Short History of Christianity - Softcover

Blainey, Geoffrey

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1442252464 ISBN 13: 9781442252462

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2015

Synopsis

A Short History of Christianity vividly describes many of the significant players in the religion’s rise and fall through the ages, from Jesus himself to Francis of Assisi, Martin Luther, Francis Xavier, John Wesley, and even the Beatles, who claimed to be “more popular than Jesus.” Blainey takes us into the world of Christian worshipers through the ages—from housewives to stonemasons—and traces the rise of the critics of Christ and his followers.

Eminently readable, and written with Blainey’s characteristic curiosity and storytelling skill, this book often places Christianity at the center of world history. Will it remain near the center? Blainey’s narrative illustrates that Christianity’s history is a much-repeated story of ups and downs.

About this title

About the Author:

Geoffrey Blainey, one of Australia’s most prominent historians, held a chair at Harvard University and taught for many years at the University of Melbourne. He has written thirty-seven books, including the best-selling A Short History of the World and A Short History of the 20th Century. The Oxford Companion to Australian History calls him “the most prolific, wide-ranging, inventive” of all living Australian historians.

Review:

Few authors would be up to the task of writing a comprehensive history of one of the world’s most widespread and diverse religions, but with this book, Australian historian Blainey (A Short History of the World) manages to create a narrative that is both scholarly and all-encompassing without being rambling or tedious. By beginning with the childhood and adolescence of Jesus, Blainey sets a tone that is almost biographical, crafting a reality and an intimacy with the major players in the development of Christianity (namely Paul, Constantine, and even an influential hermit, Peter Damian). This is an academic work to its core, eschewing any personal bias. Covering Christianity’s inception to the modern church, it incorporates the surrounding world, including the rise of the prophet Muhammad and the religion of Islam and the influence that Judaism had not only on Christ but on his followers as well. With a conversational tone and an astonishing wealth of information compacted into more than 600 pages, this title is ideal for any pursuit, whether personal or scholarly. VERDICT An approachable, well-organized accounting of religion across the world that would suit scholars and lay readers alike. (Library Journal)

Noted Australian historian Blainey here turns his attention to the subject of Christianity, in a volume written in a very accessible, narrative style. All the major events, movements, and people in 2,000 years of Christian history are included, but Blainey also provides connections with politics (John F. Kennedy and Catholicism); other religions (St. Francis preaching to Muslims); literature (the origin of the term 'Scrooge'); historical events (the Wright brothers' influence on Christian missions); and popular culture (The Beatles' claim of being more popular than Jesus). The maps and index are excellent, and the chapter notes provide ample opportunities for further research. Blainey defines the target audience as 'a variety of general readers and also historians who work in other fields and have faint knowledge of Christian history.' Given its brevity and readability, this book would be an ideal introduction for those unfamiliar with Christianity, and for undergraduate students in history and religion courses. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and general readers. (CHOICE)

In A Short History of Christianity, Geoffrey Blainey writes as a Christian but without dogma....If Christianity makes you want to scream, you won’t like this book. Otherwise you should read it. (The Australian)

Blainey is an immensely gifted storyteller and teacher with an inexhaustible curiosity. (Weekend Australian Financial Review)

Australian historian Geoffrey Blainey has provided with his latest book a clear and dependable history of Christianity. This is not a scholar’s reference work but a very accessible, engagingly readable story. It combines organizational detail and theological controversies with the sense of what it was like to be a Christian in different contexts over two thousand years. His history has a richly human quality without sentimentality or, for that matter, ‘side-taking’ in the debates and conflicts reported. . . . The need for a book like this is enormous in an age when ignorance about religions and Christianity is rising to a point where meaningful discourse about religion, faith, and belief is nearly impossible. I recommend it to each and all. Those who are not Christian would benefit from this balanced and unvarnished account of a monumentally influential religion. Christians would benefit from what only a study of history can bring: a counter to the ignorance which predisposes us to repeat past errors. (Gary D. Bouma, emeritus professor of sociology, Monash University; Insights)

Christianity has played a central role in world history, for better or worse, but beyond the story of Jesus, many people know little of this story. Geoffrey Blainey takes readers on a journey from the very beginnings of Christianity through to the current day. Looking at the development of the religion itself, as well as the social and economic forces that have influenced it, the book focuses on the stories of the key players in Christianity’s rise and fall through the ages, as well as how these players shaped the faith of believers.

About this edition

• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 1442252464
• ISBN 13: 9781442252462
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 636