Description

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 readers from the early centuries of the church up through the modern era he tells his readers 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.

Spring ’24
Required FLBC textbook for History of Christianity course, taught by Pr. Steven Mundfrom, Professor of Systematic Theology and Church History.

Spring ’23
Required FLBC textbook for History of Christianity course, taught by Pr. Steven Mundfrom, Professor of Systematic Theology and Church History.

Spring ’22
Required FLBC textbook for Church History course, taught by Pr. Steven Mundfrom, Professor of Systematic Theology and Church History.

Spring ’21
Required FLBC textbook for History of Christianity II course, taught by Pr. Robert Lee, Professor of Historical and Practical Theology.

Fall ’20
Required FLBC textbook for History of Christianity I course, taught by Pr. Robert Lee, Professor of Historical and Practical Theology.

Spring ’20
Required FLBC textbook for History of Christianity: Reformation to the 21st Century course, taught by Pr. Robert Lee, Professor of Historical and Practical Theology.