Church History in Plain Language, Fifth Edition
Written by Bruce Shelley
Narrated by Tom Parks
4/5
()
About this audiobook
Over 330,000 copies sold. This is the story of the church for today's listeners.
Bruce Shelley's classic history of the church brings the story of global Christianity into the twenty-first century. Like a skilled screenwriter, Shelley begins each chapter with three elements: characters, setting, plot. Taking you from the early centuries of the church up through the modern era he tells a story of actual people, in a particular situation, taking action or being acted upon, provides a window into the circumstances and historical context, and from there develops the story of a major period or theme of Christian history. Covering recent events, this book also:
- Details the rapid growth of evangelical and Pentecostal Christianity in the southern hemisphere
- Addresses the decline in traditional mainline denominations
- Examines the influence of technology on the spread of the gospel
- Discusses how Christianity intersects with other religions in countries all over the world
For this fifth edition, Marshall Shelley brought together a team of historians, historical theologians, and editors to revise and update this father's classic text. The new edition adds important stories of the development of Christianity in Asia, India, and Africa, both in the early church as well as in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. It also highlights the stories of women and non-Europeans who significantly influenced the development of Christianity but whose contributions are often overlooked in previous overviews of church history.
This concise book provides an approachable guide to church history with intellectual substance. The new edition of Church History in Plain Language promises to set a new standard for accessible church history.
Maps, timelines, suggested reading, and end notes are available in the audiobook companion PDF download.
Related to Church History in Plain Language, Fifth Edition
Related audiobooks
Church History, Volume One: Audio Lectures: From Christ to the Pre-Reformation Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Turning Points: Decisive Moments in the History of Christianity Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Paul: A Biography Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Know How We Got Our Bible Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes: Cultural Studies in the Gospels Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Engaging Theology: Audio Lectures: A Biblical, Historical, and Practical Introduction Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Search for the Twelve Apostles Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Spirit of Early Christian Thought: Seeking the Face of God Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Popular Handbook of World Religions Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsUnderstanding World Religions: Audio Lectures: An Interdisciplinary Approach Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How God Became King: The Forgotten Story of the Gospels Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Church History 101: The Highlights of Twenty Centuries Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Zondervan Essential Companion to Christian History: Audio Lectures Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bullies and Saints: An Honest Look at the Good and Evil of Christian History Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Historical Theology: Audio Lectures: An Introduction to Christian Doctrine Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Encountering the Old Testament: A Christian Survey Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Can We Trust the Gospels? Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Church History in Plain Language Audio Lectures Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Concise Theology: A Guide to Historic Christian Beliefs Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Introduction to Biblical Interpretation: Audio Lectures: A Complete Course for the Beginner Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Tried by Fire: The Story of Christianity's First Thousand Years Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Apostles' Creed: Discovering Authentic Christianity in an Age of Counterfeits Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Church History, Volume Two: Audio Lectures: From Pre-Reformation to the Present Day Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Evangelical Theology: Audio Lectures: A Biblical and Systematic Introduction Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Humble Calvinism: And If I Know the Five Points, But Have Not Love Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The New Testament in Antiquity: Audio Lectures 1: A Survey of the New Testament within Its Cultural Contexts Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Survey of the Old Testament: Audio Lectures Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Christianity For You
The Great Divorce Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Decluttering at the Speed of Life: Winning Your Never-Ending Battle with Stuff Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Four Loves Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Becoming Free Indeed: My Story of Disentangling Faith from Fear Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Mere Christianity Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Boundaries: When To Say Yes, How to Say No Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Grief Observed Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Anxious for Nothing: Finding Calm in a Chaotic World Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Boundaries Updated and Expanded Edition: When to Say Yes, How to Say No To Take Control of Your Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Present Over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Garden Within: Where the War with Your Emotions Ends and Your Most Powerful Life Begins Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Girl, Wash Your Face: Stop Believing the Lies About Who You Are so You Can Become Who You Were Meant to Be Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Winning the War in Your Mind: Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5All My Knotted-Up Life: A Memoir Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Holy Bible in Audio - King James Version: The Complete Old & New Testament Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Good Boundaries and Goodbyes: Loving Others Without Losing the Best of Who You Are Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Unoffendable: How Just One Change Can Make All of Life Better (updated with two new chapters) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership 25th Anniversary: Follow Them and People Will Follow You Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Little Book of Letting Go Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Return of the Gods Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Love Does: Discover a Secretly Incredible Life in an Ordinary World Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Wild at Heart: Discovering the Secret of a Man's Soul Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Cost of Discipleship Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5It's Not Supposed to Be This Way: Finding Unexpected Strength When Disappointments Leave You Shattered Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Uninvited: Living Loved When You Feel Less Than, Left Out, and Lonely Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Related categories
Reviews for Church History in Plain Language, Fifth Edition
180 ratings7 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Great narrator, learned alot, understand Catholicism better, recommended for Christians
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This book is part of my collection that really focuses in on Biblical Commentary more than anything else (including some well known authors in the theological world). All of these books haven't been read cover to cover, but I've spent a lot of time with them and they've been helpful in guiding me through difficult passages (or if I desire to dig deeper).
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Worthy reading. Only the end was too fast, too much information too condensed.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I bought my first copy of this book several years ago. I ended up giving it to a friend who was interested in learning about the history of Christianity. I picked up another copy not long after that. This is not an exhaustive history of Christianity. However, it is an exceptionally good starting point for figuring out which aspects of Christian history you want more detail on. He provides just enough info to cover the major points. I would consider this the highly abridged version of church history. The one thing I do wish he would have spent more time on is the modern day church as we know it in the west. Other than that, I recommend this for anyone who wants to know more about the history of Christianity but doesn't know where to start.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I've got to buy this book. Gee, imagine that church hasn't always been done how we do it. Interesting read alongside Barna's Revolution.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Good reading making a very complicated subject digestable
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5If you're looking for an overview of Christian history, this is great. He has quite a bit of detail (it's 500 pages), but it doesn't go into excessive detail, and it reads more like a novel than a textbook. Anybody could read this book and understand the basics of church history without prior background. One main complaint: he provides chapter notes & references at the end of the book, but they are not numbered; it's things like "the quote from Polycarp came from...." So if you are wondering where he came up with something, you have to look in the back and see if he gave any reference or not. More often than not, he didn't. I know this book is designed to be in an easy reading style rather than "textbook-ish," but he has some very interesting stories from church history that I wish he provided sources for somehow. This book was great for giving me a framework that will be useful when I delve into something a little more detailed (probably Pelikan and/or Latourette).