The abridged A History of Christian Doctrine contains material from all three volumes of David K. Bernard’s comprehensive analysis of church history. Covering events from the first century ad through the end of the twentieth century, the reader will find out why certain biblical doctrines were abandoned, how certain unbiblical doctrines were embraced, and learn about the origins of many of the denominations that exist today.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I have looked for a book along the same theme and ideas and I have found Bernard did a fantastic job. My main desire is that I want more footnotes and documentation for a lot of the quotes statements and facts.
My only regret is that I did not purchase the full three volume set (which I will be doing). It is wonderfully concise and easy to follow, with an apostolic perspective on each doctrinal development. It also attempts to follow the thread of an apostolic doctrinal remnant wherever that historical information was available.
I like the fact that this text is easily accessible to laypeople, avoiding overly technical terms. While it takes one through a panoramic view of Church history and giving honour to whom honour is due.