A History of Christianity…

A few days ago I finished reading Part I of Kenneth Scott Latourette’s ‘A History of Christianity’ and the book has proven itself as comprehensive as it’s title indicates. His first volume focuses on the birth of Christianity and follows the various forms of that faith right up until the late fifteenth century. Latourette’s style and historical approach to the Christian story could not be more compelling or informative. More importantly his is not a work of dry history but a living story full of interpretive and ethical challenges for the modern reader. A particularly attractive trait found in his writing is how he ‘accentuates Christianity rather than the Church’, and though he reveals a powerful Christian bias, at the same time he remains quite neutral or objective as far as Church forms are concerned. Helpful summaries and reflective chapters are strewn throughout the book thereby inspiring the reader to actually evaluate the effects of the events being studied. Thus far he has divided Church history into appropriate sections and dissects those pieces to deal with in individual chapters before moving onto the next section. For example, for any given block of history we will span the entire period looking at theological and doctrinal developments of the time period and then start the period again by focusing on another aspect, say, the geographical expansion of the Gospel or advances in Church structure etc. This may seem somewhat disorientating at first but eventually helps to give a more comprehensive picture of the development of different periods.

As you can probably gather, I’m feeling very positive about this book. Already this rudimentary understanding of Church history has begun to explain the current state and forms of the Church today and help me to intelligently distinguish between them. Also I am particularly indebted to the sections dedicated to explaining developments in theology and doctrine. Somehow it has been extremely helpful to understand the characters and events surrounding the rise of different ideas and has removed a lot of the confusion over some controversial theological ideas. On a more personal level, tapping into the greater story of the Church with its tragedies and triumphs seems to have inspired in me a bigger lens for viewing life in general. The bigger picture begs some important questions to be asked. How will our generation be viewed centuries from now? Will we contribute to furthering the Gospel, the name of Christ, and embody the Christian ideal? Will we be remembered as influencers or simply the tragically influenced? Or will we instead remain utterly passive and self absorbed and not join in the story for good or ill? How much of my life or yours is simply unimportant and wasteful when viewed against this universal backdrop? How much of it will remain for history to recall? Not with the goal of impressing men, but of glorifying God. Am I living my life in order to leave a eternal legacy that will span the ages or thinking only of my own temporal spurt here on earth?

In any case I would wholeheartedly recommend the book to those brave enough for the undertaking. Some perseverance will be required at different sections but I believe the perspective gained will be well worth the sacrifice.