Church History, Volume Two: From Pre-Reformation to the Present Day: The Rise and Growth of the Church in Its Cultural, Intellectual, and Political Context Author: John D. Woodbridge | Language: English | ISBN:
0310257433 | Format: EPUB
Church History, Volume Two: From Pre-Reformation to the Present Day: The Rise and Growth of the Church in Its Cultural, Intellectual, and Political Context Description
About the Author
John Woodbridge (PhD, University of Toulouse, France) is research professor of Church History and History of Christian Thought at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois, where he has taught since 1970. He was previously a senior editor of Christianity Today and is the author of Biblical Authority: A Critique of the Rogers/McKim Proposal and coauthor of Letters Along the Way. He is the editor of Great Leaders of the Christian Church and coeditor of works including The Mark of Jesus. Woodbridge is the recipient of four Gold Medallion Awards.
Frank A. James III (PhD, Oxford; PhD, Westminster Theological Seminary) is the president of Biblical Seminary in Hatfield, Pennsylvania. He is the author or editor of numerous works on the Reformation and has been a consultant and script writer for a historical documentary film series.
- Hardcover: 864 pages
- Publisher: Zondervan; 7.12.2013 edition (August 11, 2013)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0310257433
- ISBN-13: 978-0310257431
- Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.5 x 1.7 inches
- Shipping Weight: 3.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Other than some very academic church history texts often known to only Bible College or Seminary students, there is a seeming dearth of layman level church history books on the market today. Certainly there are some classic church history series available such as Philip Schaff's History of the Christian Church or perhaps Kenneth Lattourette's own multi-volume church history effort, not much other than history texts aimed at specific time periods is available. Professors John Woodbridge and Frank James in their book Church History Volume Two: From Pre-Reformation to the Present Day, provide an accessible and sufficiently thorough engagement of this period of church history.
This book is a follow up to Church History Volume One: From Christ to Pre-Reformation by Everett Ferguson, a valuable text in its own right. By continuing where Ferguson left off, Woodbridge and James take the reader on a journey from right before the time of the Reformation to the current day, addressing a number of key pivotal events and important characters that shaped Christendom as we know it today. Divided into 22 sections each engaging its respective time period and notable church leaders and movements, this book offers the reader with a valuable look into how the church moved from a time of Papal and Catholic dominancy to the multi-faceted nature of Evangelicalism of the current church climate. Additionally, Woodbridge and James engage something of great importance in the world today, that of the conflict between Christianity and Islam.
As one who enjoys matters of history yet is not what one would label as a "history buff", there are likely certain events and individuals Woodbridge and James left out of this text in favor of engaging other notable issues of church history.
I received a free copy of Church History, Volume 2 for the purpose of reviewing it.
Woodbridge and James do a fair job of presenting the facts. I deeply appreciated their desire to present the facts of history as objectively as possible. They make it clear from the Preface that "God works through sinners to accomplish his good purposes." With this statement we know that no mere man can be presented as the "hero" of history nor has there been a "golden age" when the church has finally gotten it right. We have been, are, and will continue to be sinners in deep need of God's grace. I see this as a strength of the text. It can be a temptation to idolize one particular movement, personality, or age. The authors go to lengths to avoid this. However, the weakness of this approach is that not all topics need to be addressed this way, and the ability to give true impartiality is a razor's edge. For example, it seems that the authors set up the discussion of women's roles in ministry in the 20th century to slant toward an egalitarian view. True balance can be difficult to achieve and present. While Woodbridge and James seems to strive for this, they do not always succeed.
The authors do a fair job in covering a vast amount of history in 800 pages. Depth and nuance must be jettisoned for the sake of brevity. The "For Further Study" section at the end of each chapter should serve as a great resources for those wishing to research a particular issue more in depth (thought those sections could be much more in depth). As a survey text book, there will be significant features skipped or passed over. This is inevitable. But on the whole this volume does what it says it will do. It also fills a real void in Christian publishing.
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