| Title | : | In the Year of Our Lord: Reflections on Twenty Centuries of Church History |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1567699707 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781567699708 |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 229 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 2018 |
In the Year of Our Lord: Reflections on Twenty Centuries of Church History Reviews
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Brief, encouraging overview of church history century by century with each chapter ending with a hymn from the century.
“Lo, I am with you always. Even to the end of the world.” -
I really appreciated Ferguson’s balanced approach in this book. He's certainly writing from a Reformed perspective (not to mention Scottish ;) ), but he doesn't skip over the medieval church (like another book I'm reading with my kids), and is quick to point out things we can learn from them, despite doctrinal differences. I loved that he included a hymn from each century at the end of each chapter (except the 20th century, hmm...), and I loved hearing him read it in his lovely Scottish accent. Definitely one I want my high schoolers to read/listen to. :)
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This originally appeared at
The Irresponsible Reader.
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The seeds of this book were first published in a book Ferguson co-authored called, Church History 101: The Highlights of Twenty Centuries -- he's now taken those chapters, done more research (being retired has freed up some time for him to do some reading), and expanded that into this great survey of Church History.
After a stirring (yes, really) introduction that lays out the purpose of this volume, why the study of Church History is important and what can be gained from even the figures from Church History that may disagree with -- Ferguson dives in to his survey. I really can't say enough good about this introduction -- which feels odd, that's not supposed to be the best part of a book (and it isn't, actually -- but it's good enough that it really could be). The body of the book is twenty chapters -- in case you couldn't guess, that's one chapter for each completed century Anno Domini (and Ferguson is committed to the usage of that).
Each chapter starts with an excerpt from a noted piece of writing from the century in question -- like The Martyrdom of Polycarp, On the Incarnation, Gottschalk;s Shorter Confession concerning Double Predestination, and Savonarola's The Triumph of the Cross (noted, not necessarily commonly known, obviously). Following that Ferguson summarizes the events of that century -- focusing on particular figures or movements that stand out. Most of these will be at least familiar to the reader by name, if not for activities and attributes. Then he closes the chapter with some words of application to the contemporary Church and a hymn from that century -- most of those hymns I was totally unfamiliar with, and am so glad I was exposed to them.
The core of the chapters, the history of that century -- as summarized as it may be -- is so helpful. I've taken classes covering a lot of those chapters -- and read enough on my own that I was pretty familiar with the material covered. But I learned something about even those eras and individuals I've studied extensively -- maybe not a lot, but enough to justify the time. And even those things that were primarily review for me were well worth reading -- the story of our family is one we should hear over and over again and this book is a prime example of what we need to hear.
But what about those who haven't taken the classes, or haven't had that much exposure to Church History outside of the last century -- or maybe the first couple of centuries? This book is even better for them. It's primarily intended as an introduction to Church History, and it excels at being one. First of all, it gives you the good bird's eye view from the day after the last chapter of Acts to the present. Which is a perspective that's all too easy to lose in the details -- we've got to see the forest. But the trees are also important -- and Ferguson gives enough detail (while remembering that these are brief summary chapters) that the reader can get a handle on a particular century and learn enough that they can pursue what they're interested in. I know from reading that Celtic monasticism is something that I want to read more about (and not just by rereading Thomas Cahill), but that there are other things from that period that don't spark my interest in the same way. Some people will react that way to Gregory I or Thomas Chalmers or something else -- and Ferguson has provided the reader with enough to start on to feel comfortable pursuing that interest.
Whether for review or as an introduction -- the meat of this book is just what the doctor ordered.
Even if the history wasn't that helpful, Ferguson's application and the hymn made the book worthwhile. Sometimes that application is comforting, sometimes it's challenging -- it's always helpful. And the bonus of having that hymn? That's a wonderful, devotional way to bring history to life -- that's the same Lord, the same faith being proclaimed in these words. Loved that. Starting the chapters with a doctrinally rich (if occasionally problematic) excerpt reminds us that our faith is first and foremost about truth, about ideas -- but those find expression in the heart and life of the believer -- as seen in the hymns.
