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Summary: Triumphant account of Christian History
Review: Dr. Noll's reason for organizing church history around a series of "turning points" arose from his need to have a framework for teaching the history of Christianity to diverse groups. The author selects twelve defining moments in church history and uses them as entry points into the sweeping and potentially overwhelming events of the two-thousand-year history of the Christian Church. He hopes this method will bring order into a massively complicated subject, provide an opportunity to highlight moments that constitute the actual history of the church, and provide an opportunity to interpret why certain events may have marked an important fork in the road for the outworking of Christian history. Turning Points was written for lay people and introductory students rather than for scholars. The style of writing is interesting, easy to read, and to the point. As such, it makes a great book for his audience. Though Noll is a Protestant evangelical, he is careful to avoid bias as he attempts to present Christianity as a worldwide religion. The book is a survey of church history but the thesis revolves around the importance of twelve defining moments within the two-thousand-year span. His selection of "turning points" include the Fall of Jerusalem (70), the Council of Nicaea (325), Benedict's monasticism (530), the coronation of Charlemagne (800), the schism of East and West (1054), the Reformation (1521), the English Reformation (1534), the founding of the Jesuits (1540), the conversion of the Wesleys (1738), the French Revolution (1789) and the Edinburgh Missionary Conference (1910). The book is chronologically arranged around each of these events. Conspicuously and intentionally Noll leaves off major events of the twentieth century, to be evaluated for significance from the preferred perspective of future generations. The author believes that book will have been successful if it "inspires others to think about why the turning points found here are not as important as other possibilities." There are many other possibilities that come to mind but Noll's list of most significant turning points is hard to dispute. Each chapter begins with a hymn and ends with a prayer from the era being addressed. This add an interesting flavor that sets the tone for the history Noll unfolds and then leaves you with a glimpse into the spiritual life of a contemporary to the event being studied. There are obvious pros and cons to this style of writing history. When you are through reading "Turning Points" you feel like you've moved through the most significance events in the history of the church and some of the most momentous in human history. Such a whirlwind journey gives you a good feel for the chronology and sequence of each defining event. Because of Noll's ability to keep you moving along the plot line of the stories, the trip through history is an enjoyable journey. Along the way Noll shares interesting commentary from history itself. His historical exposition agrees with other church history work but without personal judgment or clearly biased commentary. He uses reliable evidence to demonstrate his observations, without stretching it to accomplish his agenda or prove his point. Examining two thousand years of Church history by investigating the twelve most significant turning points in that history is a valuable method of covering such a large body of information in a condensed form. I highly recommend Turning Points as a thoughtful, engaging, and inspiring treatment of church history. The reader should realize the book is not meant to be comprehensive or by any means an exhaustive treatment of the subject. The book will give the novice a good overview of the history of Christianity and should provoke the curious student to further study.
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Summary: Triumphant account of Christian History
Review: Excellent book for any person, protestant or catholic, who is interested in a brief but thurough examination of the events that shaped Christ's Church.
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Summary: Splendid introdutory history of Christianity
Review: In my opinion, Mark Noll is the foremost (American) church historian of our generation. In a series of books, he has set forth biblically-grounded and scholarly rigorous treatment of a vast range of theological and historical issues. Almost single handedly he is has reversed the dearth of evangelical intellectualism. Turning Points is one of Noll's most accessible books. Not a dry scholarly treatise, but rather a lively and well-written overview of 12 critical events in the history of Christianity. Noll's idea is that focusing on specific episodes not only allows for a more detailed treatment of each than would be possible in a comprehensive text, but also permits "more opportunity interpretive reflection." I think he was exactly right--he can go into considerable depth on each event, explaining why it was so significant. Turning Points thus does not pretend to be a comprehensive narrative. For those looking for such a treatment, may I recommend Paul Johnson's "History of Christianity," which I regard as the finest one-volume comprehensive church history. Like any list-making project, one can quibble with Noll's choices. He leaves out some of my favorite episodes (which is not exactly the right phrase, but you get my point). Not included are such events as the three Great Awakenings; the installation of John Paul II; the crusades; and so on. At the same time, however, it is hard to quibble with Noll's choices. Events like Nicea, Worms, the French Revolution, and so on were all major "turning points" that deserved comprehensive treatment. As an adult convert to Catholicism from evangelicalism, I particularly appreciated Noll's objectivity and even-handedness. Without betraying his own evangelical tradition, Noll treats Catholicism eminently fairly.
