A People's History of Christianity

A People's History of Christianity
Author: Diana Butler Bass
Publisher: Harper Collins
Total Pages: 374
Release: 2009-03-03
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0061448702

For too long, the history of Christianity has been told as the triumph of orthodox doctrine imposed through power and hierarchy. In A People's History of Christianity, historian and religion expert Diana Butler Bass reveals an alternate history that includes a deep social ethic and far-reaching inclusivity: "the other side of the story" is not a modern phenomenon, but has always been practiced within the church. Butler Bass persuasively argues that corrective—even subversive—beliefs and practices have always been hallmarks of Christianity and are necessary to nourish communities of faith. In the same spirit as Howard Zinn's groundbreaking work The People's History of the United States, Butler Bass's A People's History of Christianity brings to life the movements, personalities, and spiritual disciplines that have always informed and ignited Christian worship and social activism. A People's History of Christianity authenticates the vital, emerging Christian movements of our time, providing the historical evidence that celebrates these movements as thoroughly Christian and faithful to the mission and message of Jesus.

Byzantine Christianity

Byzantine Christianity
Author: Derek Krueger
Publisher: Fortress Press
Total Pages: 284
Release: 2006
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9780800634131

This third volume in the pioneering A People's History of Christianity series focuses on the religious lives of ordinary people and introduces the religion of the Byzantine Christian laity by asking the questions: What did ordinary Christians do in church, in their homes and their workshops? How were icons used? How did the people celebrate, marry, and mourn? Where did they go on pilgrimage?

Christianity: Endangered or Extinct?

Christianity: Endangered or Extinct?
Author: Rodger Cragun
Publisher: Outskirts Press
Total Pages: 295
Release: 2013-04-12
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1478720824

Written by two respectable religious scholars, this groundbreaking new book challenges some of our long-held beliefs about Christianity as we know it, detailing the origins of a great divide between Jesus of Nazareth’s teachings and Christianity during its formative stages. With comprehensive historical research, authors Cragun and Kessler use the analysis of power and class struggle to reexamine Church history and the teachings of the theologians. They outline how the so-called “Fathers of the Church” took over the community of Jesus, destroyed its foundations, and built their own church edifice, which they then passed down to us. Though much of modern scholarship blames Constantine for the corruption of the Church, Christianity: Endangered or Extinct? shows how the corruption was a gradual process in which Platonic philosophy, power, and prestige gradually entombed the message Jesus actually gave us. This religion was carefully honed to be acceptable to emperors, rulers, and the elite, replacing Christ’s original message of love, egalitarianism, communalism, pacifism, and servant leadership—concepts that are essential for the survival of humanity in the 21st century. This is a true People’s History of Christianity in the tradition of Howard Zinn’s People’s History of the United States and one that will have you seeing Christianity in a brand-new light.

History of Christianity

History of Christianity
Author: Paul Johnson
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 816
Release: 2012-03-27
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1451688512

First published in 1976, Paul Johnson’s exceptional study of Christianity has been loved and widely hailed for its intensive research, writing, and magnitude—“a tour de force, one of the most ambitious surveys of the history of Christianity ever attempted and perhaps the most radical” (New York Review of Books). In a highly readable companion to books on faith and history, the scholar and author Johnson has illuminated the Christian world and its fascinating history in a way that no other has. Johnson takes off in the year AD 49 with his namesake the apostle Paul. Thus beginning an ambitious quest to paint the centuries since the founding of a little-known ‘Jesus Sect’, A History of Christianity explores to a great degree the evolution of the Western world. With an unbiased and overall optimistic tone, Johnson traces the fantastic scope of the consequent sects of Christianity and the people who followed them. Information drawn from extensive and varied sources from around the world makes this history as credible as it is reliable. Invaluable understanding of the framework of modern Christianity—and its trials and tribulations throughout history—has never before been contained in such a captivating work.

Late Ancient Christianity

Late Ancient Christianity
Author: Virginia Burrus
Publisher: Fortress Press
Total Pages: 346
Release: 2010-03-01
Genre: Christian life
ISBN: 1451419465

The particular excitement of this volume lies in its focus on the everyday realities of Christians' lives in the era of Christian ascendancy and Roman decline. Popular fiction, childrearing and toys, rituals of inclusion, the beginning of veneration of saints and shunning of heretics, the ascetic impulse, food practices—all these and more lend color and texture to the story of a "people's" Christianity in this formative stage.

Reformation Christianity

Reformation Christianity
Author: Peter Matheson
Publisher: Fortress Press
Total Pages: 338
Release: 2010-03-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1451415923

Perhaps no period in Christian history experienced such social tumult and upheaval as the Reformation, as it quickly became apparent that social and political issues, finding deep resonance with the common people, were deeply entwined with religious ones raised by the Reformers. Led by eminent Reformation historian Peter Matheson, this volume of A People's History of Christianity explores such topics as child-bearing, a good death, rural and village piety, and more. Includes 50 illustrations, maps, and an 8-page color gallery.

A People's History of Christianity

A People's History of Christianity
Author: Denis R. Janz
Publisher: Augsburg Fortress Publishers
Total Pages: 298
Release: 2014-03
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1451470533

This one-volume edition contains careful selections and abridgements of the original content [of the seven-volume set] and covers the entire scope of church history. It provides a valuable overview of such topics as birth and death, marriage and family life, baptism rites, food power, heresy, and more. Students are both informed and inspired by seeing the importance of ordinary Christians in shaping Christianity across time.

Medieval Christianity

Medieval Christianity
Author: Daniel E. Bornstein
Publisher: Fortress Press
Total Pages: 442
Release: 2006
Genre:
ISBN: 1451405774

People of God

People of God
Author: Anthony E. Gilles
Publisher: Franciscan Media
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2000
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9780867163636

The history of Catholicism is the history of Christian faith. Anthony E. Gilles traces its development—from its beginnings in hushed gatherings within the Roman Empire to its current size and influence—in an accessible and enjoyable style. A revised and updated compilation of the history volumes from his best-selling People of God series, this book will help you understand how the Church developed in relation to, or in rebellion against, the larger culture. It details centuries of crucial turning points from the development of apostolic succession to the implementation of the reforms of Vatican II. Complete with maps, timelines and special "focus" sections on important events and issues, this valuable resource belongs in the collection of every student of Church history.