The Church and the Age of Reason, 1648-1789 (Hist of the Church) [Mass Market Paperback]

Gerald R. Cragg (Author)

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics); Rev Rep edition (January 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140137610
• ISBN-13: 978-0140137613
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #927,828 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Worthy and interesting, November 16, 2001

By 

Wayne Symes (Doha, Qatar) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Church and the Age of Reason, 1648-1789 (Hist of the Church) (Mass Market Paperback)

This is a good summary of what was happening in the European Christian church during the period mentioned in the title (although in the interests of context it does look at events that occur either side of the dates). In particular, this book is strongest when it analyses the impact that changes in society were having upon the Church. The basic format is for each chapter to focus on one particular country for one section of the period.

One of my criticisms of the book is that 5 of the 15 chapters (plus an introduction and an epilogue) focus on England and 2 focus on France. Of the 8 remaining chapters; Germany, Scotland, Russia (and the Eastern churches) and the New World rate a chapter each, while the other 4 look at the impact of specific cultural changes. It does come across as being very Anglo-centric.

Another negative about the book is that the writing style can be a little pedestrian at times. Yes, this is history, but there are plenty of history books around that make it clear that you can write history (and remain accurate and factual) while still being a page-turner.

While this sounds quite critical, I did enjoy reading the book. The period (between the enormous changes of both the Reformation and the French Revolution) is a fascinating one and there is much in this book that has prompted me to want to read more. Cragg's footnotes and bibliography point in some good directions for doing so. In reality, if there were half stars I would rate this one 3 1/2, but my criticisms mean that I have to lean toward the 3.