Today I'm adding Church history in plain language by Bruce Shelley to the Master Reading List under the category of Church history (Available from Amazon).
Church history is an important subject because it teaches you how to worship God appropriately. The most important church history text, the Bible, shows us this again and again. But what about the history of God's church after the canon of Scripture is closed? Does it teach us anything?
For the last two thousand years God has continued to work in the lives of his people and studying this 'recent' church history continues to teach us how to worship God appropriately. The modern heresies that encourage us to dishonour God's name have all reared their ugly heads before and been wrestled with by our older brothers and sisters. And through a study of their lives and their teachings we can be well-equipped to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.
But where does one begin in studying church history? Shelley's 'Church history in plain language' is just one introduction to church history among many. Why would I recommend Shelley above others? Firstly the book was designed for the lay reader and is an easy and enjoyable to read. Secondly the book covers the period from 6BC-1996. Many church histories will concentrate on one period (e.g. early church, reformation etc) and few do much with the 20th century - whereas Shelly tries to give a quick taste of all major events throughout church history. Thirdly, as the book is a shallow overview of such a large period, Shelley provides suggestions for further reading at the end of each chapter to use for deeper reading if the reader is craving more.
Shelley in his prologue claims that 'many Christians today suffer from historical amnesia'. If that is you, try a healthy dose of Shelley's book as an antidote to your amnesia.
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