
David Holmes' "A Brief History of the Episcopal Church" provides a well written account of the church begining with its roots in the English Reformation and continuing on to the 1990's.  He write a comprehensive history touching on the highlights without ever getting bogged down in uninteresting details.  Although at times, I wish he had gone deeper, but this is a "brief" history.  In keeping it brief, I think he is judicious and prudent with the material.

He successfully manages to follow the course and events of the church, shall profiles with key characters, discuss tensions and conflicts and describe some theology...all while keeping it brief.

I think any readers will find that this book carries out its mission well and gives an erudite, intriguing history of the Episcopal Church.  If only an author could briefly tell us where it is going in the future.
1067665
Who doesnt appreciate a concisely written book? This book is a great introduction and overview of Christian church history. I recommend this for pastors, students and any Christian with a desire to learn about the history of the churchs beliefs.
3728490
The authors have done an excellent job of reviewing the history of the development of the country, and added in the points in which the record indicates some thought there was divine intervention. This is a good read.
1168536
If I understood Mr. Johnson correctly, I believe this book is an integral part of Ken Johnson's ministry, which is predominantly, in print form.
  As Dr. Johnson explains, he became saved in adolescence, attended several churches over as many years, and became stirred to understand the problem in the church, in the issue and existence of denominations.
  This book explains the historical roots of the early Chrstian church, and through the various forms of literary and historical evidence, shows the events, errors and activities, which led to the many denominations which comprise contemporary Christian faith and thought.
The book however, is I believe, much more than just the history of the early church!  The narrative Dr. Johnson provides is a clear explanation of the historical, political and ideological events and movements which both informed, and confused and distorted, the growth of Christianity.
  For myself, I find Dr. Johnson's work to be excellent in his scholarship, his conclusions, and his theology.  Moreover, I find  this book, and all others I've read by KJ, to be informative in the extreme, in that these books answer many of truly difficult, oft debated and thorny issues, facing today's Christian.  A great example, is the early letters by church fathers, from the first couple of centuries, shows that the early church was in agreement on most major doctrinal issues, as they learned them from the disciples of Christ firsthand!  They had personal insight into many contentious issues, and could correct heretical or errant ideas with utmost authority, as the teachings of Christ, the personal questions and learning of the disciples and apostles, were extant and available for reproof!
These insights are invaluable to today's serious, practicing Christian!
  The truth as understood by the followers of Christ, His Disciples and Apostles, on such contentious teachings as;
The Rapture of The Church
Millennialism and Amillennialism
Islam
Demons
Abortion
Euthanasia
Evolution
Homosexuality
Yoga
Women in ministry
Predestination
Reincarnation
Purgatory
Psychology
Meditation
If you seek authoritive answers for your Faith, this book, and others by Ken Johnson offer clear, authoritive insights, that you are unlikely to find at your place of worship!
4423491
I liked the condition of the book. It is one of the best history of the Church that I have read.
4348139
Very in-depth look at the basic theology and traditions of the historic, Christian Orthodox church.  A very interesting read for all faiths and anyone interested in religions, especially the original form of Christianity.  Interesting to see how much the modern evangelical denominations have strayed from the original Christianity and most evangelicals have no idea that their theology has only been around for the last 100 to 200 years and a long , long way from the original Christianity.
3780104
A good introduction on the differences in church polity among Protestants. I think most readers will probably get the impression that the publisher is biased towards Congregationalism since three of the five perspectives deal with some form of it. I would have loved a more rigorous defense of Episcopalianism. In my view, Paul Zahl did the worst job in presenting the case for Episcopalianism; he doesn't really present an argument for the Episcopal form of government, but he seems to just a give a history of the Anglican church. I was particularly impressed with Reymond's defense of Presbyterianism; I felt that he presented the best defense for his position. For whatever reason, Danny Akin was given the task to present the single-elder form of congregationalism, even though he doesn't actually favor the position. All in all, it was a good introduction.
1215041
This is a great history lesson on the first 4 centuries of Christianity in the Roman Empire. The story may not be welcomed by fundamentalist Christian that believe the Holy Trinity was God given. As is so typical with power struggles, those with the most might ends up right. For further reading, I also recommend a book with a similar title How Jesus Became God: The Exaltation of a Jewish Preacher from Galilee. The two books complement each other very well without much duplication of story line.
1469896
I read Mark Noll's first foray into this subject, his 1992 History of Christianity in the US and Canada. I thought it was good, but a little too academic and scholarly for most people.

This book is a tight condensation of what appeared in that previous volume, plus a good deal more about African-American Christian history, as well as Mexican Christian history.

The thesis of the book seems to be how the separation of church and state in the USA made it possible for many different kinds of Christianity (and of other sects) to flourish.

We read about the influential preaching ministry of George Whitefield and thr writings of Jonathan Edwards in the 1740s and how their ministries impacted thousands of people for Christ.

We learn about the indefatigable ministry work of Francis Asbury, who started Methodist study groups and congregations all through the states.

We learn about Harriet Livermore, the first woman to preach the word in the US Congress.

We also see how the black community drew strength and inspiration from the biblical narratives, both during and after the slavery years.

We see how Catholicism has had a tremendous influence in Mexico and in Canada.

We also see the formidable influence of Pentecostalism, both in the USA and in Mexico.

I appreciated the afterword's mentioning of the some of the influences that impacted American Christianity: The slavery issue, the first amendment which guaranteed that the government would not pass legislation with respect to the establishment of a religion, the ministries of Edwards, Whitefield, and other revivalists, and the westward expansion.

One way this excellent book could be strengthened would be the addition of material about the impact of postmodernism on biblical Christianity. Perhaps there could also be added sections on the influence of Rick Warren, Bill Hybels, and other evangelical megachurch pastors.

