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 Church History

The history of the church:its development and practice.

Glory in the Glen

- A History of Evangelical Revivals in Scotland 1880 - 1940

by Tom Lennie


No nation on earth has a richer, more colourful and more long-standing heritage of evangelical awakenings than Scotland. Yet most people are almost entirely unfamiliar with this dramatic, and somewhat incredible, legacy. Of the infrequent historical studies written on Scottish revivals, most stop at, or before, the Moody and Sankey Revival of 1873-74. It is commonly assumed that very few genuine revivals have occurred since that date. Glory In the Glen thoroughly debunks this theory, showing that religious awakenings were relatively common in Scotland until as recently as the late 1920's. Beginning in 1880, Tom Lennie provides a comprehensive account of the multifarious and exciting revivals that have taken place throughout Scotland during each successive decade up to 1940.

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Review by publisher  (24/02/10)
Jacket
Paperback
Price: £9.99
Publisher: Christian Focus Publications
Published: 22 March 2009
ISBN: 978-1-845-50377-2

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Biblical Archaeology: A Very Short Introduction



by Eric H Cline


‘Very Short’, in this brilliant OUP series, does not mean really short, or simple. Here Cline first provides a critical history of archaeology in the Holy Land, of techniques driven by political and personal agendas. Then he evaluates an eclectic range of archaeological findings – geological, site specific, antiquarian including Qumran - against a biblical chronology, from Noah’s flood to early Christianity. Two things emerge. One is that many ‘biblical’ archaeologists have been seeking reassurance – either ‘proof’ of the bible’s narrative ‘truth’, or justification of land ownership. The other is that things are really much more complex. Archaeology has not confirmed ancient events – such as the exodus from Egypt – but can touch on happenings set more recently. It indicates, for example, that Jerusalem was indeed destroyed and burned sometime near 586 BCE. It perhaps, therefore, supports readings of the Hebrew Bible as exilic and post-exilic texts, constructing a people’s past from mythic sources, rather than as an authoritative history. This is a fascinating, wide-ranging book.

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Review by Su Reid  (27/01/10)
Jacket
Paperback
Price: £7.99
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Published: 2009
ISBN: 978-0-195-34263-5

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The English Vicars Apostolic 1688 - 1850



by Nicholas Schofield & Gerard Skinner


This is the story of the re-emerging Catholic Church after the exile of James II in 1688 until the restoration of the hierarchy in 1850. During that time the Catholic Church, still suffering under the penal laws, was led by missionary bishops known as vicars apostolic. There was a struggle, not only to be separate from state control, but there was also tension between the lay gentry and the ordained incomers which took a long time to resolve. These missionary priests from Rome were often misunderstood but they laid the foundations of the modern Catholic Church in England and Wales. The book is an intimate portrait of dedicated, hard-working men, and should be read, not only by Catholics, but by all those interested in the development of established religions in this country.

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Review by John Irvine  (18/01/10)
Jacket
Hardback
Price: £19.95
Publisher: Family Publications
Published: December 2009
ISBN: 978-1-907-38001-3

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The Old Rectory

- The Story of the English Parsonage

by Anthony Jennings


Written by the director of Save Our Parsonages, this book is more than a history of English rectories and vicarages, as it looks at a multitude of issues concerned with selling-off, rural retreat, and the future of the countryside community – indeed, the future of England itself (the foreword is by Clive Aslett (of Country Life), a distinguished advocate of building conservation); thus, chapters are headed ‘The Present’, ‘The Legacy’, ‘The Future’, etc. But it is also a history of clergy accommodation from earliest times to 1939. Appendices and indexes allow readers to search for detailed information by location (village names; the book can become a travelling companion), architects, and published accounts/evaluations. One extra advantage is the quality and frequency of the 68 photographs (and others in the text), almost half of which are in colour.

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Review by John Thomas  (09/01/10)
Jacket
Hardback
Price: £25.00
Publisher: Continuum
Published: 28 October 2009
ISBN: 978-0-826-42658-1

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The Martyr’s Crown

- Rome and the English Church

by Paul Keane


This is a book depicting the wall paintings made in 1583 in the English College in Rome. The paintings illustrate the history of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, starting with St Alban and Constantine, but commemorating principally the martyrs of Elizabethan England. There are thirty four pictures in all, reproduced in full colour, some of them naturally very gruesome, there being no attempt by the artist to minimise the horror of the executions. Each picture is accompanied by an explanatory text detailing the life and death of each martyr. It is by its nature a book about Catholics for Catholics, but it deserves a wider audience as it depicts one period of persecution in our history that is not limited to one faith.

