Christianity: A Global History (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "During the last year of his reign over the Roman province of Judea, King Herod the Great (73-4 B.C.E.) erected a magnificent statue of a..." (more)
Key Phrases: nonchurch movement, holy kinship, diabolical witchcraft, Jesus Christ, United States, Roman Empire (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

David Chidester is an American academic who teaches in South Africa. He is modest enough to use an old joke against himself. When Chidester told Archbishop Tutu he taught comparative religion, Tutu twinkled, "Ah, comparative religion--that is the religion for those who are comparatively religious." The objectivity and modesty that allows Chidester to poke fun at his own profession enlightens his monumental history of the Christian Church on every page.

Chidester tells the Christian story from its beginnings as a persecuted sect in the Roman Empire up to its present day international diversity. It is a rich and complex tapestry, and Chidester handles his huge subject with rigorous scholarship, copious but unobtrusive notes, and a clear and readable style. He keeps track of the big historical trends while focusing on the fascinating personalities who have dragged the Christian Church into scandal and schism as well as lifted it to the heights of inspiration and holiness.

Chidester splits the Christian era into three chunks: the opening 10 chapters deal with the first 500 years, the next 10 deal with the middle millennium, and the last section covers the world wide expansion of Christianity since the Reformation. Those who like their church history to be a disguised religious pep talk won't like this book because Chidester is expert at not taking sides. But for anyone who wants to study the majestic procession of Christianity through the history of the last 2000 years, this big book is worth every penny. -- Dwight Longenecker, Amazon.co.uk

From Publishers Weekly

It takes a brave author to write this kind of history, where every chapter, in some cases every sentence, requires passing through territory that has been analyzed, debated, deconstructed and reassembled for 2,000 years. Yet Chidester (professor of comparative religion at Cape Town University) is up to the task, providing a readable, objective sweep of Christian history that reflects an admirable knowledge of the details without ever losing sight of the larger currents. He takes the reader through three epochs: from the birth of Christianity in 1st-century Roman Palestine to the 4th century, when Christianity was the imperial cult; from the fall of Rome through the Reformation; and from the discovery of the New World to today's New World Order. Perhaps necessarily, his most intriguing chapters come in the final third of the book, where there is less familiar material to explore, though each of the first two sections offers a lucid summary of current scholarship. In the chapter on Asia, his description of the fracture between Thomas Christians in India (who took on the trappings of elite Hindi culture) and 16th-century Portuguese missionaries, laden as it was with issues of class as well as theology, has great relevance for today's debates over inculturation. Specialists will find omissions and oversimplifications, but Chidester has braved their scorn, and the reader seeking a broad understanding of Christianity's evolution will be grateful. (Dec.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 640 pages
• Publisher: HarperOne; First edition (November 21, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0062517082
• ISBN-13: 978-0062517081
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.5 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #136,152 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An unbiased historical review of Christianity, October 15, 2001

By	A. J. Valasek (Clemmons, NC United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Historically revealing and presented in an unbiased, non-confrontational style, this book takes a look at Christianity from a historical perspective. This book covers Christianity from its beginnings to the current age of Internet surfing. The author disects Christianity by focusing on geographical regions to start with and then chronologically within those regions. Although it covers the entire span of Christian history, I thought the author should have given the origins of Christianity much more attention. The other portion that I found somewhat lacking was the development of the various Protestant denominations. However, this book was well rounded in its approach overall and worth the time and effort to read. If you're looking for a book to discuss the general development of Christianity, this book will do nicely. If you are looking for a book to describe the differences between denominations and their roots, I suggest looking elsewhere.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A lively global survey of events and beliefs, February 7, 2002

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Christianity: A Global History (Paperback)

From the dark days of the Inquisition to widespread missionary conversion efforts around the world, and the manifold conflicts between the Christian Church and other world religions and movements, David Childester's Christianity: A Global History surveys the rich historical pagent of Christianity, including its changing foundations, and the actions of those who operated within and outside the Church. A lively global survey of events and beliefs.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Decent survey, July 7, 2002

By	Glenn McDorman (Denver) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

It is extremely difficult to write a one-volume history of Chrisitianity -- even if you are not pursuing it around the globe. Chidester has done and excellent job in keeping his focus broad, and not getting bogged down in the details. If, however, you are looking for a comprehensive work, one that explains everything about every major denomination, this is not it. But, even if that is what you are looking for, you may want to start here anyway. Chidester has provided a decent survey that can provide the unfamiliar reader with a good introduction.