Yes, it's a weakness that this book focuses on the Western Church -- particularly that represented in the English, Scottish and American branches. Ferguson admits that at the beginning, but that's his tradition, that's his background -- and that's the background for most of his, readers, too -- so it's what's most relevant. To go beyond that would result in a tome unwieldy and not that handy for his audience (as great as it would be to see).
The structure of head (excerpt), life (history) and heart (hymn) is a fantastic outline for this book -- and everything hung on that outline is clearly-written, helpful to the Christian and relevant (if only to say "don't be like that.") Ferguson knocked it out of the park with this one, and I can't recommended it highly enough. Great for personal use, family devotion, Sunday Schools, Home Schools -- you name it, there's someone who can benefit from this book.
Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Reformation Trust Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for this post -- thanks to both for this. -
These are a series of sketches painted with a super broad brush. The author refers to the chapters of this book as "fragments of the church's story" (in the introduction), and reading them is like eating morsels of your favorite cake. They are super yummy, yes... but they are morsels, nonetheless.
I would not recommend this book to someone who is interested in Church History or the biographies of great men in its history.
The design of the book is, however, beautiful. Love the colors, the font, the cover. Well done! -
Good overview of church history. I appreciated his tone and approach as well as the Scottish accent.
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A brief overview of Church history by century. It is good, for what it is, though its brevity necessitates that some important moments and people in church history aren't even mentioned.
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First sentence: The letters AD form the abbreviation for the Latin phrase anon Domini, which means "in the year of our Lord." It goes hand in hand with another abbreviation, BC, "before Christ."
I enjoyed reading Sinclair Ferguson's In the Year of Our Lord. I'll get straight to the point and ask the questions I'd want answered: IS IT INTIMIDATING? and IS IT WORTH THE EFFORT?
Is it intimidating? Church history can be--though it doesn't have to be--intimidating. There's so much that could be included in any volume of church history. Do you include everybody and everything? Do you focus on people or ideas? Do you select the most influential theologians? What if the theologians were very influential but also wrong? Do you spend time correcting their theology?
This is how Ferguson approached the subject:
"In the Year of Our Lord is intended to be a very simple (but I hope) informative, encouraging, and enjoyable introduction to some members of "the Christian family"--the worldwide, history-deep, eternity-long church of Jesus Christ. It is a book of people, stories, words, and songs--a kind of family narrative accompanied by a songbook. It is not a history of the church, but simply fragments of her story. It is not the work of a professional historian but of a family member."
I found his approach to be a good one. I did not find the book intimidating. That's not to say I found it super-easy-going. I found it substantive and meaty. That's just how I like my theology. I don't want my theology to be so easy that it requires absolutely no effort on my part, so easy that nothing new is communicated. It is written for readers. It isn't necessarily written for scholars and academics.
Is it worth the effort? I'd say YES. Call me crazy, but, I found it almost devotional in nature. Perhaps the average person wouldn't come to that conclusion. (But I did). I loved, loved, loved how each entry ended in a hymn--a hymn written during that century, I believe. I also appreciated that each entry--or chapter--was an excerpt from a work from that century. These excerpts vary in difficulty or ease-of-reading. Some were accessible and well worth the effort. Others not quite as much. Ferguson's summary or introduction to a century was always worth reading. Ferguson makes church history applicable and relevant. Makes is definitely the wrong word. REVEALS does a better job of saying what I mean.
For example, in chapter two on the second century, Ferguson talks about persecution and false teaching. He writes,
"The early Christians knew that martyrdom could never ultimately kill either the believer or the church. But false teaching always does. We modern Christians tend to assume it is the other way around. We have little fear of false teaching but considerable fear of persecution. And yet, of all generations, perhaps ours is the one that should have learned to think most clearly and biblically."
