Synopses & Reviews
Gain a better understanding of Christianity--its history, driving ideas, and numerous diversities--with the help of this best-selling Christianity text by the leading, respected authors Weaver and Brakke. This long-awaited INTRODUCTION TO CHRISTIANITY, Fourth Edition, offers a solid, practical foundation of the essentials of Christianity, interlaced with dynamic discussion and glimpses into some of the latest Christian movements worldwide. Fresh, thematic Sidebars, a popular hallmark of this book, weave current issues such as today?s spirituality into history, while the book?s balanced coverage brings to life the historical, cultural, theological, and social aspects of Christianity?s development. You focus on the significant movements, key individuals, and powerful controversies that have united as well as divided Christians throughout the decades and centuries. New and updated thematic Sidebars, a popular hallmark of this book, weave currency into the history with a focus on spirituality, people, concepts, and controversies, including a new set of Sidebars that focus on the human experience of the divine. The text engages students to discuss and reflect upon the challenges that Christians have faced throughout time. INTRODUCTION TO CHRISTIANITY, Fourth Edition, promises a thought-provoking introduction and insights you won?t want to miss.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. [307]-308) and index.
About the Author
Mary Jo Weaver received her Ph.D. from the University of Notre Dame. She has been recognized for her contributions with the Indiana University President?s Award for Distinguished Teaching in 1998 and the Lily Endowment Grant.David Brakke earned his Ph.D. from Yale and current serves as the Department Chair for the Department of Religious Studies at Indiana University. Dr. Brakke has been recognized for his teaching with the Indiana University Outstanding Junior Faculty Award in 1996 and has received numerous research grants for his work, including the Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellowship, the National Endowment for the Humanities Research Fellowship for University Teachers, and the American Council of Learned Societies Fellowship.
Table of Contents
Part One: BIBLICAL AND HISTORICAL BACKGROUND. 1. God as Revealed in the Bible. 2. The Context For and Life of Jesus. 3. The Emergence of the Christian Church. Part Two: HISTORICAL ROOTS OF CHRISTIAN DIVERSITY: FROM CONSTANTINE TO MODERN TIMES. 4. Orthodox Christianity and Roman Catholicism: From the Fourth to the Fourteenth Centuries. 5. Aspects of the Reformation. 6. The Reformation Continues: Christianity in the Sixteenth, Seventeenth, and Eighteenth Centuries. Part Three: CHRISTIANITY IN THE MODERN WORLD. 7. Christianity and Modernity. 8. Modern American Christianity. 9. Worldwide Christianity. Part Four: CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN LIFE. 10. Christians and the World. 11. Christians and Their Culture. 12. Contemporary Christianity. Appendix 1: The Order of the Books in the Old Testament. Appendix 2: Synopsis of the Books of the Old and New Testaments. Appendix 3: Early Christian Writers. Appendix 4: Ecumenical Councils. Appendix 5: Creeds and Confessions. Appendix 6: A Summary of Structural Arrangements. Appendix 7: Ecumenism and the World Council of Churches. Glossary. Index.