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The 100 Most Important Events in Christian History
From Nero's burning of Rome to Martin Luther's posting of the 95 Theses to Billy Graham's crusades, the history of Christianity is a story filled with difficulty, daring, and devotion. This compelling book highlights 100 of the most important events in 2,000 years of that history in a single concise volume. Packed with well-researched information and written in a readable, journalistic style, it brings to vivid life some of the people, events, and ideas that have shaped the church. Perfect for pastors, teachers, history buffs, and anyone who is interested in learning more about the origins and development of the Christian church.
208 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1998
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
February 20, 2024
Curtis, Lang & Peterson chronological snap shots provide an overview of 2,000 years of church history. Articles of 1-2 pages in length provide general context, historical accounts, and brief conclusions about the impact of the event from a Protestant perspective. The language/ writing style is a bit high, and some of the events themselves are complex (and dealt with sparingly) putting the book at junior high to high school reading/ maturity level. Of course, adults will benefit too, and that is perhaps where this book would be most valuable, as an additional, palatable, quick, read for teachers.
This book is adequate in accomplishing its goals, but it leaves me flummoxed. Its the kind of thing you read to check off your list, but don't remember...
Perspective is incredibly important. We simply lack perspective on recent times (from, say 1600-2000), whereas centuries have clarified events of the Byzantine time, it becomes more difficult to determine whether "1960 Beginnings of the Charismatic Renewal" has the staying power of "325 The Council of Nicea". 55 of 100 events (55%) of this series are from 1500-1976, yet the simple math on years is that this is but 25% of the church. Such is our hubris. Prior to this outpouring of significance, the average is 3 entries per 100 years. What will the 3 significant events of the 1800's be 1000 years from now. How to get PERSPECTIVE?
For the dataheads among us, here is a summary by century:
0-100: 2 entries
101-200: 4
201-300: 3
301-400: 6
401-500: 3
501-600: 3
601-700: 1!
701-800: 3
801-900: 2
901-1000: 2
1001-1100: 3
1101-1200: 3
1201-1300: 3
1301-1400: 3
1401-1500: 4
1501-1600: 11
1601-1700: 10
1701-1800: 6
1801-1900: 16
1900-1976: 12
I suppose one cannot fault the authors, as this flaw is common. And in fairness to their endeavor, we do know much more about D.L. Moody than we do Irenaeus, and the extension of length in entries reflects the amount of information available. I just cannot help but pity those Christ followers who lived from 601-700. Not one of them significant, they only managed to pull off the Synod of Whitby (a matter concerning the British Isles, but of lesser importance to German Christians) and one wonders if the authors were reaching for that inclusion.
I don't want to be too hard on Curtis, et al. Maybe I'm just grumpy this morning while trying to catch up on my reviews, well, maybe I should revise that "I'm just grumpy this morning while trying to catch up on my reviews". Though this is my third attempt of the morning and none of the other books made me quite this fussy. My point is that while this book serves a purpose of exposing Christians to the panorama of church history, with a concentration on the issues and concerns of our time, my heart wonders what God's perspective on church history looks like and how we can better articulate it. I suspect it would be more memorable, and less grump inducing. 2.5 stars, but since I'm grumpy, I'm going with 2.
Update:
I HAVE finally found a wonderful overview of the history of the Christian Church that I would recommend wholeheartedly. It's from the prolific Simonetta Carr:
Church History for Young Readers, Carr, 2022
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This book is adequate in accomplishing its goals, but it leaves me flummoxed. Its the kind of thing you read to check off your list, but don't remember...
Perspective is incredibly important. We simply lack perspective on recent times (from, say 1600-2000), whereas centuries have clarified events of the Byzantine time, it becomes more difficult to determine whether "1960 Beginnings of the Charismatic Renewal" has the staying power of "325 The Council of Nicea". 55 of 100 events (55%) of this series are from 1500-1976, yet the simple math on years is that this is but 25% of the church. Such is our hubris. Prior to this outpouring of significance, the average is 3 entries per 100 years. What will the 3 significant events of the 1800's be 1000 years from now. How to get PERSPECTIVE?
For the dataheads among us, here is a summary by century:
0-100: 2 entries
101-200: 4
201-300: 3
301-400: 6
401-500: 3
501-600: 3
601-700: 1!
