Church History in Plain Language

Dr. Bruce Shelley makes church history come alive in this classic book that has become not only the first choice of many laypeople and church leaders but the standard text in many college classrooms.

What separates Dr. Shelley's book from others is its clarity of language and organization. "Church History in Plan Language" treats history as the story of people - their motivations, the issues they grapple with, the decisions they make - and the result is that history reads like a story, almost as dramatic and moving as a novel. Yet there is no fiction here. Dr. Shelley is a respected scholar whose work is painstakingly researched and carefully crafted for historical accuracy.

In this third edition, Dr. Shelley brings the story into the twenty-first century, exploring contemporary developments such as changes in the Islamic world, the growth and resurgence of Roman Catholicism, the influence of the Internet on religion, the decline of Christianity in the West, and the spectacular growth of evangelical and Pentecostal Christianity in the southern and eastern hemispheres.

"Church History in Plain Language" makes history easy to follow and retain by dividing the Christian story into the great ages of the church: - The Age of Jesus and the Apostles - The Age of Catholic Christianity - The Age of the Christian Roman Empire - The Christian Middle Ages - The Age of Reformation - The Age of Reason and Revival - The Age of Progress - The Age of Ideologies.

The continuing popularity of this book attests to its success in achieving its purpose - to make church history clear, memorable, and accessible to every reader.