2,000 Years of Christ's Power: Part One: The Age of the Early Church Fathers

Rating:
Summary: Orthodox Christian reader
Review: I picked up Needham's book on a visit to England last fall. It is an excellent volume on early Church history. Written in a style that is easy to read and understand and easily holds one's interest, in my opinion it contains information every serious Christian should know but is rarely talked about. Most Christians think of Christian history only in terms of the last 500 years--since the Protestant Reformation in the 1500's. In fact, the foundations of our Christian faith were laid rather in the first 500 years of Church history, which Needham does a thorough job of presenting. I recommend it highly!

Rating:
Summary: Orthodox Christian reader
Review: I picked up Needham's book on a visit to England last fall. It is an excellent volume on early Church history. Written in a style that is easy to read and understand and easily holds one's interest, in my opinion it contains information every serious Christian should know but is rarely talked about. Most Christians think of Christian history only in terms of the last 500 years--since the Protestant Reformation in the 1500's. In fact, the foundations of our Christian faith were laid rather in the first 500 years of Church history, which Needham does a thorough job of presenting. I recommend it highly!

Rating:
Summary: An exciting overview
Review: Needham has done an excellent job with this 4-book series of giving his readers a big-picture of Church History. He does not cover material at great depth, but deals with the major characters, issues, and events that have shaped the history of the Christian church in enough detail to leave his readers with a good idea of how they each fit together in space and time.

The first book is concerned with the period of the Church Fathers; the second, the Middle Ages (including the foundation and early character of Islam); the third, the Reformation; and the fourth, the Post-reformation to the Modern age.

Needham correctly believes that Christians today can learn and profit from the lessons of the past: the battles that have already been fought, the issues that have already been debated, the leaders who have come before us, etc. And he is able to present all this information in a manner that leaves Christians excited about the great work Christ has done through His church, from the first century through to our own day.

Rating:
Summary: An exciting overview
Review: Needham has done an excellent job with this 4-book series of giving his readers a big-picture of Church History. He does not cover material at great depth, but deals with the major characters, issues, and events that have shaped the history of the Christian church in enough detail to leave his readers with a good idea of how they each fit together in space and time.

The first book is concerned with the period of the Church Fathers; the second, the Middle Ages (including the foundation and early character of Islam); the third, the Reformation; and the fourth, the Post-reformation to the Modern age.

Needham correctly believes that Christians today can learn and profit from the lessons of the past: the battles that have already been fought, the issues that have already been debated, the leaders who have come before us, etc. And he is able to present all this information in a manner that leaves Christians excited about the great work Christ has done through His church, from the first century through to our own day.

Rating:
Summary: A Gem of a Survey
Review: This is simply one of the most enjoyable and readable surveys of the early church that I have ever read! Dr. Needham's goal for this series is to strike a much needed balance between accessibility for the non-specialist, and scholarly integrity. In this first volume, he accomplishes this task admirably, and both the interested layman, and more advanced student can profit from this text.

Dr. Needham does a commendable job tying the events of church history to their broader historical and philosophical context. His treatment of the many complex theological debates that shaped the early church is both clear and concise, and his exposition of the worship and practice of the early church is both fascinating and refreshing.

The end of each chapter has a section of carefully selected primary source materials, which serve to give the reader limited exposure to the writings of some of the figures discussed in the preceding chapter. Several helpful but unspectacular maps can be found within, along with over a dozen illustrations. A nice glossary of terms and bibliography can also be found at the back.

Thus far my only major criticism of this book would have to be the binding. Simply put, it is rather cheap and unlikely to take much wear. That not withstanding, I can't recommend this text enough, and eagerly look forward to the other volumes in this series.

Rating:
Summary: A Gem of a Survey
Review: This is simply one of the most enjoyable and readable surveys of the early church that I have ever read! Dr. Needham's goal for this series is to strike a much needed balance between accessibility for the non-specialist, and scholarly integrity. In this first volume, he accomplishes this task admirably, and both the interested layman, and more advanced student can profit from this text.

Dr. Needham does a commendable job tying the events of church history to their broader historical and philosophical context. His treatment of the many complex theological debates that shaped the early church is both clear and concise, and his exposition of the worship and practice of the early church is both fascinating and refreshing.

The end of each chapter has a section of carefully selected primary source materials, which serve to give the reader limited exposure to the writings of some of the figures discussed in the preceding chapter. Several helpful but unspectacular maps can be found within, along with over a dozen illustrations. A nice glossary of terms and bibliography can also be found at the back.

Thus far my only major criticism of this book would have to be the binding. Simply put, it is rather cheap and unlikely to take much wear. That not withstanding, I can't recommend this text enough, and eagerly look forward to the other volumes in this series.