Southern Bread Blog

Wow! It’s been entirely too long since my last post. It’s the busiest time of year where I work, and you know what that means for us computer admins. Yep, crazy hours. But I’d rather let you know about a book that a friend of mine got for me recently. He’s the same friend that got me this other book. He always seems to have a knack for getting me the perfect book at just the right time. This one is called Church History in Plain Language by Bruce Shelley. I had heard really good things about it from numerous sources and so far it doesn’t disappoint.

It’s basically a very accessible church history survey that starts with the life of Christ. It gives a brief overview of his ministry and life before moving into the church age. And when I say brief, I mean it. Jesus earthly ministry only lasts 13 pages out of a 500+ page book. That’s fine though. That’s what makes it a “church history”. Shelley did a good job of not getting too bogged down in rabbit trails and specific theologies. He keeps it very informal and very brisk. He covers every church epoch, starting at 70 AD and going through the present.

Overall, it’s an excellent book so far and I highly recommend it. Every Christian should have a firm foundation in Christian history. So many of the issues and philosophies we face today are just re-hashes of issues the church has faced throughout it’s 2000 year history. We would do well to learn from those who went before us.

• Get it at Amazon here.