Christian Music: A global history

by Tim Dowley

The Christians: An Illustrated History is an extravagantly illustrated survey of the development of Christianity from the time of Jesus to the present day. Writing in an accessible, topical style, Tim Dowley covers subjects that continue to influence the church and society today. Dowley also surveys key figures such as Paul, Justin Martyr, Augustine, Innocent III, Abelard, Francis of Assisi, Luther, Moody, Barth, C. S. Lewis, and others. The book is international in scope and is illustrated throughout with four-color art, photographs, maps, charts, and sidebar material.

Genres: Music, History, Christianity

336 pages, Paperback

First published May 30, 2008

About the author

Tim Dowley (Ph.D. in church history, University of Manchester) has been at the forefront of writing and editing for a new generation of resources on biblical studies and church history.

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am teaching a church class about history and styles of hymns - using this as a reference book.

[Ben Trigg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Useful, broad overview, reaching as far back as is historically possible to give a complete picture of the history of Christian music. What it lacks is any substantive commentary on the history, with only little inferences drawn here and there from critiques on especially modern Christian music styles and contributions. Sometimes feels a little stultified for its bent towards facts, dates and names; but it remains a useful reference book nonetheless, and certainly a testament to the extraordinary breadth of music produced by the church from the time of its birth – eye-opening enough for any layperson who hasn’t fully grasped the magnitude of what has gone before.

[Seth Pierce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prob more like a 3 1/2 stars. Good general overview but can get lost in the biographical weeds and ends rather abruptly.