St. Benedict School for Ministry
CH1 – Introduction to Church History
The Very Rev. Robert S. Munday, Ph.D., D.D.
3924 Mount Hayden Drive
Montrose, CO 81403
[email protected]
COURSE DESCRIPTION
The purpose of this course is to provide an overview of the Church’s history from Pentecost to
the present. We will look at the history and development of the Anglican tradition up to and
including events that are shaping Anglican identity today.
TEXTBOOKS
Required Texts:
1. Justo Gonzalez, The Story of Christianity, (2 volumes in 1). (Prince Press, 1999). ISBN-13:
978-1565635227 Available from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/The-Story-Christianity-ChurchPresent/dp/1565635221 ($39.94 new. Amazon is also currently showing used copies from
$12.30).
Also available in two volumes (Harper-Collins edition) from Christianbook.com:
Volume 1: http://www.christianbook.com/early-church-reformation-revised-story-christianity/justogonzalez/9780061855887/pd/855887?item_code=WW&netp_id=688853&event=ESRCG&view=details
($17.99 new).
Volume 2: http://www.christianbook.com/the-story-of-christianity-volume-2/justogonzalez/9780061855894/pd/855894?item_code=WW&netp_id=801848&event=ESRCG&view=details
($17.99 new).
Be careful that you do not order Gonzalez’ History of Christian Thought by mistake.
2. John W. Howe and Sam C. Pascoe, Our Anglican Heritage, Can an Ancient Church be a
Church of the Future? Second Edition. (Wipf & Stock Publishers; 2nd edition, 2010). ISBN13: 978-1608994892. Available from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Our-Anglican-HeritageSecond-Edition/dp/1608994899 ($25.20; Amazon is currently showing used copies from $19.94.
Also available on Kindle for $9.99).
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Recommended Reference Books: Eerdmans Handbook to the History of Christianity,
(Eerdmans 1977). http://www.amazon.com/Eerdmans-Handbook-History-ChristianityDowley/dp/0802834507
Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church http://www.amazon.com/Oxford-DictionaryChristian-Church/dp/0192802909/ (Expensive! For a less expensive version, try either the New
International Dictionary of the Christian Church or the Concise Oxford edition below.)
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (Oxford Paperback Reference)
[Paperback] http://www.amazon.com/Concise-Dictionary-Christian-Paperback-Reference/dp/0199659621/
For a really good dictionary of church history that you can get for as low as $5.89 (used), I
recommend: The New International Dictionary of the Christian Church. (Zondervan, 1978.) In
fact, if you can only own one Dictionary of the Christian Church, I recommend this one, though it
is now out of print. Used copies are available through Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/NewInternational-Dictionary-Christian-Church/dp/0853642214/
COURSE OBJECTIVES
A.
By the end of the course you should be able to identify the major events, people,
themes and dates in the history of the Western Church and the Anglican tradition.
B.
Also by the end of the course, you should demonstrate through writing brief essays
that you have a knowledge of such themes as the early councils of the Church, the
Reformation of the 16th century, or the world missionary movement since the 1790s,
as well as significant developments in Anglican Church history.
COURSE DESIGN
Weekly Sessions
The course will meet from July 7 through September 28, using Blackboard
CourseSites.
Required Writing Assignments
(1) Discussion Questions: By Friday of each week you should complete the
Discussion Question assignment in Blackboard CourseSites and, by the
following Monday, respond to at least one answer posted to Blackboard by
one of your colleagues.
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(2) Weekly Essays: Likewise each week you will write a 2-page essay on one of
the essay questions listed for the week (see "Course Outline" below). You
will receive more information on these assignments when the material is
posted to Blackboard.
(3) Take-Home Open-Book Midterm and Final Exams: By August 18 and
September 28, respectively, you should submit essay answers on questions
that will be distributed to you three weeks in advance. Once again, you
will receive specific information on these assignments when the material is
posted to Blackboard.