I would recommend this one. -
This is a collection of “sketches” of church history. I loved the format, which was broken into twenty chapters for twenty centuries. Each chapter ended with a hymn written in that century, which I found to be a nice touch. My biggest takeaways from reading this were that we can indeed learn much from our forefathers in the faith, and it is Christ who builds his church. This is good news!
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A fantastic little read by Sinclair Ferguson. It is 20 short chapters. Each with a selection from a primary source, some historical narrative and then a hymn from that century. It is not a dry historical theology, but rather how the church has responded to its past challenges. In this way, it is encouraging and gives confidence that the church will continue to overcome any challenges in the future.
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Good overview of 20 centuries.
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I really enjoyed this book. I went slowly through it so that I could reflect upon each century and do further research. It is definitely not the most comprehensive, but it’s a great starting point for understanding church history.
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Each chapter covers a century of church history. It's a good overview. Read it for Berea.
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Sinclair Ferguson’s latest book, looks over 20 centuries of the Church’s history. As the preface says:
“Nothing can prevail against Christ’s church. The story of the church is important for Christians to know, for it contains rich and uplifting stories of God’s dealing with His people. In this book, Dr. Ferguson takes the reader on a tour of Christian history, featuring stories and songs to give believers a sense of their place in God’s kingdom and to encourage them in their walk. “
For some I suspect this will sound incredibly dull – especially if you think you don’t like history. But, believe me, this book is a wee gem – for all believers. I found it so inspiring, encouraging and moving that I stopped reading it for my general reading and instead used it as a devotional each morning. The 20 chapters (one per century) left me longing for more – not just in the sense of more of the book – but more of the Lord’s work in this world – as he patiently builds his Church and causes his Kingdom to come.
The format is simple. Each chapter begins with a quotation from that century There then follows a general overview of the Church in that century – with usually a couple of specific individuals being mentioned. Each chapter is rounded off with a song from that century. Each chapter is short, easy to read, and yet deep and profound. Each was wonderful to me – but the 7th, 8th and 10th century were ‘wow’ chapters!
This would be a great book to use your Christmas book tokens on! Immediately I finished I went and bought a copy for my dad – and I can think of others for whom this is a perfect gift.
To give you a wee flavour – here is a summary of the 7th century – Gregory and Muhammad.
Sinclair begins the chapter with a lengthy quote from a letter form Pope Boniface VIII to Queen Ethelberga, the daughter of the first Christian King of Kent. He then goes on to discuss the history and influence Pope Gregory (the Great) – Pope from 590 to 604. It was at this point in history that the Church became politically strong, but lost its grip on the gospel. Into that world came the second figure Sinclair considers – Muhammad. The summary of his life and the growth of Islam in the 8th century is fascinating. Sinclair reflects on the danger of the modern Western dogma that since we cannot have certain knowledge of God (if he exists at all) then l we are left with is that all religions are descriptions of religious experience. Islam and Christianity are thsu two different forms of the same basic religion.
But this betrays a naivete and ignorance which does a great deal of harm. The question is not whether all roads lead to God, but ‘on what basis can we stand in His presence when we get there?’.
“Islam is a way of submission and good works. There is no goods news there. By contrast, the gospel is a message of God’s grace, of faith and hope and love – a message about God seeking and finding us. Nor should we lose sight of the stubborn fact that until the days of Constantine, the remarkable spread of Christianity took place exclusively by the preaching of the gospel and never by military activity. We are dealing here not with two variants but two antithetical views of God” (p.78).
The chapter is finished with the hymn of Germanus, Patriarch of Constantinople 9634-734) – A Great and Mighty Wonder. This is the last verse:
And idol forms shall perish,
And error shall decay,
And Christ shall wield His sceptre,
Our Lord and God for aye.