This book is great, and it will help you to get a sense of the lay of the land as you seek to learn more about what God has done and what others have done in His name, both good and bad.
1787962
I'm halfway through this and it is very interesting to me.  I am a "separation of church and state" believer, and I didn't realize just how closely church and state have been associated in modern as well as older european history.  Entities who have supported unification and their justifications over the centuries are discussed.  The book is thoroughly footnoted for those who want to dig deeper.
3399758
An excellent, but somewhat scholarly, review of the origins of many of the smaller denominations, sects, and cults in American religion.  The author writes with an understanding and thoughtful manner that would not insult  members of the groups involved, but still manages to convey the pettiness  of some of the disagreements that resulted in the formation of split-off  groups from larger denominations.  It should be required reading for anyone  who is considering doctrinal disputes with their current denomination. See  where the others have been, first. The author puts forth a cycling dynamic  to the formation of new denominations: Group A conforms strongly to  virtuous action and, as a result, prospers, and becomes wealthy. As a  result of this prosperity, Group A becomes lax in their belief and  sometimes uses their wealth in ways that offend those of strong conviction.  Group B forms to reform Group A, is unable to do so, and splits off to  form their own sect.  This is demonstrated time and time again in American  history.  A vital guide to understanding the smaller parts of the Church.
4784436
Busenitz gives a helpful review of church history on forensic justification, imputed righteousness, and the distinction between justification and sanctification--all found throughout the church from many voices prior to Luther. Well researched and cited with many additional comments there, this book proves that Luther and the Reformers did not invent Justification by Faith Alone, but simply brought back to life the truths of the Bible that had already been proclaimed for over a millennia before. The Catholic argument of today that Luther and Calvin invented new theology and new positions never before held in church history is robustly defeated by Busenitz. Worth the read!
4267181
Whether you are Catholic, Orthodox, or Protestant (or not even a believer at all) if you are at all interested in the history of the Early Church, this volume is a must-read.
The 20th century critical historian will quickly note that Eusebius' understanding of relating history differs greatly from what is considered the "correct" way of relating history today.  Frankly, this does not matter, and the wise historian will accept Eusebius for his accomplishments, and place his great value as a historian in its proper context.  The foolish pseudo-historian will make the mistake of trying to apply 20th century standards (such as there are) to this 4th century document.
As far as my own personal interests and research are concerned, I found his discussion of the Canon of the New Testament to be most informative.  It provides a snapshot view of what was held in the beginning of the 4th century, which can then be compared to a similar snapshot view from the end of the 4th century (Athanasius, for example) or beginning of the 5th century (Augustine, for example).
Other scholars may well be interested in Eusebius' discussion of heresies and heretics; persecutions; martyrs, etc.
A wonderful resource which should be widely used by both religious and secular historians.
2703953
This is a relatively short book for a church history, containing seven chapters, of about 20 pages each, on what Kaatz believes to be key developments in the early church that are generally "under reported". It is not designed to be a comprehensive church history by any means.

The topics covered are: Chapter One: Paul and the Early Christians; Chapter Two: The Early Defenders of the Faith; Chapter Three: Marcion: A New Interpretation; Chapter Four: The Manichaeans; Chapter Five: The Christianizing of the Empire; Chapter Six: Arianism; Chapter Seven: The Power of the Bishops.

Kaatz writes with an awareness of critical issues such as the authenticity of the Pauline letters but does not make a big deal of such - though he states that the apostle Luke was the author of Luke (and Acts) without noting widespread scholarly dissent about this, so he is not overly critical focused in his scholarship, trying to answer every possible objection.

I enjoyed reading his book and think that it is a decent introduction to some interesting topics in church history, however this book is marred by sloppy editing, just too many instances of verbal nonsense or the wrong word - relying on spell check I assume.

Still if one can find it at the library, I definitely recommend reading it as it is not too scholarly in tone and the last two chapters are really interesting especially in light of continuing United States of America and Canadian government subsidies to religious organizations in the form of tax write-offs and exemptions.

I should add that there are numerous occasions where he makes rather debateable statements. One example is his claim (pages 27-28) that Gentile Christians did not mix Jewish and Christian traditions, while many Jewish Christians did without providing the evidence for such. Strangely, he even expects the Jewish communities to have repudiated Judaism rather than Pharisaic interpretations, perhaps, of such. I would also counter argue that Jewish festivals might be something that Gentiles could embrace without too much trouble as opposed to circumcision which their non-Christian Gentile neighbours would notice at the baths and gymnasia - their self mutilation would become evident in Greco-Roman culture. Indeed, if God fearers, that is Gentiles attending synagogue and community functions, had been a prime target of the early Christian mission while trying to win the Jews over, then I would expect God fearers to have participated in synagogue worship, study, meals, and community festivals and events prior to Christian conversion, even if they did not keep strict Jewish dietary laws and practice circumcision. Paul, though a missionary to the Gentiles had the habit of going first to the synagogue when he came to a new city, suggesting that he focused on converting the Gentiles that hung around the Jewish community as much as anyone else. Hence, I am not convinced that former Gentiles, now Christians, would have been so unattached to things Jewish. So to my mind some of his claims are questionable as in this example.
183948
I had originally been looking for a single-volume history of the Christian church as background reading for a study of Renaissance art. Unfortunately, all of the single-volume histories I looked at were disappointing, primarily because of the extent to which the confused they history of church doctrine with the history of the church. Chadwick's volume is a refreshing change: he devotes significant attention not only to the doctrinal history but also to the substantial quasi-secular dimensions of Church history. Though his language and conclusions are at times a bit over-cautiously vague, this is an excellent place to start for someone looking for a short history of the church. I can only hope that the other volumes in the Penguin series are as good.