Grades
This course uses a contract-grading system. Your grade will depend on how much
work you submit that is acceptable in quality. (If your completed assignment is
not of acceptable quality, the professor will work with you to bring it up to that
level). The purpose of this system is to free you from grade-anxiety (morbid
speculation, faithless fears, painful memories of fourth grade) and let you get on
with learning the Church’s story. Your written work will involve lots of
accountability, so this grading system is no free ride. For each of the following
grades, you should complete (ON TIME) the work indicated below.
For a C:
Submit ON TIME your weekly discussion questions, responses to
the answers by other students on Blackboard, your weekly essays,
and the open-book midterm and final examinations.
For a B:
Do the work required for a C, plus a three-page summary essay
(due September 28) in which you assess what you have learned in
the course, and how it has altered your perspective on the Church.
For an A:
Do the work required for a C and a B, plus an additional three-page
essay (due September 28) in which you describe specific plans you
have for teaching the material that you have learned in the course.
COURSE OUTLINE
In the Course Outline below you will find guidelines for each week's work. As you begin each
weekly assignment, (1) please do the assigned reading in Gonzalez for that week as well as the
professors notes that will be posted to Blackboard for that week; and (2) answer the questions
that will be posted to Blackboard by Friday of that week. (3) Read the responses other students
have posted to the questions and respond to at least one colleague's answer by the following
Monday. (4) Write the appropriate weekly essay, according to the guidelines that will be posted
on Blackboard when we begin the class sessions on July 7.
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Week 1: July 7-13
Session 1: The Beginnings of Christianity. This unit looks at the period (roughly) 1-120AD.
We learn about the beginnings of the Church, and also consider the growth and spread of
Christianity into the Roman world through the time of those who succeeded the Apostles.
Read Gonzalez, Volume 1, Introduction, Preface, and pages 7-48. Please write a 2-page essay on
one of the essay questions 1-3 below, plus the definitions in question 4.
1. What were some key continuities between the Jewish heritage and early Gentile
Christianity, and what were some important differences which Paul’s mission introduced?
2. How did the Christian worldview differ from the prevailing picture of reality which all
social classes held, in the 1st and 2nd century Roman Empire?
3. Why were Christians persecuted in the early Roman Empire, before AD 200 or so? Cite
some major motives behind the outbreaks of persecution, and trace the major episodes
through the 2nd century.
4. Finally, here are a few terms, people, ideas and so on which are not addressed in the
questions above, but which you should be able to define briefly. Write a one or two
sentence definition of each:
Pharisees
Sadducees
Ignatius of Antioch
Plato
Stoicism
Week 2: July 14-20
Session 2: Christian Life in a Pagan World. This unit considers more closely the clash between
Christianity and Paganism in the Roman Empire in the 100s and 200s AD. We also continue to
study the persecution which Christians suffered during that period.
Read Gonzalez, volume 1, pages 49-101. Please write a 2-page essay on one of the essay
questions 1-3 below, plus the definitions in question 4.
1. What were the chief errors which Montanus, Marcion and the gnostic teachers promoted,
and how did the Canon of Scripture, the early Creeds and the "Apostolic Succession"
address these threats?
2. Pick one of the following Christian teachers of the period 150-250, and outline briefly the
important features of his thought, and their significance: Justin Martyr, Irenaeus,
Tertullian, Clement of Alexandria, Origen.
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3. Trace briefly the development of Christian worship, and the structures of the Christian
movement in the first two centuries.
4. Finally, here are a few terms, people, ideas and so on which are not addressed in the
questions above, but which you should be able to define briefly. Write a one or two
sentence definition of each:
Justin Martyr
Irenaeus
Tertullian
Clement of Alexandria
Origen
Gnosticism
Week 3: July 21-27
Session 3: The Age of the Great Church Councils. Here we see the Christian Church become a
great institution in the late Roman Empire, and we watch as the early Church Councils answer
the challenge of heresy in the 300s and 400s AD.
