Church History in Plain Language, 3rd Edition [Paperback]

Bruce L. Shelley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 2, 2008

With more than 275,000 copies sold, this is the story of the Church for today's readers.

This third edition improves the most engaging and readable single-volume history of the Church by bringing the story into the twenty-first century. Faced with some astonishing changes in the Islamic world, a global resurgence of Roman Catholicism, the decline of Christianity in the West coupled with the rapid growth of evangelical and Pentecostal Christianity in the southern and eastern hemispheres, readers need a current explanation with intellectual substance that will provide historical context and update readers on all these new developments. The new edition of Church History in Plain Language does that in a stimulating manner, and it promises to be the new standard for readable Church History.

Features include:

• Includes contemporary developments, such as the growth of Christianity in China and the rise of global Islam

Product Details

• Paperback: 560 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson; 3rd edition (December 2, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0718025539
• ISBN-13: 978-0718025533
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,446 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #30 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Church History

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Made a class more enjoyable., May 18, 2009

By 

T. Blake "Rockbridge Seminary Student" (Online in China) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Church History in Plain Language, 3rd Edition (Paperback)

I purchased this book for a class. I expected the class to be a very long list of dates and names and... very boring. This book helped make the class very enjoyable. Needless to say, this book is NOT a very long and boring list of whatever. I don't feel like the book made me any type of Church History scholar, but that isn't its intent. It's a great introduction, very enjoyable and readable.

There are 49 short chapters, covering seven "The Age of": Jesus and the Apostles, Catholic Christianity, the Christian Roman Empire, the Christian Middle Ages, the Reformation, Reason and Revival, Progress, and Ideologies. The book is a pinch over 500 pages.

Shelley believes that "clarity is the first law of learning" and so, instead of inundating the reader with dates, names, events, etc., he gets to the plot of the story rather than to every single detail. He writes in his prologue, "Taking this 'issues' approach admittedly leaves plenty of gaps in the story. Some readers will wonder why certain important people or events are not included. But this approach has the advantage of showing to the layperson the contemporary significance of church history. Many of today's issues are not unique. They have a link with the past." And this is where I think Shelley's genius comes out. The question everyone asks in a history course is, "What has this got to do with life NOW?" Shelley answers that. He writes in such a way that the reader immediately sees the connections between what has happened and what is happening. One purpose of the book is to show that church history is relevant and I think it does that very well.

I recommend the book as an introductory reader for other Church History students.

37 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Very dissapointed, September 21, 2010

By 

Ambassidor for Christ (Idaho Falls, ID) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Church History in Plain Language, 3rd Edition (Paperback)

I received this book as part of school curriculum for my daughter to read as school work. I read the first chapter after my daughter read it and I was very disturbed that the author said "Jesus chose to begin by joining a new movement in the Judean wilderness led by a prophet name John." Jesus was baptized by John and was later lead by the Spirit into the wilderness, he didn't join any movement. Next he said that "John's call to repentance and righteousness drew Jesus to the Jordan. He (Jesus) found in John's message the truth of God, so to "fulfill all righteousness" he (Jesus) submitted to john's baptism and soon afterward began His own mission..." Basically what I found is that this author is saying that Jesus was just another man trying to start up a ministry.

Also it stated that Jesus "feared that His cures would be misinterpreted, and that people would see him as just another magician..."

Next "Jesus knew that he had a unique role in God's plan of redemtion, be he feared the traditional titles for a messianic redeemer." Jesus was God's plan of redemption and Jesus didn't fear anything man could do.

I really felt that this books misses the real diety of Christ and makes him out to be just a man with a plan.

My daughter will not be reading the ramainder of this book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Readable and fascinating, July 27, 2011

By 

M. Goodlin (Baltimore, MD United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Church History in Plain Language, 3rd Edition (Paperback)

Very readable - once I got started, this book kept me reading. Fascinating history of the church. I found out why there are Sunni and Shiite muslims, why the crusade happened, why the Inquisition was carried out. In perspective, these events made more sense. I like this book very much. Interesting and not boring at all.