The Shape of Christian History


Book Description

How should thoughtful Christians—especially historians and missiologists—make sense of global Christianity as an unfolding historical movement? Highlighting both the continuity and the diversity within the Christian movement over the centuries, this comprehensive resource from Scott Sunquist offers a framework for how to read and write church history.




The Birth of Christian History


Book Description

The first comprehensive account to explore the beginnings of early Christian history writing, tracing its origin to the Gospel of Mark and Luke-Acts When the Gospel writings were first produced, Christian thinking was already cognizant of its relationship to ancient memorial cultures and history-writing traditions. Yet, little has been written about exactly what shaped the development of early Christian literary memory. In this eye-opening new study, Eve-Marie Becker explores the diverse ways in which history was written according to the Hellenistic literary tradition, focusing specifically on the time during which the New Testament writings came into being: from the mid-first century until the early second century CE. While acknowledging cases of historical awareness in other New Testament writings, Becker traces the origins of this historiographical approach to the Gospel of Mark and Luke-Acts. Offering a bold new framework, Becker shows how the earliest Christian writings shaped “Christian” thinking and writing about history.




The History of Christian Thought


Book Description

A society with no grasp of its history is like a person without a memory. This is particularly true of the history of ideas. This book is an ideal introduction to the thinkers who have shaped Christian history and the culture of much of the world. Writing in a lively, accessible style, Jonathan Hill takes us on an enlightening journey from the first to the twenty first centuries. He shows us the key Christian thinkers through the ages - ranging from Irenaeus, Origen, Augustine and Aquinas through to Luther, Wesley, Kierkegaard and Barth - placing them in their historical context and assessing their contribution to the development of Christianity.




Christian History Made Easy Leader Guide


Book Description

People and Events Every Christian Should Know In this 12-session DVD-based study, Dr. Timothy Paul Jones takes you through the most important events in Christian history from the time of the apostles to today. He brings to life the fascinating people and events that shaped our world. This isn’t dry names and dates. It’s full of dramatic stories told with a touch of humor. This series, based on Dr. Jones’s popular award-winning book Christian History Made Easy, ties in spiritual lessons believers can glean by looking at the past, and shows how God was still working in his church despite all the ups and downs. You will learn: • The fascinating stories of people such as St. Patrick, Martin Luther, and Augustine. • People who changed history: Constantine, Charlemagne, and Francis of Assisi • How we got the Bible that we read today — John Wycliffe, William Tyndale and others. • The Middle Ages and the Reformation: Kings and Queens, Monks and Reformers • Where church doctrines and practices originated. • How the Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant churches came to be. • Reason and Revival - How modernity and the scientific revolution affected Christianity. • How Christianity has spread around the world You don’t have to be an expert to lead this 12-session study. Perfect for small groups, Bible studies, or personal use. Ages: Young adult to adult. The Sessions The 12 sessions cover major eras and topics with plenty of stories and humor. You’ll cover the early church, monasticism, medieval conflicts, the Protestant Reformation, the Great Awakening, 19th-century missions, modernity, and postmodernism.




Readings in World Christian History: Earliest Christianity to 1453


Book Description

This companion to "History of the World Christian Movement explores how varied and multi-cultural Christian origins and history really are.




How Africa Shaped the Christian Mind


Book Description

Thomas C. Oden surveys the decisive role of African Christians and theologians in shaping the doctrines and practices of the church of the first five centuries, and makes an impassioned plea for the rediscovery of that heritage. Christians throughout the world will benefit from this reclaiming of an important heritage.




The Changing Shape of Church History


Book Description

New, different readings of church history are finally reflecting Christianity s deep roots in every culture worldwide. Gonz lez listens to voices from centers other than the North Atlantic to help us see a different perspective of church history -a global story that includes those previously marginalized -as he offers us a hopeful outlook for the future of world Christianity.




Story-Shaped Worship


Book Description

In Story-Shaped Worship Robbie Castleman attempts nothing less than to uncover the fundamental shape of worship. Right worship doesn't require a traditionalist return to earlier forms of church, she argues, but a fresh response to God in light of the revealed patterns of worship we find in the Bible and church history.




The Earliest History of the Christian Gathering


Book Description

Recent research has made a strong case for the view that Early Christian communities, sociologically considered, functioned as voluntary religious associations. This is similar to the practice of many other cultic associations in the Greco-Roman world of the first century CE. Building upon this new approach, along with a critical interpretation of all available sources, this book discusses the social and religio-historical background of the weekly gatherings of Christians and presents a fresh reconstruction of how the weekly gatherings originated and developed in both form and content. The topics studied here include the origins of the observance of Sunday as the weekly Christian feast-day, the shape and meaning of the weekly gatherings of the Christian communities, and the rise of customs such as preaching, praying, singing, and the reading of texts in these meetings.




Plain Theology for Plain People


Book Description

Everyday Christians need practical and accessible theology. In this handbook first published in 1890, Charles Octavius Boothe simply and beautifully lays out the basics of theology for common people. "Before the charge 'know thyself,'" Boothe wrote, "ought to come the far greater charge, 'know thy God.'" He brought the heights of academic theology down to everyday language, and he helps us do the same today. Plain Theology for Plain People shows that evangelicalism needs the wisdom and experience of African American Christians. Walter R. Strickland II reintroduces this forgotten masterpiece for today. Lexham Classics are beautifully typeset new editions of classic works. Each book has been carefully transcribed from the original texts, ensuring an accurate representation of the writing as the author intended it to be read.