Read Gonzalez, volume 1, pages 102-135, 151-167, 173-206. Please write a 2-page essay on one
of the essay questions 1-3 below, plus the definitions in question 4.
1. Write a brief essay on the circumstances of Constantine’s conversion, and its long-term
significance for Christianity.
2. Why was Arianism such a toxic threat to Christianity, and how did the Council of Nicaea
(325), and then Athanasius, critique and rebut the Arian heresy? (Reflect on the way
Arianism exhibited all the key features of the Greco-Roman worldview: see the
workbook, Assignments 1 and 2).
3. The later 300s saw a multitude of stellar Christian teachers. Pick one of the following
and briefly outline his (or their) main ideas and long-term significance: The Cappadocian
Fathers, Athanasius, Ambrose of Milan, John Chrysostom, Jerome.
4. Finally, here are a few terms, people, ideas and so on which are not addressed in the
questions above, but which you should be able to define briefly. Write a one or two
sentence definition of each:
Donatism
Ambrose of Milan
The Cappadocian Fathers
Athanasus
Jerome
Council of Nicaea
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Week 4: July 28-August 3
Session 4: The Church in the Barbarian West (AD 400-800). As the Roman Empire collapses
in the West, we see the Christian Church assume leadership in the evangelization of barbarian
Europe, and struggle with the problem of violence and disorder in society.
Read Gonzalez, volume 1, pages 136-150, 207-257. Please write a 2-page essay on one of the
essay questions 1-3 below, plus the definitions in question 4.
1. How did the following movements influence (positively and negatively) the thought of
the great North African theologian St. Augustine: Manichaeism, NeoPlatonism,
Donatism, and Pelagianism?
2. Summarize the troubled political, military, and social situation facing the Bishops of
Rome as they looked northward in the late 500s.
3. How did the communities which St. Benedict founded differ from earlier forms of
monastic life? What were the distinguishing characteristics of the Benedictine
communities, which made them such an enduring and successful model for monastic life?
4. Finally, here are a few terms, people, ideas and so on which are not addressed in the
questions above, but which you should be able to define briefly. Write a one or two
sentence definition of each:
Anthony
Pachomius
The Council of Chalcedon
Pope Gregory I the Great
Mohammed
The Council of Ephesus
Week 5: August 4-10
Session 5: The Medieval Church. In this lesson we cover a huge span of time, from the
Emperor Charlemagne (768-814) to the great age of cathedrals and universities in the 1200s.
Read in Gonzalez ,volume I, pages 257-311. Please write a 2-page essay on one of the essay
questions 1-3 below, plus the definitions in question 4.
1. What was the significance of Charlemagne’s reign in the history of Western Europe?
2. Discuss the signs of renewal in Western Christendom in the 1000s and early 1100s,
mentioning particularly Cluny, Pope Gregory VII, the early Crusades and the Cistercian
movement.
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3. In what ways was the time of Pope Innocent III (1198-1216) a high-watermark in the
power of the Roman Church? What were some spiritual weaknesses of this “papal
monarchy?”
4. Finally, here are a few terms, people, ideas and so on which are not addressed in the
questions above, but which you should be able to define briefly. Write a one or two
sentence definition of each:
Iconoclasts
Monophysites
The East-West Schism of 1054
Francis of Assisi
The Dominican Order
The Fourth Lateran Council (1215)
Week 6: August 11-17
Session 6: The Reformation. Now we study the calamitous 1300s and 1400s (war, plague,
anxiety) and the Church's failure to offer the age the spiritual leadership which Europe needed - all of which led to Martin Luther to initiate the Reformation in 1517.
Read Gonzalez, volume I, pages 342-374 and volume II, pages 6-45. Please write a 2-page essay
on one of the essay questions 1-3 below, plus the definitions in question 4.
1. Describe briefly the disasters (political, military, public-health) which befell Europe in
the period roughly 1275-1450.