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Review by John Irvine  (01/01/10)
Jacket
Flexiback
Price: £17.50
Publisher: Family Publications
Published: 09 September 2009
ISBN: 978-1-907-38000-6

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The Lost History of Christianity



by Philip Jenkins


Life was simple when I was growing up. You had the Church of England, the non-conformist churches and the Roman Catholics. In time house churches and Pentecostal churches were added into the mix but all the denominations shared a similar foundation and DNA (even if they argued mightily!) However, recent decades have seen a resurgence of interest in churches and groupings which for centuries have not had their story told.
These churches are not of a Western stamp. They are not splinters from Roman Catholicism or Protestantism, but represent other strands of Christianity which can trace their lineage back to the earliest days of the faith. And - crucially - they represent understandings of the faith which are distinctive from church in the West with its particular philosophical base.
Jenkins' book provides an accessible and fascinating insight into the history of the church which is rarely told in the West. It contains sketches from the church in the Middle-East, Asia and Africa and provides an antidote to the European/American focus which is prevalent in other histories. It considers the interaction with other faiths, and the eventual dying out of some communities. There are some good stories in there too!
This is a book which deserves to be read by all, but it might prove especially thought provoking for those who find themselves involved in the emerging or emergent churches. Here is a story of how a faith grew in a different soil to the church in this country. As such, it gives another, faithful rendering of how Christianity might be.

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Review by Chris Moore  (04/12/09)
Jacket
Paperback
Price: £12.99
Publisher: Lion
Published: 2008
ISBN: 978-0-745-95367-0

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A Pocket Guide to Christian History



by Kevin O’Donnell

ISBN: 978-0-745-95287-1
Price: £4.99

Published: 20 March 2009
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The Cross and the Third Reich



by John Frain

ISBN: 978-1-871-21795-7
Price: £19.95

Published: September 2009
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Reformation

- The Dangerous Birth of the Modern World

by Harry Reid

ISBN: 978-0-715-20871-7
Price: £16.99

Published: August 2009
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R.B.Jones

- Gospel Ministry in Turbulent Times

by Noel Gibbard

ISBN: 978-1-850-49231-3
Price: £12.95

Published: Autumn 2009
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The Labour of Obedience



by Petè Dunstan

ISBN: 978-1-853-11974-3
Price: £21.99

Published: 25 June 2009
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The History of Christian Europe



by G.R.Evans

ISBN: 978-0-745-95382-3
Price: £12.99

Published: Autumn 2009
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The Belgic Confession

- Its History and Sources

by Nicholaas H Gootjes

ISBN: 978-0-801-03235-6
Price: £14.99

Published: 2007
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1536 - The Year That Changed Henry VIII



by Suzannah Lipscombe

ISBN: 978-0-745-95365-6
Price: £14.99

Published: Autumn 2009
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Martin Luther

- Martin Luther’s protest Changed the Course of History

by Various script writers

ISBN: 1-563-64623-4
Price: £12.72 (excl VAT)

Published: January 2009
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John Wycliffe

- The Morning Star

by Script writer

ISBN: 1-563-64808-3
Price: £14.67 (excl VAT)

Published: 01 January 2009
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Letting God be God – The Reformed Tradition

- Traditions of Christian Spirituality Series

by David Cornick

ISBN: 978-0-232-52722-3
Price: £9.95

Published: 21 January 2008
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The Collegiate Churches of England and Wales



by Paul Jeffery

ISBN: 978-0-709-08368-9
Price: £22.00

Published: May 2007
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Hope for the Future

- People Who Made a Difference

by Alan Webster

ISBN: 978-0-281-06000-9
Price: £12.99

Published: 02 April 2008
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The Twilight of Atheism

- The Rise and Fall of Disbelief in the Modern World

by Alister McGrath

ISBN: 978-1-844-13155-6
Price: £7.99

Published: 2005
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