The Compact Guide to the Christian Faith

Rating:
Summary: Great History..
Review: As a new born growing in Christ I found this book to be very refreshing. Easy to read and follow, the book is divided in to ten (10) sections with over 100 topics or 'questions' to the faith of Chrisianity. I felt that Mr. Schwarz was very fare in providing truthful infomation. I use this book now as the 'milk' needed for babes in Christ, not as a repalcement for the reading and studing of the Holy Scriptures, but as a supplament. Good place to start if you are new to Christ Jesus, great reference for those growing and maturing in our Lord, and a needed reminder for elder's serving God. Keep it simple and this book does.

Rating:
Summary: Great refrence material for Christianity 101!
Review: As a new born growing in Christ I found this book to be very refreshing. Easy to read and follow, the book is divided in to ten (10) sections with over 100 topics or 'questions' to the faith of Chrisianity. I felt that Mr. Schwarz was very fare in providing truthful infomation. I use this book now as the 'milk' needed for babes in Christ, not as a repalcement for the reading and studing of the Holy Scriptures, but as a supplament. Good place to start if you are new to Christ Jesus, great reference for those growing and maturing in our Lord, and a needed reminder for elder's serving God. Keep it simple and this book does.

Rating:
Summary: A superb bird's eye view of Bible & Christian faith!
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 and/or adult Bible classes, this book offers a marvelous introduction. The author is a business executive with a graduate theological degree who approaches the subject from a lay Christian perspective. His goal is to give you everything you need to know to get started in reading the Bible regularly and exploring the Christian faith in a depth that goes beyond what you are likely to gain by being a passsive listener to sermons or simply pooling your ignorance with that of others in some small discussion group (as in the case of so many so-called Bible study groups).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 for someone who knows next to nothing about the Bible or Christianity to begin, but Schwarz's book also contains helpful suggestions for further study.

Rating:
Summary: Great & Fair Overview!
Review: I was expecting another amount of fundamentalist-pentecostal-evangelical Christian rhetoric in terms of its explanation of other "cults" (not used in an insulting way but in a categorical way) and other religions, but I felt it gave a pretty good summary without placing too much emphasis on what you SHOULD believe.

He leaves room for you to decide. At least, that's what I felt from reading his chapter on talking about other religions.

This is a great overview of main-line Christianity.

Rating:
Summary: Great History..
Review: More of a history of The Christian faith. Could have been a perfect guide. A little overly detailed in parts. Not for the very new Christian.