Monarch History of the Church – serie

Christians today are becoming more and more interested in studying the roots of their faith and the development of the church.Finally there is an accessible but authoritative series every Christian can turn The Monarch History of the Church. Readers will not merely learn the basics but also examines much-ignored themes, such as the role of popular religion, women, and the history of the Bible.In volume one, The Birth of the Church, Ivor J. Davidson helps readers explores the first 300 years of church history using the most recent biblical research and historical scholarship. This highly readable series also examines recurring problems of the church, like its relationship with the state, other religions, and secularism.The Monarch History of the Church is an eight-volume series by world-renowned historians and theologians.Each volume offers an even-handed, comprehensive and readable assessment of the main strands of Christianity within its period.

As volume two opens, persecution of Christians is coming to an end with the triumph of Constantine. Soon legal measures protected church interests. Clergy are exempted from taxation; Christian pastors are appointed as military chaplains. But inclusion brings its own dangers as the temptations to compromise grow stronger. The following centuries will see painful heart-searching as church and state grow closer, and the doctrinal wrangles of the early church continue.

This volume covers a period of major change that had a lasting impact on art, science, economics, political thought, and education. Rudolph W. Heinze examines the various positions taken by medieval church reformers, explores the efforts of the leading reformer Martin Luther, and emphasises how the reformations brought moral and doctrinal changes to Christianity, permanently altering the religious landscape, then and now.