Church History, Volume Two: From Pre-Reformation to the Present Day

The two volumes represent nearly 1400 pages of history written primarily as a textbook. Not though they may certainly have some devotional use, they have their primary role in the college or graduate school classroom. These books do not present a gentle introduction to church history, but are designed for the academic environment of a upper division college classroom or seminary. Given that the books are 550 and 850 pages each, it is expected that such a course would be offered over a two semester sequence.

A couple of things stood out as I perused the book. The book is a well-documented description of church history – quoting primary sources when needed to help the reader understand the historical events being described. I appreciated the details included – many of which I had not heard before. The other standout feature of these texts is the wide margins they present – perfect for making notes or outlining as they are being read. Some of this space is taken up with quotations and images (all black and white), but there is plenty of space for personal comments as well. Electronic copies each have their own way of saving notes.

Forty years ago I was privileged to sit under the teaching of John Woodbridge at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School – it was fun to again, virtually, sit under his tutelage as I made my way through Volume II of these texts. Actually, it was fun to sit under the tutelage of all three authors as I read through these texts.

I had two concerns as I prepared this review.

As I noted earlier, all images in both volumes were black and white (except for the book covers). Without hard copies, it is difficult to determine whether the PDFs that were provided for review represented the final copy (without color images?) or not. Color images would make the books more inviting to students and other readers.
The indexes had not been completed prior to the preparation of the PDFs provided for review. Given the number of pages allocated for the index, this reviewer would expect that they might be thorough; but this cannot be verified with the material provided to me.

Though not designed for the general reader, these two volumes would be a welcome addition to the collection of any student of church history – whether in or out of a classroom. It would be a privilege to have these works sitting on the shelf next to those of the church fathers, Luther, Calvin, and Wesley. With a completed index and color images, there would great value in having these two reference books available.
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This review is based on free electronic copies provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are my own.

Much like the first volume this volume is a very good history textbook covering the reformation to contemporary times. While still primarily a history book rather than a theological history, there is more discussion of theological differences by necessity of the period under consideration.

Again the chapters are set up in outline form with sources for further study at the end of each chapter. This volume presents a balanced history with very few blatant signs of partisanship. That alone is a great feat since this volume covers our current times. Also for that reason some readers/students may feel their particular denomination should have received more coverage.

Reviewed from an ARC made available by the publisher via NetGalley.

I am not sure anything could have topped the first volume in this set covering the history of Christianity form its beginnings to today. However, “Church History, Volume Two” is just as exciting, interesting, informative and well written as its predecessor. After you read these two books, you will know everything you need to know about the church.

Church History is one of those subjects that many feel inadequate to comprehend, remember, and use in Christian ministry. Unless one is a history buff, church history texts are often difficult to enjoy reading, and are often not typeset or designed to be memorable or useable. In short, they are quickly forgettable.

Zondervan’s two-volume church history set combines a church history and historical theology approach to walk readers through both the major events of the church and the development of doctrine since the time of the apostles. Skimming through the volumes, I found succinct, yet in-depth, progression through the centuries. Since volume one is less than 600 pages, the discussion of topics is compressed. Volume two tops out over 800 pages, but for volumes on church history, these are manageable lengths. This is what makes this set valuable for pastors and others in practical ministry that want to refresh and maintain their knowledge of church history. Both the content and the design are conducive to learning and retaining important.

The first volume, Church History: From Christ to the Pre-Reformation (2nd ed., Zondervan, 2013), is written by Everett Ferguson and covers the apostolic period to the Medieval Age. The second volume, Church History: From Pre-Reformation to the Present Day (Zondervan, 2013) is written by John Woodbridge and Frank James picks up in 1300 A.D. with European Christianity in an age of "Adversity, Renaissance, and Discovery". The quality of these volumes are exceptional. These titans of church history write from decades of experience and knowledge, and this set will be well worth the money spent on them.

Important history of the church, covering the more recent period since pre-reformation. Looking forward to reading this book.

Excellent volume that explores and explains politics, doctrine and policy, and religion in the development of the Church.

This is the 2nd volume of the series of Church History. Just like the first one this was written in academic way. I appreciate the objective way that it was written.