A Handbook of the Christian Faith

Rating:
Summary: An all-around excellent basic reference
Review: Author John Schwarz applies both his worldly experience, his degree in Christian studies and his years of experience as a teacher at a Christian college and local church to A Handbook of the Christian Faith, a condensed, foundational text that discusses basic scriptures, history, beliefs, and practices that distinguish Christianity from other religions. Briefly touching upon many variants of Christianity from Catholicism to Pentecostalism to Mormonism, A Handbook of the Christian Faith is at heart a didactic and instructional text, enthusiastically recommended to anyone looking for a solid overview of what Christianity is all about. An easy-to-follow, well-researched, neatly presented, and all-around excellent basic reference.


Rating:
Summary: The Best Introduction to the Christian Faith for a Beginner
Review: For those who have never done any formal study of the Bible and the Christian faith beyond what they may have absorbed by attending church, this book offers a marvelous introduction. The author is a retired business executive with degrees in business, law and theology. His goal is to give the lay Christian everything he or she needs to know to get started in reading the Bible regularly and exploring the Christian faith in a depth that goes beyond what one is likely to gain by being a passsive listener to sermons or simply pooling your ignorance with that of others in some small discussion group.

What's the Bible all about? What are its essential contents? What is the difference between the Jewish and Christian Bible? How does the Apocrypha relate to the rest of the Bible? How does one interpret the Bible? What are the highlights of the Old Testament? the New Testament? How does this relate to the secular history of the time? What is a Gospel? Why are there Four Gospels in the New Testament, and what are the differences between them? Who was Paul and what contribution did he make to the development of Christianity? How did the Christian faith spread across the Roman Empire from the first century onward, and how did Christianity become a world faith? What has been the history of the Christian movement over the past 20 centuries? What are the major contours of Christian doctrine/theology? How does Christianity relate to other religions? How does one cultivate growth in understanding and practicing the faith? What are the hinderances to spiritual growth? How does one share the faith without proselytizing? How does a thoughtful, believing Christian face contemporary secular culture? How does one apply the teachings of the Ten Commandments, the Sermon on the Mount and the Parable of the Good Samaritan to our lives today? Who provide good models of what it means to be a Christian today?These and many other questions will be answered by John Schwarz in this simply written and non-technical book. I cannot think of a more helpful resource for adults who are serious about their faith and the desire to understand it better. This is a good place to begin to study the faith; howedver, Schwarz's book also contains helpful suggestions for further study. As one who is an expert in the field (I am a historian of early Christianity), I recommend this book without hesitation.

Rating:
Summary: One-Stop Handbook
Review: John Schwarz's Handbook of the Christian Faith covers an amazing distance in a short space. It concisely covers almost everything a beginner needs to know to understand accurately the height, depth, width, and breadth of Christianity. As a one-stop handbook, it offers the reader a little bit of everything: (a) an introduction to study tools (reference), (b) an introduction to the Bible (biblical studies), (c) an introduction to the Church (ecclesiology), (d) an introduction to basic beliefs (theology), (e) an introduction to other religions (apologetics), (f) an introduction to the Christian disciplines (spirituality), (g) and an introduction to Christian moral behavior (ethics).

A look at the Table of Contents underlines its comprehensiveness:

Chapter 1-- The Bible
Chapter 2-- The Old Testament
Chapter 3-- Jesus of Nazareth
Chapter 4-- The Gospels
Chapter 5-- The Outward Movement
Chapter 6-- The Church
Chapter 7-- Christian Beliefs
Chapter 8-- Other Religions
Chapter 9-- Growing In and Sharing Christ
Chapter 10-- Living Christianly

Having gone through several revisions, every page is carefully written and accurately presented, making it almost impossible for any reader to misunderstand. This book is ideal for small groups, adult Bible classes, ready reference, and any other forum in which Christianity can be easily misunderstood.