Customer Reviews

Chronological and Background Charts of Church History

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book of charts is part of a series covering the Old Testament, the New Testament, Church History, Christian Doctrine, Philosophy, etc.

I own several, and this one is a solid 3 1/2 stars. It provides a systematic overview of significant events of Church History in a format easily accessible by the informed layman.

The volume is, however, heavily weighted in favor of the "Reformed" branch of Protestant Christianity -- and this needs to be understood for any layman or member of the clergy who might choose to use it.

This being said, unlike points of philosophy or theology, history deals with facts in a more concrete fashion. Thus, while too much effort is spent, in my opinion, on a minority view within Protestantism, the presentation is historical, rather than doctrinal. The obvious bias does limits the ultimate value of this book for Catholic or Orthodox readers.

Nevertheless, this would still be a good book for the "informed layman" or for a church library.

I've had to buy several of these charts books for my classes. This one seems to be a bit more helpful and lot less biased than the ones I've had on other topics.

There are definitely theological leanings evident, but that is admitted up front and most stuff is dealt with even-handedly. Also, we're talking two thousand years of history--there is bound to be some selectivity going on. I feel Mr. Walton does a darn good job here.

Let's face it, Charts do not make for riveting reading. This book will be useful as a supplement to anyone wanting to study Church History (I'm sure glad I have it). The key word is "supplement." Don't try and read this by itself unless you're trying to cure insomnia.

Sure, this book has a few errors in it, and some of the descriptions lean a bit too heavily toward a Reformed conservative-evangelical perspective. Still, considering the massive amounts of information that it compresses into such small spaces, it's an excellent resource. I would especially recommend it to persons who are using _Christian History Made Easy_ (from Rose Publishing)--the two books make a perfect pair, with the book of charts providing basic information and _Christian History Made Easy_ giving the context and filling in the gaps. Buy 'em both and learn nearly everything you need to know about church history in the simplest possible formats!

This workbook is a wonderful aid to the student of church history. Putting the major movements of the development of the Christian church into chart form, this book will give you a ready reference to put people and important church situations in chronological context. Most charts include brief statements of appropriate theology or doctrine, allowing the student to quickly glance at the movement of the church. I'd highly recommend this as a resource to anyone interested in church history.

This book provides charts and outlines that provide a concise overview of Church History and highlights. It is a good template that can be used to design Sunday school or history lessons.

As the Zondervan Charts series presents a well formatted product, Chronological And Background Charts of Church History: Revised And Expanded Edition by Robert C. Walton is an accurate and precise history of the past 2000 years of the Christian Church. Church History is an expansive and highly informative look into the entirety of the Christian Church's history, and is highly recommended as an excellent reference for both clergy and lay members of the Christian Church.

I teach an adult Sunday School class, so I have several books/resources like this to help illustrate complex concepts or historic events. Since so many individuals lack knowledge of church history I have tried to weave perspectives from the past into current discussions. This Book of Charts is a convenient and valuable resource.

What might improve this volume? I would propose that each page be perforated 1/2 inch from the binding. That might add to the expense, but it would certainly make removing the pages more convenient.

I have found this book to be very well equipped to accurately display the history of the Church! God Bless!!

This is a new title in this series which concentrates the essentials of Christian Church History into a series of diagrams and tables that put this information at your finger tips rapidly. Wonderful source for lectures. Great place to start if you are learning the subject for the first time. It keeps you from getting lost in the details.

Nothing really beats a good chart that can lay out similarities and differences when you are studying historical events, theological tenants or similar items. Likewise charts are excellent for illustrating a time line or listings or items. This book excels in putting together teaching charts of all sorts of information in a form where it is easy to understand. Examples of the types of charts included in this text include a Timeline of Church History, The Divine Sovereignty and Free Will debate through the centuries, Branches of Eastern Orthodox Christianity, Early Symbols of Christianity, Apostolic Fathers and Early Writings, Development of the New Testament Canon, Ante-Nicene Heresies, Ancient Church Heresies, Women in the Ancient Church, The Crusades, Major Monastic Orders, Protestant Creeds of the Reformation Era, European Revivals, Major Indigenous Christian Religious Movements in Africa, Translations of the Bible into English, Religion in the Thirteen Colonies, Denominational Schisms over Slavery, Black Denominations in the United States, and Family Trees of the major American Christian groups. These are only a few of the 126 charts presented in this book. An excellent choice for studying church history, Chronological and Background Charts of Church History is highly recommended.