701-800: 3
801-900: 2
901-1000: 2
1001-1100: 3
1101-1200: 3
1201-1300: 3
1301-1400: 3
1401-1500: 4
1501-1600: 11
1601-1700: 10
1701-1800: 6
1801-1900: 16
1900-1976: 12
I suppose one cannot fault the authors, as this flaw is common. And in fairness to their endeavor, we do know much more about D.L. Moody than we do Irenaeus, and the extension of length in entries reflects the amount of information available. I just cannot help but pity those Christ followers who lived from 601-700. Not one of them significant, they only managed to pull off the Synod of Whitby (a matter concerning the British Isles, but of lesser importance to German Christians) and one wonders if the authors were reaching for that inclusion.
I don't want to be too hard on Curtis, et al. Maybe I'm just grumpy this morning while trying to catch up on my reviews, well, maybe I should revise that "I'm just grumpy this morning while trying to catch up on my reviews". Though this is my third attempt of the morning and none of the other books made me quite this fussy. My point is that while this book serves a purpose of exposing Christians to the panorama of church history, with a concentration on the issues and concerns of our time, my heart wonders what God's perspective on church history looks like and how we can better articulate it. I suspect it would be more memorable, and less grump inducing. 2.5 stars, but since I'm grumpy, I'm going with 2.
Update:
I HAVE finally found a wonderful overview of the history of the Christian Church that I would recommend wholeheartedly. It's from the prolific Simonetta Carr:
Church History for Young Readers, Carr, 2022
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
March 31, 2019
Major caveat: this should be titled "The 100 Most Important Events in Western European and United States Christian History". It breaks up a lengthy subject into 100 bite-sized mini-chapters, but only focuses on Italy, Germany, Switzerland, the British Isles, Switzerland, Spain, France, the Netherlands and the USA. The rest of the world is notably absent.
January 12, 2018
Read this years ago & it's definitely worth rereading often! Quick, readable, & important!
"Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it!"
Or also, in this case, not appreciate & build upon it!
"Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it!"
Or also, in this case, not appreciate & build upon it!
May 22, 2023
A great way to dip into the events in Church history which have most affected the growth and development of the Christian Church. And very well written.
Liked it a lot.
Liked it a lot.
April 17, 2020
I read this book for my Church History courses under Dr. Randy Cloud. This is an engaging and interesting overview of some of the pivotal moments in Christian History. I really enjoyed this book!
July 14, 2025
This is a terrific little volume for what it is.
I’d recommend this to anyone interested in a Protestant account of major moments in (western) Christian history. It’s got an irenic scope and tone that I think could be particularly helpful to ahistorical but well-meaning Evangelicals.
I’d recommend this to anyone interested in a Protestant account of major moments in (western) Christian history. It’s got an irenic scope and tone that I think could be particularly helpful to ahistorical but well-meaning Evangelicals.
June 19, 2011
This was an excellent read and a truly great survey of church history. There were two things I found especially significant from the authors' take on how to prepare this work: (1) they include things one would not immediately recognize as a major contributor to church history (ex. The Synod of Whitby, 664; the births of Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frederic Handel, 1685); and (2) they are very up-front with the reader that their word is in no way final on the 100 most important events in church history. They actually even encourage readers' responses for future editions in the preface.
I'm not a huge fan of their use of "legend" (ex. Boniface chopping down the Thundering Tree in Germany, 716; or Martin Luther giving his "Here I Stand" speech at the Diet of Worms, 1521. ... To clarify, the legend was speaking of the speech only; the authors hold to the true historical event that Luther was present and on trial at the Diet of Worms in 1521). Thankfully, however, the uses of the "legend" word were only rare, isolated instances.
All in all, it really is an easy but informative read beginning from 64 when Rome was set ablaze with fire up through 1966-1976 when the church in China is seeing major significant growth. Their records of key missionaries were also much appreciated and helpful.
I don't know anything about the background of the authors; but I certainly appreciate their work, as there really is a need for a true "layman's guide" to church history. Layman or not, I believe this work will be useful to all who want a general, abridged survey of the history of the Christian Church.
I'm not a huge fan of their use of "legend" (ex. Boniface chopping down the Thundering Tree in Germany, 716; or Martin Luther giving his "Here I Stand" speech at the Diet of Worms, 1521. ... To clarify, the legend was speaking of the speech only; the authors hold to the true historical event that Luther was present and on trial at the Diet of Worms in 1521). Thankfully, however, the uses of the "legend" word were only rare, isolated instances.
All in all, it really is an easy but informative read beginning from 64 when Rome was set ablaze with fire up through 1966-1976 when the church in China is seeing major significant growth. Their records of key missionaries were also much appreciated and helpful.
