Church History in Plain Language
Why is this not required reading?
How did Christianity go from 12 apostles to over 200 denominations? What caused the denominational splits? Why is the Catholic Church demonized by so many and what historical atrocities did it perpetrate?
I grew up Catholic. Went to Catholic school, served in the church, and grew to hate it because of the people who represented it to me. In adolescence, I saw hypocrisy everywhere and a visit to the Vatican after college confirmed that the Catholic Church cared more about money and power than the people they were supposed to serve. So I rejected Catholicism and everything having anything to do with God.
As a new Christian, I was affiliated with Protestant denominations but I really didn’t know what separated one from another. How is a Baptist different from a Methodist or Assemblies of God?
Church History in Plain Language by Bruce L. Shelley provided all the answers and many more that I didn’t even realize I had questions for. (I have the fourth edition, but am tempted to get the fifth edition.)
It starts at the beginning and provides descriptive, contextual historical stories to explain the how and the why. For example, the first chapter explains the social, political, and religious milieu that Jesus navigated during his life. After Jesus was crucified, died, resurrected, and ascended into heaven, the apostles were in charge of spreading the Word. The Word was not well received and many already know about Stephen, the first martyr. It wasn’t until AD 70 that Christians started to organize into something to manage the way the Word was preached and establish some sort of authority. In the beginning, “catholic” meant “universal, orthodox” teaching, it did not denote a denomination like we know it now. Again, Shelley takes the reader through the formation of the organized church and each era after that by including context.
The chapters are easy to read and organized chronologically so it feels like you’re in a time machine observing history. A chapter can easily be read in one sitting and it remains true to its title, with everything in “plain language.” You don’t need a college degree to read the book. At the end of each chapter is a list of recommended reading if you want to explore that era in more detail.
Furthermore, the book focuses more on history rather than endorsing or supporting any particular theology. I did not detect any bias. For example, the question about how Protestantism started is explained as an argument over whether regular people could read the Bible. Before then, only priests and authorized church personnel could. Martin Luther and others like him said, wait a second, when I read this Bible, I’m reading something the Catholic Church doesn’t teach. Luther said that in order for people to know and love God, they need to know His Word. This controversial and history-making discussions, along with the prominent people who took sides, led to the Reformation. By explaining the context of the Reformation in terms of when it occurred, what life was like when it occurred, and the arguments on both sides, the book explains the theological differences of each split in denominations throughout history. This provided so much clarity for me.
The book also puts church history in the context of world events including the role of the church in China, Japan, Muslim countries and beyond. The relationships between the church and governments were historically intertwined in a way that the church became more powerful than the state. This led to state entities trying to control the church. Enter corruption. There was a huge war in Europe over this which I don’t remember hearing about in any of my history education. Most have heard of the Crusades, but do you know what they were really about? Then there are all the events which Christianity influenced, such as the demise of the Atlantic slave trade, a movement started and maintained by Christians. What about all the monastic orders, where did they come from? The list goes on.
I found all of this fascinating. The vehemence of the debates about separation of church and state get people all riled up in the U.S. and is ironic considering that our country was founded by religious rebels seeking the freedom to practice their beliefs how they liked. The book goes into that history and explains why the early colonists and then the writers of our founding documents wanted to keep the state out of church. Their intention was not to keep the church out of state, but rather to ensure that no state religion was established like it had been in Europe for centuries. The book also explains how Christian worldviews, morals, and ethics have informed Western civilization through government and law. Shelley recommends reading Tom Hollands’s “Dominion: How the Christian Revolution Remade the World.” Needless to say, that’s next on my reading list. Oh, fun fact: Tom Holland is a historian, not a professing Christian, according to sources I could find, so I’m looking forward to reading his book.
The edition of “Church History…” I read also included contemporary issues, including the rise of the megachurch and the unchurch. Where I live now, I see tons of locations with names like ____ Fellowship or _____ Worship Center, completely vague and makes me wonder if it is even God-focused. The author of “Church History” suggests many of these types of places are more like social service, country-club type organizations with a Christian leaning but may or may not teach the Bible. That, in my opinion, is the danger in the world right now.
Too many people, like myself before reading this, are clueless about church history. With no idea of the genealogy of a denomination, how can one truly make a wise decision about what church to attend? Was the denomination started based on a theological issue? An issue regarding the best way to worship God? Or a feud between pastors where one broke away and said ‘I’m going to do it my way.’ Many people don’t even know the foundational beliefs of the denomination or what makes it different from others. This makes a significant difference in the way a denomination or church preaches the Bible, or if they even do.
I’ve since come to understand that my adolescent problems with the Catholic Church were more about the people in my life who purported to be Catholic but acted in ways contrary to Catholic beliefs. Now I consider myself Protestant, and I know the theological underpinnings of that decision. I also have a better understanding of the complexities of the Catholic Church and why it is the way it is.
A denominational label tells you nothing about a person. You will know if someone follows Jesus by the way that they live and by their fruit. What I ultimately learned throughout my Christian journey and from this book is that what really matters is one’s relationship with Jesus and immersion in the Word of God. In Revelation, Jesus doesn’t talk about the seven churches in denominational terms, rather he talks about the behaviors and beliefs those churches have adopted over time, including how they’ve drifted from the Truth. Jesus directs people and churches back to the Word with the command to obey and do what it says.
We live in an age where false prophets and unbelievers twist the Word of God and contort history to fit their narrative. To stand firm in the Truth, we must not only secure the Word in our hearts, but we must arm ourselves with the truth of history and theology. How can we defend what we believe if we don’t understand why we believe it?
I highly, highly recommend this book to all Christians. Read it as a family. Read it in a Bible study group. Use it during study for homeschool or as a supplement to anyone’s education. Listen to it while driving. Above all, educate yourself and then stand firm in your relationship with God.
No stranger to spiritual warfare, Trudi Griffin writes stories of the eternal war between good and evil. Read her short story “Bondage” on Short Fiction Break. She was also a 2024 ACFW Genesis Semifinalist in speculative fiction. A native cheesehead from Wisconsin, Trudi is now an adopted Texan where she lives with her warrior husband. When she’s not sewing or reading, she’s probably gaming or enjoying a beautiful West Texas sunset.