Customer Reviews

Christianity (An American Heritage Book)

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Bainton has a lot of ground to cover in only 400 pages, but he does it well. While the entire book is interesting, the first quarter, which briefly describes the history of the Jews and focuses the early Christian era, is fascinating. The book proceeds to cover pretty much everything you'd expect: the Christianization of Rome, Byzantium, the Charlemagne and the Holy Roman Empire, Augustine and his philosophy, monasticism, the crusades, the Inquisition, Luther, Erasmus, the Reformation, Calvin and other Protestant movements, the endless power struggles between church and state, the religious wars of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the Enlightenment, and the role of Christianity in the modern era. I found the narrative to be very informative, balanced, and non-judgmental.

One of the book's strong points is that it briefly summarizes the philosophy of Christianity's leaders and key historical movements, and explains how they were a source of growth or conflict. The philosophical discussions can be a bit dry at times, but they are necessary. The history of Christianity is all about the history of ideas in conflict, and the power of various factions to promote or protect their ideas and to stifle those of their opponents.

Don't believe the reviewer who complains of Bainton's anti-Catholic bias. I believe it is perhaps the reviewer's own bias that is speaking here. Bainton is very fair and even-handed. He is equally critical of Protestant and Catholic atrocities, abuses and hypocrisy. But he is equally fair in his praise of Christian charity and its efforts toward social progress.

For me, reading this book underscored the wisdom of our nation's wall between church and state. Wherever church and state are combined, oppression and persecution are sure to follow. For centuries, Christian churches have tried to influence the state, and states and principalities have tried to enforce religious creeds, all at an unbelievable cost in human life. The great irony is that separating church and state has been beneficial for stabilizing both institutions. It is no accident that religion has flourished in this country, and that peace began to settle in Europe as emerging states began to enforce religious tolerance. Those who yearn for a strong religious influence in politics would be wise to read this book. History shows that there are precedents, and that the reality is not so appealing as the dream.

One minor complaint: It would have been nice for Bainton to include a bibliography or a "for further reading" list. The subject is so vast and his knowledge is so encyclopedic that I'm sure he could have made some excellent recommendations for armchair historians.

If you want to find out where modern Christianity comes from, this is your source book. Well, documented, fiercly objective, and no overly unnnecessary words. Dr. Bainton has managed to make a subject that could bore readers to death, totaly fascinating reading. Every person who considers him/her self a Christian should read this. It should be on the shelf right next to their Bible.

Though the book shows some promise in the first half, it becomes increasingly biased as it moves towards the Reformation. The auhtor is a congregational minister - no surprise.

A better read would be Karl Keating's "Catholicism and Fundamentalism", Thomas Aquinas' "Summa", and The Catechism of the Catholic Church"