Repeat the hymn again:
To God on high be glory
And peace on earth to men -
In the Year of Our Lord: Reflections on Twenty Centuries of Church History. Sinclair B. Ferguson, 2018, Reformation Trust Publishing, pp 229.
Something akin to a family tree, an old photo album, and a memory box, this book seeks to give believers a sense of their place and belonging in God’s kingdom.
Like rustling through an old tin of family memories, the reader is confronted and presented with ‘family’ members from the past twenty centuries of Church History since the ascension of our Risen Lord. Alongside the names and happenings are little mementos of our fore-bearers’ faith, preserved for us in the words of hymns and poems that they composed, thus leaving for us a trace of their faith.
However, it would be unfair to the author to present this merely as biographical sketches of those ‘family members’ covered. Ferguson, in my opinion, is keen that the reader sees the rule of the risen and ascended Christ and how through every century – even in the darkest and dimmest of time – Christ has had a people and that there has been an unbroken chain down to this present day. Christians today stand in this great flow of people.
The subtitle for the book is aptly selected: Reflections on Twenty Centuries of Church History. The mention of Church History however should not put readers off, as often the very mention of the subject turns minds to tweed jacketed dwellers of armchairs with a love of the esoteric. In fact, this book would be the ideal selection to introduce new readers to the subject as it is devotional in character with an engaging and readable tone, written by a popular – and well respected – Pastor-teacher known for his orthodoxy.
As stated, the subtitle sums this book up: it is a reflection, a remembrance of where we stand within the Christian tradition, where we have come from, who went before us, how the Christian faith permeated the lives of those gone before us, how the central truths of Scripture and the deep meditation of those of generations long ago have formed our often ‘taken-for-granted’ and assumed understanding of the faith. The helpful little quotations and hymn/poem selections that bookend each chapter also help show that doctrine and praise should not be so easily divorced as is sadly the case in much of the Church today.
This is a manageable book for those who aren’t readers. A chapter a day or a week even is very achievable and would certainly be enriching to the lives of Christians. It may even give readers a love of Church History.
Those looking for something more in depth may be disappointed, however as stated above the book in no way sets out to be a ‘Church History.’ Nonetheless that shouldn’t put readers off.
This is a great little book and I certainly see similarities to flicking through old photographs and tins of family belongings or getting lost tracing ones way back through a family tree. It is sometimes simply just worth taking a journey into the past and familiarising oneself with the family tree.
For those interested, why not read a sample chapter here at the Ligonier Store web page.
I received a free review copy of this book from the Publisher in return for an honest review. I was not obliged to post a positive review. -
This is both informative and deeply challenging and I'd reccomend it to every christian. The audio book (read by the author) is particularly good.
Sinclair is not trying to give a comprehensive view of church history, rather he gives a little window into each century of church history.
Each chapter covers a century and follows this outline:
1. An excerpt from something with a devotional bent written in that century
2. An introduction to a couple of the key figures of that century
3. Some key (normally quite challenging) lessons to learn from their lives
4. The text of a hymn written in that century -
In this book, Sinclair Ferguson, one of today’s most respected theologians, gives us an overview of church history in twenty short easy to read chapters. The book is dedicated to Vesta Sproul and in deep gratitude for R.C. Sproul.
The author tells us that that book is intended to be a very simple but informative, encouraging, and enjoyable introduction to some members of “the Christian family”—the worldwide, history-deep, eternity-long church of Jesus Christ. He tells us that it is a book of people, stories, words, and songs—a kind of family narrative accompanied by a songbook. It is not a history of the church, rather, it is but fragments of her story. It is not the work of a professional historian but of a family member. The books looks at the period of first-century Jerusalem to the present day.
The author tells us that none of the figures featured in the book were perfect. Some of them did much good, wrote much that is helpful, and demonstrated enormous courage. On the other hand, they also did harm by their inadequate or confused teaching about the Christian faith or by the style in which they lived it. He tells us that what we can honor and imitate we should, but we ought never to be blinded by unthinking admiration. Throughout the book he includes some helpful lessons we might take to heart for the life of the present and future church.
