Customer Reviews

The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Reformation and Protestantism

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you liked Complete Idiot's Guide to The Bible, then you'll like this one. I've known Jim Bell from his well-known Christian books, so I'm glad to see the Idiot's people have picked up one of the best for their religion books. He really breaks down what Protestants believe and why in an easy to understand way that doesn't make you feel stupid. I'm going to use this in my Bible class over the summer.

I found this book to be an engaging and interesting overview of events that constitute the roots of today's protestant "church". It provided me with a framework from which much "church" history can be understood. It includes Apostle Paul, papal history, Anabaptists and relationships between protestant denominations. Although lightweight in many areas, it covers a wide range of church history, which makes it very readable. Many topics may not go into as much depth as you like but there is enough to identify interest. This lack of depth is what makes the book so readable, never becoming bogged down in uninteresting topics, it keeps moving while providing stepping stones for additional reading.

What I did not like about the book is its tendency to deviate from a mostly chronological presentation. I found this was particularly annoying in the first several chapters. Later, I got use to it. There are "Protestant Pearls" (quotes) thrown throughout the book. Literally, they seem to have been thrown, having no relationship to the text. I think they should have been presented in the context of the relevant text. I would liken it to getting blips within a documentary movie have no bearing on the current scene. I found them distracting, breaking the flow so to speak. I adjusted by reading the "pearls" separately or when reviewing previously read text.

Overall, this book provides an excellent introduction to the history of Christianity in general and the Protestant Reformation in particular. The first 20 chapters that cover the period from the dawn of Christiantiy through 19-th century Europe are written extraordinarily well. I thorougly enjoyed reading this portion of the book. Unfortunately, the style and quality of the book change abruptly beginning with Chapter 21 through to the end - and the change is definitely for the worse. That portion of the book covers the impact of the Protestant Reformation on North America. Since there are two authors, it appears to me that the work was divvied up between them, with one of them writing the bulk of the book and the other writing the last few chapters. Unfortunately, the editor has done a very poor job of ensuring a consistent style and quality throughout. In summary: I highly recommend the first 20 chapters, but if you are particularly interested in reading about the impact of Protestantism on America, don't be surprised if you are disappointed.

This is a wonderful book which explains the development of Christianity from the death of Jesus, right up to the present time. I expected to mainly find Martin Luther expounded upon, but have learned from this book that he was only one of many many reformers. An excellent source of information , written with a touch of humor and much spiritual insight and depth of explaination.

I heartily dislike the title but the information between the book's covers is very helpful in understanding the big picture of the Reformation. It's a good reference book and one I highly recommend.

This book is definitely worth the read if you are interested in the flow, significant players and logic behind the Reformation. It tries not to take sides but I am sure Catholics who read it will find it biased and Protestants will feel the same way. Then again, that's what the Reformation was and is all about.

I am not certain that this is the "best" book on the Reformation, but I am sure that it holds a wealth of wisdom. I did not read it from beginning to ending (it really didn't seem to follow an order that worked doing it that way), but rather have kept it in my library to use as a resource when looking up specific topics.

At the same time, the early history of the church itself can be very helpful for someone who doesn't know a lot about this area, and who might need a complete course. If so, this lighthearted (at times) can give good insight into the way the church grew into the way it is today.

A quick caution if you use it more as a reference book. Terms are defined the first time they are used, and so words like "diet" and "bull" might be confusing. Sadly, the book does not include a glossary, so you are on your own in this area.

I bought this book while earnestly attempting to understand the Reformation movement. I really had nothing else to compare it to, but based on reviews of the same, I was trusting that this would accurately reflect the past and present status of this movement. In that regard, I found much of the information provided to be helpful and am grateful for that. However, being a Catholic, at first I was angry and then honestly had to laugh at many parts along the way. The misinformation and negative references to Catholicism were peppered throughout. Is there a dark history of the Catholic Church? Certainly -- who's debating that? But, c'mon folks, do you really think that all Catholics are bad, misled people going to hell? Honestly? In the spirit of ecumenism (referenced on page 345) I respectfully suggest to all readers that if they get to the end of this book and feel angered once again at us darn Catholics that they do what I am trying to do -- their homework -- to try and understand the other side. In that vein, I recommend you read the Catechism of the Catholic Church as an excellent resource if you are ever truly interested in learning more. Or, if you feel more comfortable doing so, I respectfully suggest you read anything by Scott Hahn -- a highly learned, respected non-Catholic Christian who, after doing his homework, converted to the Catholic Church. PLEASE don't short change yourself and assume, as these authors seem to imply with their continuous targeting of the Roman Catholic Church, that everything tied to "bad religion" in this world was and is still somehow the fault of the Catholic Church. You are taught, among other things, as Protestants to use the glorious brain God gave you to think, read and question (which we are also taught as Catholics, by the way, with the caveat that we need to augment this with a properly formed conscience) -- now is a great time to use it by reviewing the resources I suggested herein. God Bless.

Well written, informative. If you want information about Martin Luther and the Reformation and the effect it had on Europe & America, this is an easy read.

When we seem to be in a time of religious demagogues shouting about how the world is "going to hell" this book is very refreshing. It is fact based, easy to read and well designed. It is a well written and appropriate for all ages. The information is referenced and easy to locate. For those who think they know their denomination/religion and/or the protestant bible this is a must read.