2. Why could neither the Conciliar Movement in the 1400s nor the proto-reformers like
Wycliffe, Huss, or Savonarola effect the reformation which everyone agreed the Church
desperately needed?
3. In what ways did Luther's theology develop and elucidate his new understanding of
"justification by grace through faith?" And what did this theological breakthrough mean
for common people in the 1520s?
4. Finally, here are a few terms, people, ideas and so on which are not addressed in the
questions above, but which you should be able to define briefly. Write a one or two
sentence definition of each:
Pope Boniface VIII
The Avignon Papacy
The Great Schism
William of Ockham
The Brethren of the Common Life
Erasmus
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Week 7: August 18-24
Session 7. The Reformation in England. Now we take a look at the origins of the English
Church and the factors that led to the Reformation in England and the separation of the English
Church from Rome.
Read Gonzalez, volume II, pages 46-85; and Howe, Foreword, Preface, and chapters 1-3 (Don’t
worry, Howe’s chapters are short!) Please write a 2-page essay on one of the essay questions 1-5.
1. Why is it important that a church can trace its heritage back to the apostles?
2. How might history have been different if the medieval church had welcomed, rather than
persecuted, men like John Wycliffe?
3. How does the story of Pope Gregory the Great illustrate how one person can change the
history of the world?
4. Characterize briefly the distinguishing marks of the Zwinglian, Anabaptist, and Calvinist
strands of the Reformation. How did these three all build on, yet differ from the original
Lutheran Reformation?
5. What effect did Mary Tudor’s return to the Catholic Church and her subsequent
persecution have on the Reformation in England?
[No definitions this week!]
Week 8: August 25-31
Session 8: The Establishment of the Church of England, and the Wars of Religion
The Reformation led to a series of religious wars in Europe in the later 1500s and the 1600s. It
also a crucial time for forming Anglican doctrine and identity in the midst of conflict.
Read in Gonzalez, volume II, pages 110-163. Read Howe, chapters 4-8. This is a hefty reading
assignment for this session, but take heart -- the remaining weeks will be lighter! Please write a
2-page essay on one of the essay questions 1-4 below, plus the definitions in question 5.
1. How did the “Catholic Reformation” strengthen the Roman Church and enable it to
respond to the Protestant Reformation?
2. What do you see as the advantages and disadvantages of the idea of sola scriptura?
3. What is “justification by faith alone”? How is it often misunderstood?
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4. What is the difference between seeing the Holy Communion as a sacrifice and seeing it as
a sacrament? What does this say about the true nature of a sacrament?
5. Finally, here are a few terms, people, ideas and so on which are not addressed in the
questions above, but which you should be able to define briefly. Write a one or two
sentence definition of each:
Elizabeth I of England
Real Presence
Articles of Religion
Rubrics
Transubstantiation
Richard Hooker
Week 9: September 1-7
Session 9: Rationalism, Pietism, and the Evangelical Revival in Europe. Pietism in Germany,
Methodism in England and the Great Awakening in America (all between 1675-1750) showed
that Christianity was still a vital and expansive force in Western Society.
Read Gonzalez, volume II, pages 196-230. Read Howe, chapter 9. Please write a 2-page essay
on one of the essay questions 1-3 below, plus the definitions in question 4.
1. How did John Wesley adapt the German Pietist movement to the needs of revival in
England, and what were the chief characteristics of the Methodist movement in the 18th
century?
2. Describe the "Holy Commonwealth" which the Massachusetts Bay Puritans hoped to
establish in New England. How did this vision differentiate Puritan society from
southern enterprises like Virginia?
3. Describe the Great Awakening in North America, and assess its impact on American
Christianity at the time and in the 250 years since then.
4. Finally, here are a few terms, people, ideas and so on which are not addressed in the
questions above, but which you should be able to define briefly. Write a one or two
sentence definition of each:
Samuel Seabury
George Whitfield
Nicholas von Zinzendorf and the Moravians
Henry Venn
John Wesley
Charles Wesley
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Week 10: September 8-14
Session 10: The Dawn of the Modern Era. In the 1800s Evangelical Christianity in Europe and
America confronted the challenge of social change in the Industrial Revolution, and helped
shape modern Western ideals of social justice. In England, the Tractarian or Oxford Movement
sought to counter what they saw as Evangelical excesses and to recover elements of the PreReformation Church.