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Summary: Primers for Historians...nicely done
Review: Noll is to be commended for doing a nice job concerning an impossible task. Someone wisely stated that one does not evaluate church history by events, but by people. Noll challenges that assumption, by evaulautaing events in church history. This book is written as an intro text, easy to read, for laymen. But more advanced historians can profit from it, sharpening them on finer points. Of particular interest to me were the chapters concerning the middle ages (monasticism, crowning of Charlemagne, and Luther, especially Luther.) Noll's commendation is for giving a list of possible turning points for future historians...worth noting. On a personal level, one hopes that an historian would write a modern-day, post communist history on the church concerning their survival of that satanic, abominable philosophy. Such a work would point to the glory of God. Final Analysis
This is a good, intro text. If read with Bruce Shelleys's work, one would have an adequate grip on the Church. Granted, the book has its sleepy parts (thus the four stars), its brilliant parts (Luther), and its soul-stirring parts (the church surviving Communism). Also, Noll is to be commended for his objectivity as a Protestant historian.
Rating:
Summary: Primers for Historians...nicely done
Review: Noll is to be commended for doing a nice job concerning an impossible task. Someone wisely stated that one does not evaluate church history by events, but by people. Noll challenges that assumption, by evaulautaing events in church history. This book is written as an intro text, easy to read, for laymen. But more advanced historians can profit from it, sharpening them on finer points. Of particular interest to me were the chapters concerning the middle ages (monasticism, crowning of Charlemagne, and Luther, especially Luther.) Noll's commendation is for giving a list of possible turning points for future historians...worth noting. On a personal level, one hopes that an historian would write a modern-day, post communist history on the church concerning their survival of that satanic, abominable philosophy. Such a work would point to the glory of God. Final Analysis
This is a good, intro text. If read with Bruce Shelleys's work, one would have an adequate grip on the Church. Granted, the book has its sleepy parts (thus the four stars), its brilliant parts (Luther), and its soul-stirring parts (the church surviving Communism). Also, Noll is to be commended for his objectivity as a Protestant historian.
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Summary: Great stuff--but with gaps
Review: Turning Points is a very well written book. I admire Mr. Noll because he is a very good writer. I like the things he has written about in this book as well. Turning Points is interesting and thought provoking. It would serve well as a jumping off point for further study of these areas of Christian history. I especially enjoyed the first two chapters. I do not always agree with Mr. Noll. I disagree with him in this book and in other writings. However, there is much to profit from in all his writings. I recommend this book.
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Summary: Outstanding Starting Point
Review: With this book, Mark Noll provides an introductory-level study of Christian history - NOT as a sweeping movement over thousands of years (which many larger, more ambitious works encompass), but as a series of turning points - events that changed the way Christianity perceived itself, and was perceived by the world. In this way, a student can gain a quick introduction to many of the issues that have faced Christianity throughout history without being overwhelmed by dates, names, doctrines, etc. Obviously, as with any "best of" listing, there are things I would have liked to have seen added. There is no mention of the Scopes trial, and Darwinism receives small mention. This trial, more than any other event, triggered the rise of fundamentalism, which has certainly had an impact on the way Christianity is perceived. The controversy over Darwinism still shapes Christian thought today -- as can be seen in Noll's The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind. Overall, an excellent resource, though I would encourage readers to invest in a more thorough treatment of Christian history in addition to this book.
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