Each chapter opens with a reading from that particular century. That is followed by a brief narrative of individuals and events from that century. Each chapter ends with a hymn written that was written in that particular century.
The origin of the book comes from a series of talks the author delivered at the church he was serving in the closing months of 1999.
I thoroughly enjoyed this historical overview and would recommend it to you. Below are 10 helpful quotes from the book:
1. As we read about the Christian centuries and live in the contemporary world, we need to learn this: gospel advance always evokes opposition. That is as true in our personal lives as it is in the life of the church.
2. Jesus Christ has built His church through the centuries by permitting suffering and martyrdom.
3. It is becoming increasingly clear in our society that while the lordship of Jesus Christ may be permitted as a private religious conviction, for an individual to act in a manner consistent with that conviction may well contravene laws created by the state. Confessing Jesus as Lord is permitted, but to express His lordship may be a different issue altogether.
4. The early Christians knew that martyrdom could never ultimately kill either the believer or the church. But false teaching always does.
5. Put simply, the new assumption is this: since we cannot have certain knowledge of God (if He exists at all), all we are left with is that all religions are descriptions of religious experience. Ultimately, they all are doing the same thing, some better than others. But more than that we cannot say. Thus, in our modern world, Christianity and Islam are seen as two different forms of the same basic religion, two expressions of man’s “spiritual side.”
6. Islam is a way of submission and good works. There is no good news there. By contrast, the gospel is a message of God’s grace, of faith and hope and love—a message about God’s seeking us and finding us.
7. When the church begins to have power and influence not merely in society but over society, it tends to become more interested in its own voice being heard than in the word of the gospel being proclaimed.
8. How unnerving, therefore, to see churches today with massive indebtedness for constructing hugely impressive church buildings, organizing services as though they were concerts, and apparently measuring the “quality of worship” by a grid appropriate to performance rather than faith. And, in most instances, either having no second service on the Lord’s Day, or one that is vastly diminished in attendance.
9. Throughout the history of the church, it has always been those who have given themselves to the simplicities of day-by-day devotion to Jesus Christ who have made the deepest and most enduring impression for Him in the world.
10. We cannot avoid being citizens of two worlds. But we endanger the gospel if we confuse these two worlds. And doubtless, to some extent, this was true of the Crusades. -
Educational, encouraging, and motivational high-level overview of the history of Christianity over the past 2,000 years. Ferguson explains major events and people, and points out lessons we can learn from them. Each chapter covers one century, with a quotation for reflection, a narrative of individuals and events, and a hymn, all from that century.
Ferguson admits that the events and people he selected are based on his experience as a Scottish Presbyterian in the UK and US.
I'm glad Ferguson narrated the audiobook himself.
Notes
Centuries are 2 lower than chapter numbers
2nd Century
We tend to fear physical persecution more than heresy, but the latter is more damaging to the Church and souls.
4th Century
When Christianity became state religion of Roman Empire, citizens viewed themselves as de facto Christians, minimizing difference between Church and World.
6th Century
Power of Gospel is best expressed in community life. Paul took others on missionary journeys. We should send cell groups rather than individual missionaries.
11th Century
Eastern Church objected to filioque clause (which said Holy Spirit proceeded from Son as well as Father) because original creed had been approved by ecumenical council, and filioque clause had been added by Western Church without consulting with broader Church. Eastern Church thought of Father as fountain of deity of Trinity, and thought Western Church was saying Son was another fountain. Also, Western Church held that pope was vicar of Christ on Earth, and Eastern Church thought this was subordinating Holy Spirit's work to pope. It became a conflict over power and authority in Church and world. Eastern Church feared Western Church intended to exercise authority over Eastern Church. Result was schism of 1054.