Read Gonzalez, volume II, pages 238-273. Read Howe, chapters 10-12. Please write a 2-page
essay on one of the essay questions 1-3 below, plus the definitions in question 4.
1. Describe the challenges which faced various churches in the US during the 19th century
(say, from 1789 to 1914). How well did those churches meet the test?
2. What did the Oxford Movement contribute to Anglican Church? What were the changes
that resulted from this movement?
3. In what ways did Evangelical Christians in England work to make that country a “holy
nation,” beginning in the 1780s?
4. Finally, here are a few terms, people, ideas and so on which you should be able to define
briefly. Write a one or two sentence definition of each:
The Oxford Movement
Dwight L. Moody
The Lambeth Conference
John Keble
The “Social Gospel”
The Lambeth Quadrilateral
Week 11: September 15-21
Session 11: When Worldviews Collide. From the 1860s onward, Christianity in the West has
faced an increasingly secular culture, whose basic assumptions about reality are very different
from the biblical worldview.
Read Gonzalez, volume II, pages 190-195, 282-293, 330-337 and 360-387. Please write a 2-page
essay on one of the essay questions 1-3 below, plus the definitions in question 4.
1. Descartes and Locke in the 1600s had asserted that human “scientific” reason could prove
the existence of God. Hume and Kant in the 1700s denied that this was so. Briefly, what
points did Hume and Kant make in critiquing the 17th century attempt to "prove"
Christianity by reason?
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2. After Hume and Kant had refuted the possibility of establishing Christianity by human
reason, in what ways did Schleiermacher and Hegel try to ground Christianity in human
subjective experience (thus giving rise to 19th century liberal theology)?
3. From your reading in Gonzalez, discuss one 20th century theologian who critiqued 19th
century liberal Christianity, and one who perpetuated the latter’s general tendencies.
4. Finally, here are a few terms, people, ideas and so on which are not addressed in the
questions above, but which you should be able to define briefly. Please write a one or
two sentence definition of each:
Friedrich Schleiermacher
Deism
Paul Tillich
Rudolf Bultmann
Soren Kierkegaard
Karl Barth
Week 12: September 22-28
Session 12: The Global Christian Church. In the last 200 years, Christianity has grown from a
principally European phenomenon into a truly worldwide movement, planted in all major
cultures and societies, and comprising 33% of the world's population.
Read Gonzalez, volume II pages 303-323. Read Howe, chapters 13-15. (You may also want to
review Howe chapter 9.) Please write a 2-page essay on one of the essay questions 1-2 below,
plus the definitions in question 3.
1. What were some major characteristics of the 19th century wave of Protestant missions in
the "Two-Thirds World?" What had been achieved by 1914 in terms of the evangelization
of the globe?
2. Briefly outline the five breaks that Howe and Pascoe describe in chapter 12.
3. Describe the factors that led to the first GAFCON conference in 2008.
4. Finally, here are a few terms, people, ideas and which you should be able to define
briefly. Please write a one or two sentence definition of each:
William Carey
J. Hudson Taylor
The Edinburgh Conference (1910)
GAFCON
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SOME FURTHER READING ON CHURCH HISTORY
1.
General Works
Berkhof, Louis. The History of Christian Doctrines (Grand Rapids, MI, 1975). Very brief
but a useful tool for reference and review. Needs to be supplemented by something like
Gonzalez (see below).
Bettenson, Henry, ed. Documents of the Christian Church, 2nd edition (Oxford, 1963).
The handiest, cheap compendium of sources for the whole of Church history.
