The Church on Its Past


Book Description

Essays range chronologically from Luke Gardiner's analysis of Socrates Scholasticus's retelling of the events of the reign of Theodosius I in the 440s, to John Wolffe's essay on modern religious history and the contemporary church.




Our Church


Book Description

For most people in England today, the church is simply the empty building at the end of the road, visited for the first time, if at all, when dead. It offers its sacraments to a population that lives without rites of passage, and which regards the National Health Service rather than the National Church as its true spiritual guardian. Here, Scruton argues that the Anglican Church is the forlorn trustee of an architectural and artistic inheritance that remains one of the treasures of European civilization. He contends that it is a still point in the centre of English culture and that its defining texts, the King James Bible and the Book of Common Prayer are the sources from which much of our national identity derives. At once an elegy to a vanishing world and a clarion call to recognize Anglicanism's continuing relevance, Our Church is a graceful and persuasive book.




Church History, Volume One: From Christ to the Pre-Reformation


Book Description

Church History, Volume One offers a unique contextual view of how the Christian church spread and grew from its development in the days of Jesus to the years leading up to the Reformation. Looking closely at the integral link between the history of the world and that of the church, Church History paints a portrait of God's people within its setting of times, cultures, and events that both influenced and were influenced by the church. FEATURES: Maps, charts, and illustrations spanning the time from the first through the thirteenth centuries. Overviews of the Roman, Greek, and Jewish worlds and how they developed or declined. Insights into the church's relationship to the Roman Empire, with glimpses into pagan attitudes toward Christians. Explanations of the role of art, architecture, literature, and philosophy—both sacred and secular—in the Church. Details on the major theological controversies of the periods. Each chapter also contains callout passages from Scripture to assist in understanding the narrative of the Church, even to the present day, as part of the greater narrative of the Bible. AUTHOR'S PERSPECTIVE: Scholar and writer Everett Ferguson wrote this history of the church from the perspective that such a history is the story of the greatest movement and community the world has known. It's a human story of a divinely called people who wanted to live by a divine revelation. It's a story of how they succeeded and how they failed or fell short of their calling. From the Apostle Paul to the apologists and martyrs of the second century to Martin Luther, the historical figures detailed are people who have struggled with the meaning of the greatest event in history—the coming of the Son of God—and with their role in that event and in the lives of God's people.




Why Study the Past?


Book Description

In this small but thoughtful volume, a respected theologian and churchman opens up a theological approach to history.




A History of the Church in 100 Objects


Book Description

Winner of two Catholic Press Association Awards: Design and Production (Second Place) and History (Honorable Mention). The star of Bethlehem exemplifies the birth of Jesus, the Wittenberg Door is synonymous with the Protestant Reformation, and “the pill” symbolizes the sexual revolution. It’s “stuff” that helps tell the story of Christianity. In this unique, rich, and eye-catching book, popular Catholic author and EWTN host Mike Aquilina tells the Christian story through the examination of 100 objects and places. Some, like Michelangelo's Pietà, are priceless works of art. Others, like a union membership pen, don’t hold much monetary value. But through each of them, Aquilina offers a memorable and rewarding look at the history of the Church. When Catholics tell their story, they don’t just write it in books. They preserve it in memorials, monuments, artifacts, and museums. They build grand basilicas to house tiny relics. In this stunning book, Aquilina, together with his writer-daughter Grace, show how the history of the Church didn’t take place shrouded in the mists of time. It actually happened and continues to happen through things that we can see and sometimes hold in our hand. The Christian answer to Neil MacGregor's New York Times bestseller A History of the World in 100 Objects, Aquilina’s A History of the Church in 100 Objects introduces you to: The Cave of the Nativity (the importance of history, memory, and all things tangible) Catacomb niches (the importance of Rome, bones, and relics of the faith) Ancient Map of the World (the undoing of myths about medieval science) Stained Glass (representative of Gothic cathedrals) The Holy Grail (Romance literature and the emergence of writing for the laity) Loaves and fish (a link from Jesus to the sacrament of the Eucharist) The Wittenberg Door (Martin Luther and the onset of the Reformation) Each of these and the 93 other items and places in the book tell part of the Christian story. Each is an essential piece of the story of our salvation. God makes himself known and accessible through material things, always accommodating himself to our condition. It is, after all, the condition he created for us—spiritual and material—and the form he assumed for our salvation.




A History of the Church Through Its Buildings


Book Description

Allan Doig explores the Christian Church through the lens of twelve particular churches, looking at their history, archaeology, and how the buildings changed over time in response to developing usage and beliefs.




Church History, Volume Two: From Pre-Reformation to the Present Day


Book Description

Church History, Volume Two chronicles the events, the triumphs, and the struggles of the Christian movement from the years leading up to the Reformation through the next five centuries to the present-day. Looking closely at the integral link between the history of the world and that of the church, Church History paints a portrait of God's people within the context of the times, cultures, and developments that both influenced and were influenced by the church. FEATURES: Maps, charts, and illustrations spanning the time from the thirteenth century to today. Explanations of all the major denominational movements, traditions, and schisms during and after the Reformation. Overviews of the Christian movement in Africa, eastern Europe, Asia, and Latin America to cover the scope of the ecumenical environment of the twenty-first century. Insights into the role and influence of politics, culture and societal norms, and technology on the Western church. Unbiased details on the major theological controversies and issues of each period. AUTHORS' PERSPECTIVE: Authors John D. Woodbridge and Frank A. James III wrote this history of the church from the perspective that such a history is the story of the greatest movement and community the world has known—as imperfect as it still is. It's a human story of a divinely called people who want to live by a divine revelation. It's a story of how they succeeded and how they failed and of how they are still trying to live out their calling. From the Reformation theologians in Europe to the revivalists, apologists, and Christian thinkers all over the world, the historical figures detailed are people who have struggled with the meaning of the greatest event in history—the coming of the Son of God—and with their role in that event and in the lives of God's people.




The Church in History


Book Description

A standard survey of the history of the Christian church from A.D. 33 to modern times, The Church in History by B. K. Kuiper has long been the textbook of choice for many secondary schools and Bible institutes, having sold well over 150,000 copies since first published more than a half century ago. Detailed and fact-filled yet balanced and readable, this volume offers a panoramic view of the church's growth worldwide throughout the past 2,000 years, including a comprehensive section on the church in the United States and Canada. With close to 300 photographs, maps, and timelines throughout and thought-provoking study questions at the end of each chapter, The Church in History is an excellent introductory resource for students or for anyone wanting to better understand the history of the church.




A History of the Church in Africa


Book Description

Bengt Sundkler's long-awaited book on African Christian churches will become the standard reference for the subject.




Church History for Modern Ministry


Book Description

Many Christians believe that church history belongs in the past. Pastor Dayton Hartman disagrees. He argues that church history is not old news, but a tradition that brings depth and vitality to today's ministry. In Church History for Modern Ministry, Hartman explores the importance of church history and its relevance for addressing contemporary church issues. He discusses the impact of the early church fathers and the value of incorporating the creeds into weekly worship. Today's believers have much to gain from learning the history of the church. Their faithfulness, discipleship, and perseverance have built a strong foundation from which we can take the message of the gospel into the future.--Publisher description.