Case of Crusades is complicated. Jesus' Kingdom isn't of this world (Jn 18:36), and Church's work is ministerial, not political. Yet Crusades sought to recapture traditional holy sites that had been conquered by Muslim powers. At time, church and state were interdependent. Idea of transnational Christian society was taken for granted. Pope was like an empowered Secretary General of UN. Gospel was sullied by granting indulgences and promising fame to crusade participants. Cause of Crusades was Islamic military expansionism into areas that were once Christian, forcing Christians to choose conversion to Islam, leaving homes, paying fines, second-rate citizenship, or death. Some crusaders were motivated by trade routes and finances; others by sacrificially responding to calls for aid from beleaguered Christians. If Christian West had done nothing, West today would likely consist of Islamic states rather than democracies.
12th Century
In Inquisition, Church didn't kill heretics; they were handed over to civil authorities for execution.
17th Century
If there was a way for the Father to grant salvation other than through Christ's death, wouldn't Christ's Father have found it, especially after Christ cried out for another way? -
It's important to remember, as author Sinclair Ferguson indicates himself at the beginning of this book, that In the Year of Our Lord isn't intended as a comprehensive history of the Church but rather a look at people and movements that have been of particular interest to Ferguson himself. With this in mind it's also important to be aware that this book carries a heavy emphasis on Ferguson's own default position of Reformed Evangelical Theology.
It is structured in twenty chapters each covering one century, each chapter having an excerpt from an important piece of writing from that century. Some of the writings from early centuries are a little hard to read simply because of the style of writing (old world English I guess) they use but this is actually good as that in itself takes the reader back to a different time and era. There then follows snapshots of people and events in this era important to Church history and Ferguson provides his own reflections on this and lessons we can learn today. Each chapter ends with a hymn from that century.
In general I found this book faithful to what it promises, almost reflective in nature, and I'd say it is a good primer for a beginner or perhaps someone who hasn't studied Church history for a long time and wants a refresher. I did have to keep reminding myself that this is Ferguson's own thoughts on his own interests from each century and not a more comprehensive look at a wider sweep of the Church through the centuries but there is enough here to encourage further reading should you wish to do that.
Just a note on the Kindle version which I read. The twenty chapters take you to about 80% with the remaining 20% covering footnotes and abbreviations etc. I say this as I was a little confused as I was getting to the last century and was only just under 80% of the book...I thought the last chapter must be huge! One thing which irked me a little was that the author includes quite alot of latin words and phrases which I really don't think need to be there and sometimes it isn't really explained what they mean but this may be more of a personal preference by myself. The book provides brief glimpses rather than being indepth but you can't cover twenty centuries in a little over 200 pages and cover more than the basics. You could actually use this to compliment your devotions and it would be a good book to work through with a book group. All in all it does what it promises and you can't ask for more than that.
Review based on NetGalley/Reformation Trust ARC thanks. -
An Overview of Christian Church History
Sinclair B. Ferguson, professor of Systematic Theology at the Reformed Theological Seminary and writer of over fifty books presents "In The Year of Our Lord. Reflections of Twenty Centuries of Church History." Ferguson starts his chapters with excerpts to the respective century. He presents important facts and events in this tour of Christian history. The book contains twenty short, easy readable chapters that emphasize on Christ's work in His church and through human history in summarizing each century. He features biographical stories from important personalities and quotes pieces from classical Christian writings and ends every chapter with a hymn of that century.
This book is not for somebody who is looking for details and and in-depth church history because this was not the goal of the author. He just wants to cover the basics. This book can be rem´commended for readers who are interested how Jesus Christ built His church through His servants, for those who want to learn about their heritage, and for new believers who want to learn about the basics. The book also provides extensive footnotes and abbreviations which can be a help for further studies. Sadly most of the historical characters who are presented are men. Furthermore, Ferguson's emphasis is on the reformed contribution to church history and there I a weakness in regard to the contribution from other church traditions. It is important to note that the old English excerpts are difficult to read for readers who are not used to them or whose mother tongue is not English. The use of Latin words and phrases is also a difficulty for those who do not know the language.
The complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley free of charge. I was under no obligation to offer a positive review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
#InTheYearOfOurLord #NetGalley -
Este es un excelente libro para aprender sobre personajes de la historia de la iglesia. Pero también es un recursos de gran valor para aprender lecciones de vida y de fe muy inspiradoras por los personajes que el autor decide resaltar.
En ocasiones el autor resaltará las deficiencias teologicas de algunos personajes historicios, en ocasiones va a subrayar la audacia e inteligencia de otros, sin embargo siempre va a dejar ver de manera inspiradora sus virtudes y su fe y amor por Cristo dentro de su epoca, su experiencias, los recursos que tenian a su alcance e incluso sus circunstancias.
En el año del Señor, 20 siglos de historia de la Iglesia es un libro que recomiendo como una introducción a la historia de la iglesia; como una brochazo o vistazo rapido de la condición de la iglesia a medida que la historia de la humanidad avanza después de la ascensión de Cristo.
Ferguson, culmina con esperanza de que hoy dia, pueden existir más cristianos en el planeta que en ninguna otra epoca de la historia, menciona el avivamiento en China y hace un atisbo a las masivas conversiones dentro del mundo Islam. Al final de cuentas, dice Ferguson:
"Las puertas del Hades no prevalecerán contra la iglesia de Cristo.... y he aquí, yo estoy con vosotros hasta el fin del mundo"
Comprálo, leélo, y comparte lo aprendido. -
This is basically a set of long devotionals with each century in church history as the theme of each devotional. It briefly introduces some key events and key Christian figures in that century and encourages the reader to be inspired by how those figures lived their lives or how God's providence was observed in that century. I think the devotional is encouraging and inspiring. It doesn't give a whole lot of background on the political and cultural environment of that century, so I don't feel I got a clear understanding of church history through this book.
Each chapter contained verses of a hymn with lyrics written by a Christian who lived in the respective century. I skipped most of them, though :P I suspect this portion would work a lot better if the hymns were actually sung and I get to hear the music :P -
If you are looking for a refresher in church history, this was a great read for that. Sinclair Ferguson devotes one chapter to each century, and gives a big picture overview while highlighting a couple main figures. This is not meant to be an exhaustive study of church history (that would take far larger and longer books), but this is a good reminder of the thousands of saints who have gone before and the different trials and victories of God's church over 2,000 years. I loved that each chapter opened with a primary source excerpt from that century and closed with a hymn composed in that same century. This is a very accessible way for believers to lean away from our obsession with the present.
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I loved many things in this book: the hymn from each century from the close of a chapter, the prevailing theme of how despite massive failures or times of darkness and evil, God will sustain and build his Church, and lessons Dr. Ferguson draws for our modern times. I agree with what he wrote in the beginning, that we as a culture and Church are horrible historians and need to look back and be better stewards of where we come from. Obviously it was his goal to be painfully brief and omit so much, and I don’t fault him for having an area of expertise, but I frequently wished for more non-Western history.
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An excellent primer of church history, thoroughly grounded in Scripture with an encouraging message anchored in Christ's promises. The only thing stopping me from giving the book a full 5 stars is that I thought a number of chapters were too short. Ferguson would start a compelling narrative without giving me quite enough information. So let's call it a 4.5. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to Christians, and to any student of history looking for a macroscopic picture of the Western world's last twenty centuries.
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I listened to this book on audio and found it engaging, informative, and helped build up my faith. Ferguson did a great job giving a broad overview of each century in the Western world, and I really loved putting into context some of the well-known figures he focuses on.
His applications for our lives today were on-point and understanding the century and what impacted our Christian forefathers is important. I also loved that he found a hymn from each century; it really helped me remember that the faith, and worship of Christians over the centuries was as real and true as it is for me now.
