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Handbook of the Christian Faith, A

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Author John Schwarz applies both his worldly experience, his degree in Christian studies and his years of experience as a teacher at a Christian college and local church to A Handbook of the Christian Faith, a condensed, foundational text that discusses basic scriptures, history, beliefs, and practices that distinguish Christianity from other religions. Briefly touching upon many variants of Christianity from Catholicism to Pentecostalism to Mormonism, A Handbook of the Christian Faith is at heart a didactic and instructional text, enthusiastically recommended to anyone looking for a solid overview of what Christianity is all about. An easy-to-follow, well-researched, neatly presented, and all-around excellent basic reference.

I picked this book up while browsing in a bookstore and it was perfect for an introduction to the Christian faith. It presents a concise yet comprehensive overview of both the Old Testament and New Testament, a good overview of Christian History, (which highlights the important figures in church history all the way from the 1st century until now), a chapter on understanding Christian doctrine, a section on comparing Christianity with other religions, and concluding chapters on spiritual growth, evangelism, and living the Christian life. The author presents a mainline evangelical viewpoint. This book is worth checking out, either for new believers or for a friend who is seeking to know more about the Christian faith. Highly recommended!

"Who wrote the Bible?" "Why did the church divide into Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Protestant, and then into so many Protestant denominations?" "What is the difference between Christianity and Mormonism or New Age religion?" If you have asked these questions or wondered anything else about the Christian faith, this book will probably have the answer.

A HANDBOOK OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH by John Schwarz, is a wealth of information with the answers to those questions and many more. The first half of the book covers the Bible - the Old Testament, life of Jesus, the gospels, epistles and other writings of the New Testament.
The second half discusses the history of the church, doctrines and beliefs and goes into other religions and beliefs. In these ten chapters you can find just about everything you ever wanted to know. As I read through it, I was impressed with how much usable information was contained in just 288 pages.

This is the perfect book for the new Christian who wants a `catch-up' course on what their new belief is all about and for those seasoned Christians who want to 'tie up loose ends.'

It is well organized, easy to navigate and easy to understand. I was happy to see that the detailed Table of Contents and excellent Index make it easy to find information and quick answers. It has already been a useful addition to my reference library.

John Schwarz's Handbook of the Christian Faith covers an amazing distance in a short space. It concisely covers almost everything a beginner needs to know to understand accurately the height, depth, width, and breadth of Christianity. As a one-stop handbook, it offers the reader a little bit of everything: (a) an introduction to study tools (reference), (b) an introduction to the Bible (biblical studies), (c) an introduction to the Church (ecclesiology), (d) an introduction to basic beliefs (theology), (e) an introduction to other religions (apologetics), (f) an introduction to the Christian disciplines (spirituality), (g) and an introduction to Christian moral behavior (ethics).

A look at the Table of Contents underlines its comprehensiveness:

Chapter 1-- The Bible
Chapter 2-- The Old Testament
Chapter 3-- Jesus of Nazareth
Chapter 4-- The Gospels
Chapter 5-- The Outward Movement
Chapter 6-- The Church
Chapter 7-- Christian Beliefs
Chapter 8-- Other Religions
Chapter 9-- Growing In and Sharing Christ
Chapter 10-- Living Christianly

Having gone through several revisions, every page is carefully written and accurately presented, making it almost impossible for any reader to misunderstand. This book is ideal for small groups, adult Bible classes, ready reference, and any other forum in which Christianity can be easily misunderstood.

For those who have never done any formal study of the Bible and the Christian faith beyond what they may have absorbed by attending church, this book offers a marvelous introduction. The author is a retired business executive with degrees in business, law and theology. His goal is to give the lay Christian everything he or she needs to know to get started in reading the Bible regularly and exploring the Christian faith in a depth that goes beyond what one is likely to gain by being a passsive listener to sermons or simply pooling your ignorance with that of others in some small discussion group.

What's the Bible all about? What are its essential contents? What is the difference between the Jewish and Christian Bible? How does the Apocrypha relate to the rest of the Bible? How does one interpret the Bible? What are the highlights of the Old Testament? the New Testament? How does this relate to the secular history of the time? What is a Gospel? Why are there Four Gospels in the New Testament, and what are the differences between them? Who was Paul and what contribution did he make to the development of Christianity? How did the Christian faith spread across the Roman Empire from the first century onward, and how did Christianity become a world faith? What has been the history of the Christian movement over the past 20 centuries? What are the major contours of Christian doctrine/theology? How does Christianity relate to other religions? How does one cultivate growth in understanding and practicing the faith? What are the hinderances to spiritual growth? How does one share the faith without proselytizing? How does a thoughtful, believing Christian face contemporary secular culture? How does one apply the teachings of the Ten Commandments, the Sermon on the Mount and the Parable of the Good Samaritan to our lives today? Who provide good models of what it means to be a Christian today?These and many other questions will be answered by John Schwarz in this simply written and non-technical book. I cannot think of a more helpful resource for adults who are serious about their faith and the desire to understand it better. This is a good place to begin to study the faith; howedver, Schwarz's book also contains helpful suggestions for further study. As one who is an expert in the field (I am a historian of early Christianity), I recommend this book without hesitation.

I really enjoyed this book. It is very informative and was helpful. Highly recommend for anyone interested in an overview of Christianity.

i've read over ten outlines in this vien. read, 'compact guide to christian life' by karen lee thorp' it's much better.