Douglas, J.D., ed. The New International Dictionary of the Christian Church, revised
edition (Grand Rapids, MI, 1978). The best and handiest reference tool of its kind. For a
similar volume which is at the same time more "high church" and liberal, see the Oxford
Dictionary of the Christian Church, F.L. Cross, ed.
Gonzalez, Justo L. A History of Christian Thought, 3 volumes, revised edition (Nashville,
TN, 1988). By far the clearest and most readable survey of doctrine.
Latourette, Kenneth Scott. A History of the Expansion of Christianity, 7 volumes (Grand
Rapids, MI, 1970) and A History of Christianity, revised edition, 2 volumes (New York,
1975). Classic surveys: exhaustive detail.
Leith, John. Creeds of the Churches, revised edition (Richmond, VA, 1973). Focuses on
formal confessional statements, while Bettenson (see above) cast his net much wider.
Useful to have both.
McManners, John, ed. The Oxford Illustrated History of Christianity (New York, 1990).
Large, expensive, well illustrated. Contains essays by front-rank scholars. More than
half its 600 pages are devoted to the period since 1800.
Walker, Williston. A History of the Christian Church, revised edition (New York, 1959).
Shorter and handier than Latourette; liberal presuppositions, but factually reliable.
II.
The First 500 Years
Chadwick, Henry. The Early Church (New York, NY, 1968). Volume I in the “Pelican
History of the Church” series. A useful, brief survey.
Cochrane, Charles Norris. Christianity and Classical Culture (New York, 1957). Tough
reading but a brilliant analysis of the conflict between Christian and Greco-Roman worldviews.
Frend, W.H.C. Martyrdom and Persecution in the Early Church (New York, 1967). The
best introduction to the subject.
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Frend, W.H.C. The Rise of Christianity (Philadelphia, 1984). Huge, detailed; now the
standard work on the period.
Grant, Michael, The World of Rome (New York, 1960). Excellent chapters on astrology
and the mystery cults. In general, the best brief introduction to the milieu of the early
Church.
Jones, A.H.M. Constantine and the Conversion of Europe (University of Toronto Press,
1978). Succinct but thorough treatment of the legalization of Christianity in the 300's,
and the consequences thereof.
Kelly, J.N.D. Early Christian Doctrines, revised edition (New York, 1978). More
detailed than the equivalent sections in Gonzalez; good to have both.
Lietzmann, Hans. A History of the Early Church, 4 volumes in 2 (New York 1961). Full
of detail, and extremely useful for reference.
Stevenson, J., ed. A New Eusebius (London, 1965). Fascinating collection of documents
from the first three centuries. Title refers to the compendious and documented history of
the early Church by Eusebius in the 300's.
III.
The Early Middle Ages
Barraclough, Geoffrey. The Medieval Papacy (New York, 1979). Succinct and accurate.
Baldwin, Marshall, ed. Christianity through the Thirteenth Century (New York, 1970).
A useful compendium of source material.
Deansley, Margaret. A History of the Medieval Church, 590-1500, 8th edition (London,
1965). Brief but reliable for this and the following period.
Southern, R.W. The Making of the Middle Ages (New Haven, CT, 1953). A brilliant
study of early medieval Christian society. Needs thoughtful reading, but worth the effort.
Tellenbach, Gerd. Church, State and Christian Society at the Time of the Investiture
Contest (University of Toronto Press, 1991). Superb analysis of the rival theories of
society at the time.
Ullmann, Walter. A Short History of the Papacy in the Middle Ages (London, 1972).
More detail than Barraclough (see above) but still manageable and readable.
Workmann, Herbert. The Evolution of the Monastic Ideal (New York, 1913). An old
book, but available in modern paper editions; sound and thorough on the beginnings of
monasticism. (All editions out of print.)
CH1 – Introduction to Church History
IV.
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The Later Middle Ages
Most of the volumes listed in section III deal also with the periods after 1000 or so. In
addition, you might look at the following.
