In this brief history of the church from a global perspective, Derek Cooper explores the development of Christianity across time and the continents. Guiding readers to places like Iraq, Ethiopia and India, Scandanavia, Brazil and Oceania, he reveals the fascinating—and often surprising—history of the church.
A major new introduction to the global history of Christianity, written by one of the world’s leading theologians and author of numerous bestselling textbooks. Provides a truly global review by exploring the development of Christianity and related issues in Asia, Latin America and Africa, and not just focusing on Western concerns Spanning more than two millennia and combining elements of theology, history, and culture, it traces the development of all three branches of Christianity – Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox – providing context to Christianity’s origins and its links to Judaism Looks beyond denominational history at Christianity’s impact on individuals, society, politics, and intellectual thought, as well as on art, architecture, and the natural sciences Combines McGrath’s acute historical sensibility with formidable organizational skill, breaking the material down into accessible, self-contained historical periods Offers an accessible and student-oriented text, assuming little or no advance theological or historical knowledge on the part of the reader
This book explores the theological lessons to be learnt from 2000 years of Christian Church history. An exploration of the theological lessons to be learnt from the difficult history of the Christian churches over the past 2,000 years Opens with an introductory essay on the whole of Church history, making the book suitable for lay readers as well as students Combines historical, historiographical and theological analysis Reunites the disciplines of theology and Church history Concludes that we can only ever perceive a facet of Christianity given our historical and cultural conditioning Written by a distinguished Church historian.
Since birth of the church, the followers of Christ have experienced persecution, established orthodoxy and orthopraxy, endured division and social upheaval, and sought to proclaim the good news. How can we begin to grasp the complexity of the church's story? In this brief primer, historian Jennifer Woodruff Tait uses seven sentences to introduce readers to the sweeping scope of church history.
Freshly updated for this second edition with considerable new material, this authoritative introduction to the history of Christian theology covers its development from the beginnings of the Patristic period just decades after Jesus's ministry, through to contemporary theological trends. A substantially updated new edition of this popular textbook exploring the entire history of Christian thought, written by the bestselling author and internationally-renowned theologian Features additional coverage of orthodox theology, the Holy Spirit, and medieval mysticism, alongside new sections on liberation, feminist, and Latino theologies, and on the global spread of Christianity Accessibly structured into four sections covering the Patristic period, the Middle Ages and Renaissance, the reformation and post-reformation eras, and the modern period spanning 1750 to the present day, addressing the key issues and people in each Includes case studies and primary readings at the end of each section, alongside comprehensive glossaries of key theologians, developments, and terminology Supported by additional resources available on publication at www.wiley.com/go/mcgrath
Originally published in 1959, A Summary of Christian History has been a classic text for introductory-level studies of Christian history for more than four decades. Even in the face of advancing history, new findings, and changing perspectives, Dr. Baker’s original classic has remained popular decades beyond the normal life expectancy of a textbook. In this third edition, Dr. John Landers, a former student of Dr. Baker, builds on the original goal of helping students grasp the broad contours of Christian history without becoming lost in a maze of historical detail.
The story of Christian thought is essential to understanding Christian faith today and the last two millennia of world history. This fresh and lively introduction explores the central ideas, persons, events, and movements that gave rise to Christian thought, from early beginnings to its present forms. By highlighting the important but often neglected role of women and the influence of non-Christian ideas and movements, this book provides a broader context for understanding the history of Christian ideas and their role in shaping our world. Christian Thought: provides an overview of the context of Christianity’s origin, including discussion of the influence of Hebrews, Greeks, and Romans explores the major events and figures of the history of Christian thought, while drawing attention to significant voices which have often been suppressed analyses the impact on Christian thought of widely discussed events such as The Great Schism, the Scientific Revolution, and modernism surveys contemporary trends such as fundamentalism, feminism, and postmodernism. This fully revised and updated second edition features a new chapter on liberal theology and reflects recent scholarship in the field. Complete with figures, timelines and maps, this is an ideal resource for anyone wanting to learn more about the development of Christian thought and its influence over the centuries. Further teaching and learning resources are available on the companion website at www.routledge.com/cw/meister.
Historical Theology presents the key pillars of the contemporary church and the development of those doctrines as they evolved from the history of Christian thought. Most historical theology texts follow Christian beliefs in a strict chronological manner with the classic theological loci scattered throughout various time periods, movements, and controversies—making for good history but confusing theology. This companion to the classic bestseller Systematic Theology is unique among historical theologies. Gregg Allison sets out the history of Christian doctrine according to a topical-chronological arrangement—one theological element at a time instead of committing to a discussion of theological thought according to its historical appearance alone. This method allows you to: Contemplate one tenet of Christianity at a time, along with its formulation in the early church—through the Middle Ages, Reformation, and post-Reformation era, and into the modern period. Become familiar with the primary source material of Christian history's most important contributors, such as Cyprian, Augustine, Aquinas, Luther, Calvin, Barth, and others. Understand the development of evangelical doctrine with a focus on the centrality of the gospel. Discern a sense of urgent need for greater doctrinal understanding in the whole church. Historical Theology is an easy-to-read textbook for any Christian who wants to know how the church has come to believe what it believes today. Gregg Allison's clear and concise structure make this resource an ideal introduction to Christian doctrine.
Michael Goheen gives us a full-scale introduction to mission studies today in its biblical, theological and historical dimensions. Goheen covers the full horizon of major issues in mission, including its global, urban and holistic contexts. This text shows how the missional church encounters the pluralism of Western culture and global religions.