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Rating: 
Summary: Looking in New Directions
Review: Church history books typically look at the development of Christianity in the Middle East and then across Europe. This work takes us East into China , South into Egypt and Nubia , and North into Russia. The contributors are from varied backgrounds, are both female and male , and have some new, fresh perspectives. The scholarship is impressive ,yet not obscure . If anything, the reader yearns to know more of certain figures in Christian lore. This is an important and welcome book.
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Summary: Comprehensive history of Christianity as a world religion
Review: Dale Irvin and Scott Sunquist's History Of The World Christian Movement presents an introductory volume which covers earliest Christianity to 1453. It's the first comprehensive history of Christianity as a world religion and covers the evolution and history of Christianity around the world.
Rating: 
Summary: much needed in the christian history realm
Review: I recently had this book assigned as a text in my Christian history course at seminary. I found the book useful for its insights into the growth and spread of the Christian movement into areas such as the Far East. There are also many perspectives given regarding the roles that women have played in the spread of the Christian movement, which most history texts neglected in the past.One complaint about the book is its readability. I'm well-acquainted with the book because I had to use it as a text in seminary, as I stated above. Given this level of acquaintence, I found that most of the time the sentences in it were dressed in periphrasis and at times a bit loquatious. I think the effort is great, as I stated above, but one need not feel obligated to SOUND overly scholarly in order to convey information (Henry Virkler talks about this problem to some extent in his book "Hermeneutics"). Another complaint I have is the "lens" through which it was written. One need not research the editors' religious backgrounds, and those of its contributors, to tell that the book was written through a modernist evangelical filter. For example, page 29 indicates that first-century Christians often met weekly for "Bible study," something humorously anachronistic in the first century AD. As cheerful as this may paint the picture of first-century Christian worship, our Christian antecedents probably studied from the tanakh, or what very, very few NT writings were then extant. The book also conveys a feeling that modern Christian "orthodox" interpretation has always been present from the start, something that can't be proved one way or the other. It seems that perhaps _secular_ authorities (like the Roman emperor Constantine and his "of one substance" contribution to the Nicene Creed) contributed to what today evangelicals call "orthodoxy," which is never addressed in this volume to a satisfying degree. I also spotted some eisegetical interpretations of scripture here and there throughout the volume (when scripture is actually used), but my observations are most likely strained through a similar filter that I feel the editors employed, so others may find my complaints of little value with how scripture was utilized throughout the book. I expect volume II (due out by the beginning of 2004) to have the same flavor and style. 3 stars.
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Summary: World Christian Movement
Review: This was an excellent book. It reinforces the basic storyline of Church History, but goes well beyond the political, cultural, and geographic boundaries of most Church History books. There is great insight on what Christians were doing and how the Church developed in Africa, the Middle East, and most amazingly in Asia. As a Seminary student, it was refreshing to read about the diversity and globalness of the Christian faith. The book makes a strong defense on how Christianity is a global developement and that it is more than just a Westernized Religion. As an American Christian, I think this book gives a valuable perspective that challenges us to look at the Church and its past in a new light. Christianity has encountered cultures all across the globe since its beginning. Sunquist and Irvin retell the Christian story in a way that connects the dominant Western culture, with (but too often forgotten) the rest of the world. Great and helpful book!
Rating:
Summary: Wow, what a great book
Review: Wow, what a great book. these guys really know their stuff! I think my dad is the man, and Dale is an OK guy too. However, Rev. Dr. Mr. Scott Sunquist must watch out for his son, who might out-publish him!! Great book!!
Rating:
Summary: Wow, what a great book
Review: Wow, what a great book. these guys really know their stuff! I think my dad is the man, and Dale is an OK guy too. However, Rev. Dr. Mr. Scott Sunquist must watch out for his son, who might out-publish him!! Great book!!
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