Cohn, Norman. The Pursuit of the Millennium, revised and expanded edition (New
York, 1970). Fascinating treatment of the underground, radical sects in the later middle
ages.
Copleston, Frederick. A History of Philosophy, volumes 2 and 3 (Garden City, NY, 1962
ff.). Clear, lucid and readable. Copleston's Thomas Aquinas in the Penguin edition is also
a fine introduction.
Huizinga, Johann. The Waning of the Middle Ages (Garden City, NY, 1954.) Brilliant
study of the 14th and 15th centuries, with absolutely crucial chapters on religious thought
and late-medieval superstition.
Knowles, David. The Evolution of Medieval Thought 2nd edition (London, 1988).
Good, brief survey. Not a page-turner.
Leff, Gordon. Medieval Thought from St. Augustine to Ockham (Baltimore, MD, 1958).
An alternative to Knowles - perhaps a little clearer.
Runciman, Steven. A History of the Crusades, 3 volumes (New York, 1967).
Fascinating and well-written account; the standard short survey.
Smalley, Beryl. The Study of the Bible in the Middle Ages (South Bend, IN, 1964). Fine
introduction to medieval hermeneutics.
V.
The Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries
Althaus, Paul. The Theology of Martin Luther (Philadelphia, 1966). The best
introduction to Luther's thought.
Bainton, Roland. The Reformation of the Sixteenth Century (Boston, 1952). The best
short introduction. Bainton's famous biography of Martin Luther, Here I Stand
(Abingdon, 1991) is also indispensable.
Dickens, Arthur G. Reformation and Society in Sixteenth Century Europe (London,
1966). An even briefer but perceptive alternative to Bainton. Two other books by
Dickens are important: The Counter Reformation (New York, 1979) which is the best
short introduction to the 16th century Roman Church, and The English Reformation, 2nd
edition (State College, PA, 1991) which is a classic.
Dunn, Richard S. The Age of Religious Wars, 1559-1715 (New York, 1979). Good
survey.
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McNeill, J.T. The History and Character of Calvinism (New York, 1954). The standard
work.
Wendel, Francois. Calvin (London, 1965). Probably the best short biography and
introduction to Calvin’s thought.
Williams, George H. The Radical Reformation (Cambridge, MA, 1962). Thorough and
detailed: the most significant work on the subject. (Current (1992) reprint costs $100.00).
VI.
The Modern Age
Anderson, Walter Truett, Reality Isn’t What It Used To Be (San Francisco, CA, 1990). A
useful study of post-modern (and post-Christian) culture in America, suggesting that
chaos and disintegration may be a lot of fun.
Baumer, Franklin L. Modern European Thought: Continuity and Change in Ideas, 16001950 (New York, 1977). Excellent survey in the secularization of European thought,
from a secular perspective.
Cragg, G.R. The Church and the Age of Reason (1648-1789) (New York, 1970).
Volume 4 in the Pelican series; quite readable and useful. (Volumes 2 and 3 in this series
are for different reasons less useful than the others.)
Neill, Stephen. A History of Christian Missions 2nd edition (Baltimore, MD, 1986).
Volume 6 in the Pelican series. Indispensable, absorbing account; easier to master than
Latourette.
Newbigin, Lesslie. Foolishness to the Greeks (Grand Rapids, MI, 1986). A brilliant,
brief survey of Western culture since the Enlightenment, with suggestions for a
“missionary encounter” between Christianity and this pagan environment.
Noll, Mark. A History of Christianity in the U.S. and Canada (Grand Rapids, MI, 1992).
A well-written and balanced work which takes account of recent developments; inclusion
of Canada provides new material.
Sire, James. The Universe Next Door, 2nd edition, (Downers Grove, IL, 1988). Traces
the decay of Western thought into self-contradictory nihilism. A work of apologetics, but
accurate intellectual history.
Vidler, Alec R. The Church in an Age of Revolution. 1789 - Present (New York, 1974).
Volume 5 in the Pelican series. Terse and lucid account from a liberal perspective.