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Summary: Thinking About Church History Read This Book
Review: I am a High School student and I read this book and it got me hooked and now I want to major in Church History in college.
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Summary: Excellent book
Review: I had to do a course for Bible College called "History of Christianity". We used this book to do the course and it was very informative. It is a pretty big book, but the language is really easy to follow even for someone fresh out of high school like myself. I can't believe how much information I have learned. This book is an excellent buy and very good to have in any home library.God bless
-Arica
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Summary: A history book that is enjoyable!
Review: I have been enjoying Shelley's Church History in Plain Language. Like most people's comments, I agree with their assessments that it is an easy-to-read book and very enjoyable, too. The author draws the reader into each new chapter. However, I was very much disappointed that there contains no index which might point specifically to where one can find information pertaining to the Apostle's Creed, or information on Gnostics, ... You have to search out which section of the book your topic/person/event/movement/word, ... might be located and then hunt or read each page in order to pinpoint the subject you were interested in researching. Very time-consuming!! Why on earth a good book would waste the opportunity to include a good specific index on each minor/major topic (written about in the book) befuddles me!
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Summary: An easy book to read
Review: I have often said that the major difference between the clergy and the laity is a working knowledge of church history. Knowledge of church history not only gives a person an understanding how Western civilization formed, but also how and why theological distinctives were accepted and/or jettisoned. This is an entertaining book to read. Shelley's style of writing will keep you flipping the pages eager to continue onto the end. He gives enough depth for the reader to understand exactly how and why events came to pass as they did without going overboard by putting the reader to sleep. It is a great book for anybody to read through who is interested in learning history and why the world is the way it is. Regarding this aspect, I heartily recommend Shelly's book for others to read. That having been said, I do have two caveats about the book. The first is style related. The author has seen fit to not include footnotes at the bottom of the page and to not include direct references in the text to the end notes that are included at the back of the book. Although the endnotes are divided up by chapter (thankfully) this still means a gallop through the back of the book if you want to reference a quote and that you need to read all of the chapter endnotes to determine which one applies to the quote your looking for. Annoying. Secondly, after the East-West Schism, don't look for anything written about the Orthodox church aside from random references because they simply aren't there. Hence the book, titled properly, should have been "Western Church History in Plain Language." All in all it is a good book which is easy to read and engaging; well worth the asking price.
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Summary: Book Is True To Its Title
Review: I really enjoyed this book, taking several weeks to read it. When I purchased the book, I was looking for a single volume church history book that was thorough, but easy to read. Also, I wanted a book that could be used for reference purposes. Shelley's book met these criteria. It's organized well, including concise two-three paragraph summaries of each chapter's content at the beginning of each chapter. I didn't want to go too deep into the subject of church history, but I also didn't want a watered-down version. I now feel more informed about this branch of history. I also have a greater appreciation of our christian heritage. Reading it has whet my appetite to read similar single volume works.
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Summary: Great book on an exciting subject
Review: I recieved this as a textbook for a church history class in college but didn't read it until after graduation. This is a wonderful book from a completely readable author. Some church history books come across as "dead history" but not this one. It shows the church as a living organism. Church history is exciting. He also shows warts as well as the beauty of our history. I read this book in about a week and totally enjoyed what felt like a conversation with the author. There is much to be learned from the church's past. As Thomas Aquinas said, "One can see much farther by standing on the shoulders of a giant than by stabbing him in the back".
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Summary: Bringing to life a long history.
Review: I was a bit daunted by the shear size of this book, but it turned out to be a fascinating read that I thoroughly enjoyed! It takes the reader throughout the ages, from the disciples to modern times. As a fairly new Christian, it filled in many of the blanks for me....such as who came before us, what struggles has the church encountered.....even simple questions such as
What is Church? or Where did all the denominations come from. Shelley did a wonderful job of bringing to life many of the characters. There were times I cried, times I was so proud of our forefathers and times I hung my head. Two things that struck me: 1. How many times we repeat ourselves....repeat mistakes. 2. How one single man can make a significant impact on history and the church when it is God's will. Thank God for his grace and mercy. Thank God for men willing to sacrifice. Thank God for loving me and you :)
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Summary: Great source for understanding the Church's evolution.
Review: It really helps me understand how we got to where we are today as a church. How mans interetation of scripture and politics has affected the church, and how decisions formed long ago affect us today. How Christians had the same questions and faced the same problems we do today. A great tool for good hermeneutics.
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Summary: A very white-washed history.
Review: It's a basic, glossed-over, history. Barely a mention of the Borgias.
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Summary: Great History book, but dismisses Orthodox
Review: Its a great book to learn about our past, but I have to say I wasn't impressed by his write up on Orthodox christians. He basicly said they turn to pagan churchs (all gold and icons) and left it like that. The Orthodox church is equal to the catholic and should of been more fully added. There are many wonderfull people and things about the Orthodox Church that should of been added. Also, he doesn't talk about the Byzantine Catholic at all (I can't remember, but it has been 6+months since i read it). The Byzantine empire was truly a holy city built for Christ, something that has never happend since. Untill the Turks and Catholics saked the place and left it defeated about more then 1000 years of being around. They deserve more room in the book, not just a passing remark.
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