Turning Points: Decisive Moments in the History of Christianity [Paperback]

Mark A. Noll (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2001

Evangelicalism's premier historian provides a general introduction to church history.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Noll (Christian thought and church history, Wheaton Coll.) has taken the broad topic of the history of Christianity and given it a structure of turning points, focusing on individuals and events at key points in Christian history. The "turning points" put history into perspective and provide opportunity to add a human quality by often focusing on individuals while looking over particular events. Noll adds intimacy by opening each chapter with a hymn of the times and closing with a prayer of the period. When the hymn is familiar, it is particularly poignant. The book looks both at the historical roots and at the different paths the Christian church has taken, enabling readers of different backgrounds to appreciate the context for differences within the churches. This highly recommended work provides a thoughtful yet comprehensive framework for the history of Christianity.?George Westerlund, Providence P.L.,
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Back Cover

This popular introduction to church history now includes a comprehensive study section with application challenges for today's church, making the second edition of Turning Points all the more useful for students of church history and church study groups.

"This highly recommended work provides a thoughtful yet comprehensive framework for the history of Christianity."

-Library Journal

"Noll's treatment of the material is evenhanded, engaging and illuminating. This will be a useful text for readers seeking a historical framework within which to understand their Christian faith."

-Publishers Weekly

"An informative and inspiring survey of the history of Christianity designed for the general reader . . . . A thoughtful introduction to the two millennia of Christian history."

-Church History

Mark A. Noll is the McManis Professor of Christian Thought at Wheaton College. He is a leading historian with many works to his credit, including A History of Christianity in the United States and Canada and The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Baker Academic; 2 edition (February 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 080106211X
• ISBN-13: 978-0801062117
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #148,579 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

80 of 80 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Thoughtful, Engaging and Unique Overview of Church History August 20, 2001

By Todd Hudnall

Format:Paperback

Dr. Noll's reason for organizing church history around a series of "turning points" arose from his need to have a framework for teaching the history of Christianity to diverse groups. The author selects twelve defining moments in church history and uses them as entry points into the sweeping and potentially overwhelming events of the two-thousand-year history of the Christian Church. He hopes this method will bring order into a massively complicated subject, provide an opportunity to highlight moments that constitute the actual history of the church, and provide an opportunity to interpret why certain events may have marked an important fork in the road for the outworking of Christian history.

Turning Points was written for lay people and introductory students rather than for scholars. The style of writing is interesting, easy to read, and to the point. As such, it makes a great book for his audience. Though Noll is a Protestant evangelical, he is careful to avoid bias as he attempts to present Christianity as a worldwide religion. The book is a survey of church history but the thesis revolves around the importance of twelve defining moments within the two-thousand-year span. His selection of "turning points" include the Fall of Jerusalem (70), the Council of Nicaea (325), Benedict's monasticism (530), the coronation of Charlemagne (800), the schism of East and West (1054), the Reformation (1521), the English Reformation (1534), the founding of the Jesuits (1540), the conversion of the Wesleys (1738), the French Revolution (1789) and the Edinburgh Missionary Conference (1910). The book is chronologically arranged around each of these events. Conspicuously and intentionally Noll leaves off major events of the twentieth century, to be evaluated for significance from the preferred perspective of future generations. The author believes that book will have been successful if it "inspires others to think about why the turning points found here are not as important as other possibilities." There are many other possibilities that come to mind but Noll's list of most significant turning points is hard to dispute. Each chapter begins with a hymn and ends with a prayer from the era being addressed. This add an interesting flavor that sets the tone for the history Noll unfolds and then leaves you with a glimpse into the spiritual life of a contemporary to the event being studied.

There are obvious pros and cons to this style of writing history. When you are through reading "Turning Points" you feel like you've moved through the most significance events in the history of the church and some of the most momentous in human history. Such a whirlwind journey gives you a good feel for the chronology and sequence of each defining event. Because of Noll's ability to keep you moving along the plot line of the stories, the trip through history is an enjoyable journey. Along the way Noll shares interesting commentary from history itself. His historical exposition agrees with other church history work but without personal judgment or clearly biased commentary. He uses reliable evidence to demonstrate his observations, without stretching it to accomplish his agenda or prove his point.

Examining two thousand years of Church history by investigating the twelve most significant turning points in that history is a valuable method of covering such a large body of information in a condensed form. I highly recommend Turning Points as a thoughtful, engaging, and inspiring treatment of church history. The reader should realize the book is not meant to be comprehensive or by any means an exhaustive treatment of the subject. The book will give the novice a good overview of the history of Christianity and should provoke the curious student to further study.

47 of 47 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Splendid introdutory history of Christianity November 23, 2000

By Stephen M. Bainbridge

Format:Paperback

In my opinion, Mark Noll is the foremost (American) church historian of our generation. In a series of books, he has set forth biblically-grounded and scholarly rigorous treatment of a vast range of theological and historical issues. Almost single handedly he is has reversed the dearth of evangelical intellectualism.

Turning Points is one of Noll's most accessible books. Not a dry scholarly treatise, but rather a lively and well-written overview of 12 critical events in the history of Christianity. Noll's idea is that focusing on specific episodes not only allows for a more detailed treatment of each than would be possible in a comprehensive text, but also permits "more opportunity interpretive reflection." I think he was exactly right--he can go into considerable depth on each event, explaining why it was so significant.

Turning Points thus does not pretend to be a comprehensive narrative. For those looking for such a treatment, may I recommend Paul Johnson's "History of Christianity," which I regard as the finest one-volume comprehensive church history.

Like any list-making project, one can quibble with Noll's choices. He leaves out some of my favorite episodes (which is not exactly the right phrase, but you get my point). Not included are such events as the three Great Awakenings; the installation of John Paul II; the crusades; and so on. At the same time, however, it is hard to quibble with Noll's choices. Events like Nicea, Worms, the French Revolution, and so on were all major "turning points" that deserved comprehensive treatment.

As an adult convert to Catholicism from evangelicalism, I particularly appreciated Noll's objectivity and even-handedness. Without betraying his own evangelical tradition, Noll treats Catholicism eminently fairly.

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A great place to start a review of Christian history March 12, 1999

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

I'm just finishing this book and found it to be a thought provoking approach to the subject. Noll takes an openly evangelical approach to things, yet is very fair to the Catholics and the Orthodox. In fact, the chapters on monks and on orthodoxy were quite good. The format is also appealing, with each chapter bookended with hymns and prayers from the period being covered. The bibliography after each chapter is also very useful.