Turning Points: Decisive Moments in the History of Christianity

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 352 pages
• Published by: Baker Academic
• Edition: 2nd Edition February 1, 2001
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 080106211X
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0801062117
• Book Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Weighs: 14.4 ounces

From Library Journal
Noll (Christian thought and church history, Wheaton Coll.) has taken the broad topic of the history of Christianity and given it a structure of turning points, focusing on individuals and events at key points in Christian history. The "turning points" put history into perspective and provide opportunity to add a human quality by often focusing on individuals while looking over particular events. Noll adds intimacy by opening each chapter with a hymn of the times and closing with a prayer of the period. When the hymn is familiar, it is particularly poignant. The book looks both at the historical roots and at the different paths the Christian church has taken, enabling readers of different backgrounds to appreciate the context for differences within the churches. This highly recommended work provides a thoughtful yet comprehensive framework for the history of Christianity.?George Westerlund, Providence P.L.,
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description
Evangelicalism's premier historian provides a general introduction to church history.

Reader Reviews
Dr. Noll's reason for organizing church history around a series of "turning points" arose from his need to have a framework for teaching the history of Christianity to diverse groups. The author selects twelve defining moments in church history and uses them as entry points into the sweeping and potentially overwhelming events of the two-thousand-year history of the Christian Church. He hopes this method will bring order into a massively complicated subject, provide an opportunity to highlight moments that constitute the actual history of the church, and provide an opportunity to interpret why certain events may have marked an important fork in the road for the outworking of Christian history. Turning Points was written for lay people and introductory students rather than for scholars. The style of writing is interesting, easy to read, and to the point. As such, it makes a great book for his audience. Though Noll is a Protestant evangelical, he is careful to avoid bias as he attempts to present Christianity as a worldwide religion. The book is a survey of church history but the thesis revolves around the importance of twelve defining moments within the two-thousand-year span. His selection of "turning points" include the Fall of Jerusalem (70), the Council of Nicaea (325), Benedict's monasticism (530), the coronation of Charlemagne (800), the schism of East and West (1054), the Reformation (1521), the English Reformation (1534), the founding of the Jesuits (1540), the conversion of the Wesleys (1738), the French Revolution (1789) and the Edinburgh Missionary Conference (1910). The book is chronologically arranged around each of these events. Conspicuously and intentionally Noll leaves off major events of the twentieth century, to be evaluated for significance from the preferred perspective of future generations. The author believes that book will have been successful if it "inspires others to think about why the turning points found here are not as important as other possibilities." There are many other possibilities that come to mind but Noll's list of most significant turning points is hard to dispute. Each chapter begins with a hymn and ends with a prayer from the era being addressed. This add an interesting flavor that sets the tone for the history Noll unfolds and then leaves you with a glimpse into the spiritual life of a contemporary to the event being studied. There are obvious pros and cons to this style of writing history. When you are through reading "Turning Points" you feel like you've moved through the most significance events in the history of the church and some of the most momentous in human history. Such a whirlwind journey gives you a good feel for the chronology and sequence of each defining event. Because of Noll's ability to keep you moving along the plot line of the stories, the trip through history is an enjoyable journey. Along the way Noll shares interesting commentary from history itself. His historical exposition agrees with other church history work but without personal judgment or clearly biased commentary. He uses reliable evidence to demonstrate his observations, without stretching it to accomplish his agenda or prove his point. Examining two thousand years of Church history by investigating the twelve most significant turning points in that history is a valuable method of covering such a large body of information in a condensed form. I highly recommend Turning Points as a thoughtful, engaging, and inspiring treatment of church history. The reader should realize the book is not meant to be comprehensive or by any means an exhaustive treatment of the subject. The book will give the novice a good overview of the history of Christianity and should provoke the curious student to further study.