Recent titles
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in this section:
Church/Christian History
The history of the church:its development and practice.
Archive - Book Titles reviewed - W
The Wilberforce Connectionby Clifford Hill If this book is at times somewhat hagiographical, that is only because of the passion with which the author holds his belief that Wilberforce and his colleagues in the Clapham sect have been unfairly treated by historians. This group of Georgian Christians was instrumental in the abolition of slavery, and with the 200th anniversary of their monumental achievement approaching, Hill’s book is timely. It is also highly readable, and makes valuable connections between the 18th and 19th century world and our contemporary context. A good read, therefore, best viewed as a counterweight to those negative analyses of the Clapham Christians that are referenced frequently in the text. Review by Tim Gibson (28/09/05) |
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| Paperback Price: £9.99 Publisher: Monarch imprint of Lion Hudson Published: August 2005 ISBN: 1-854-24671-2 View this book on its own page >> |
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The World Missionary Conference: Edinburgh 1910- Studies in the History of Christian Missionsby Brian Stanley This book is a benchmark. I keep coming back to it. Not only because of the significance of the 1910 World Missionary Conference and the number of conferences and meetings considering the themes today, but because Brian Stanley opens the world for us, in terms of history, attitudes, values, race, and social dynamics in the worldwide missionary enterprise a hundred years ago. Here is an authoritative record, astute observation, illuminating quotes and a narrative from Stanley which makes all this information not only digestible, but fascinating and helpful for us. The world and church are very different a century later, but we do well to keep the lessons of history in the fore of our minds: I want to thank Brian Stanley for collating this information and providing this insight and invaluable resource. Review by Jim Currin (28/10/10) |
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| Paperback Price: £24.99 Publisher: Eerdmans from Alban Books Published: 05 May 2010 ISBN: 978-0-802-86360-7 View this book on its own page >> |
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The World of the Early Church- A Social Historyby Simon Jones Another in the now quite long-lived and popular Lion hardback series: in this we are introduced to the social world in which Christianity developed. The illustrations support the text and are impressively presented, but the captioning often leaves a lot to be desired. The archaeological and literary facts give a vivid picture of the teeming cities of the Roman world into which the first apostles ventured, initially to the Jewish diaspora and then, most significantly, to the gentiles. How these social conditions impacted on the gospel message itself is the underlying theme of any study of this type, and so it is here. Review by Ian Gibbs (31/08/11) |
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| Hardback Price: £20.00 Publisher: Lion Published: 18 March 2011 ISBN: 978-0-745-95500-1 View this book on its own page >> |
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Walsingham- Pilgrims and Pilgrimageby Michael Rear Many will welcome Fr Rear’s book, and many of those with enthusiasm. Those who love Walsingham will be delighted to see, perhaps for the first time, photographs of the development of both the modern shrines. Fr Rear’s treatment of the history of the pre-Reformation shrine is rightly extensive, and makes a valuable contribution to the discussion of the shrine’s long history. What is still lacking is a major study of the Augustinian priory that housed the shrine. The history of the former would do so much to illuminate the latter. But while we wait there is so much here to savour. Review by Ian Gibbs (06/03/12) |
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| Paperback Price: £19.99 Publisher: St Pauls Publishing from Redemptorist Publications Published: March 2011 ISBN: 978-0-854-39811-9 View this book on its own page >> |
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Whose Bible Is It?- A History of the Scriptures Through the Agesby Jaroslav Pelikan A brilliant history of the formation and use of the Bible through the ages Jaroslav Pelikan's wide-ranging book follows the origins of the Bible from oral tradition and early writing, the gathering of the canon, translations from the Septuagint to modern missionary translations, the impact of the Reformation on use of the Bible and historical-critical study and the ways in which this has changed our view of Scripture. He writes with a wonderfully light touch, adding occasional flashes of humour and referring to history and scholarship within the Jewish, Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox traditions as well as commenting on the Qur'an. His chapter which outlines the books and message of the Old Testament (Hebrew Tanakh) is masterful and there are many other highlights of the book which offered new insights into how modern Christians see this amazing piece of literature that has so shaped our western culture in the last 3000 years. This is the best book that I have read on the history of the Bible and it is a wonderful resource as well as a fascinating read. Review by Helen Hancox (02/01/07) |
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| Paperback Price: £8.99 Publisher: Penguin from Gardners Books Published: 06 July 2006 ISBN: 978-0-141-02268-0 View this book on its own page >> |
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Women in the World of the Earliest Christians- Illuminating Ancient Ways of Lifeby Lynn H. Cohick It is something of an understatement to say that the role of women in the leadership of the church is something which has attracted its fair share of controversy in recent decades. This has resulted in many books which seek to argue a particular position, or to recreate theological positions within the early church. What has been broadly absent, however, is a sustained engagement with the broader Greco-Roman cultural milieu against which the New Testament is to be read. Without this context it is all too easy to read into New Testament writings twenty-first century concerns. This book is a welcome addition to the literature. Cohick is not seeking to draw theological conclusions, but simply to "provide an engaging and accurate reconstruction of ancient women's way of life". This she does admirably. The book is divided into 9 chapters which concentrate on differing spheres of influence from daughters to benefactors. Each chapter considers the differing roles within Jewish and Greco-Roman society and considers both negative and positive views. There are inevitably attempts at reconstruction, as much surviving literature is rhetorical in one way or another, but such attempts are even handed and fair. There is wide engagement with ancient sources and the author betrays a good knowledge of the field. This is a useful resource, especially as it seeks to give a purely historical record and refuses to deal in caricatures. There is a useful index and it is not hard to see this book being of great use to all who deal with the New Testament. Review by Chris Moore (20/07/10) |
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| Paperback Price: £14.99 Publisher: Baker Books imprint of Baker Pub. from Lion Published: January 2010 ISBN: 978-0-801-03172-4 View this book on its own page >> |
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All books reviewed in this section, indexed by title:-
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W 1