I don't know anything about the background of the authors; but I certainly appreciate their work, as there really is a need for a true "layman's guide" to church history. Layman or not, I believe this work will be useful to all who want a general, abridged survey of the history of the Christian Church.
February 7, 2020
Opinions will vary on what the top 100 events are, but overall a solid list. I do think the authors had a bias towards Protestant history in the latter half of the book, as some events/people seemed to be not very relevant compared to Catholic or Orthodox events/figures of the same time period. Really that is splitting hairs, and honestly if the authors are all Protestant then they did an admiral job with recognizing non-Protestant Christian history overall. One glaring omission though was Gregory Palamas, which is such a large omission relative to the choices they made that I had to give them 4 stars rather than 5. Leaving him out would be like leaving out Aquinas, Luther, or Calvin.
February 15, 2014
While this book does not stand alone as a scholarly resource by any means, it does serve as a general, and helpful, introduction to church history and the impact Christianity has had on its cultural contexts.
May 24, 2019
The 100 Most Important Events in Christian History by A. Kenneth Curtis, J. Stephen Lang, and Randy Petersen seeks to accomplish a very difficult task. That is to provide a fair list of the 100 most important events in Christian history in just over 200 pages. At the beginning of this review it is necessary to point out two things. First, all of these events are outside of the New Testament. They begin with the Great Fire of Rome in 64 AD and continue from there. Second, they are presented in chronological order and not by importance. The preface gives us further details on the book’s design and purpose. Part of it reads, “...we have attempted to give an overview of events in the perplexing history of the people of God that will provide the nonhistorian and nonspecialist with a convenient look at major contours and catalysts that have shaped Christianity.”
This is a key sentence to keep in mind when reading the book. It is not designed to discuss the events in depth. Instead, each chapter is like as an introduction to the topic at hand. Although the book shares differing perspectives of various people and events, they are not done in exhaustive fashion. Each section is only 1-3 pages in length and presents the major ideas and challenges as needed, but little more. These characteristics are not necessarily drawbacks to the book. They are simply in keeping with its intended purpose as stated in the preface.
One impressive aspect of the work is its awareness of how one event shapes the future. Multiple chapters end with statements that mention how people or actions impacted future generations, for both good or bad. For example, at the end of the chapter on Tertullian it reads, “Tertullian was swimming against the tide. For more than twelve hundred years the clergy would have a special place. Not until Martin Luther challenged the church would an emphasis on ‘the priesthood of all believers' be recaptured” (pg. 25). This sense of development over the centuries is well done, and something that should be readily grasped by readers. This is a strong benefit of the list being in chronological order.
Concerning the list itself, it is reasonable, if a bit biased. It contains many entries that one would expect, such as the Council of Nicea, the East-West Schism, and Martin Luther posting his Ninety-five Theses. One of the book’s strengths is how it highlights key points in the development of denominations and a number of minority groups. This reviewer particularly appreciated the sections on the growth of various Bible translations and other important books. In addition to these, the authors also include a few chapters on art. For example, the births of Bach and Handel, and Rembrandt's The Return of the Prodigal Son, are represented in the list. Their inclusion is impressive.
Although each chapter serves as a useful introduction to each event, some may be disappointed from time to time. For this reviewer, that is the case for the two pages on Pope Urban II launching the First Crusade (pgs. 73-74). Having done research on the topic, the discussion on it seemed shallow and elementary. It is a good example of the need for readers to seek additional information to more fully understand the topics discussed. If this, and a few other chapters are any indication, the book may give a biased perspective of various events. Those who know a lot about church history may find this to be the case, thereby dampening the usefulness of the book.
In the preface, Ken Curtis admits that some may accuse the authors of favoring the West, Protestants, males, and evangelicals. A good argument can be said for each. There is one more example of bias that results in an imbalance in the book. Most of the pages of the book are used for the last 500 years of history. The first 94 pages take the reader up to 1498 with the execution of Savonarola. That is a small number of pages for such a long period of time. In contrast to that, the last 110 pages begin with 1512 and continue to 1976. That is only about 460 years. Readers run through over a millennium of history in the first half of the book, only to slow to a crawl once the 1500’s are reached. This imbalance is unfortunate.
Of course, there are a number of reasons why the authors chose certain events over others. Although I may have preferred a more balanced listing of events, Ken Curtis, Stephen Lang, and Randy Petersen may be right. I am not a historian, and they know far more than I do when it comes to religious history. Even with its areas of bias and imbalance the book is useful for its intended audience. It does succeed in providing a convenient look at major contours and catalysts that have shaped church history. I almost rated the book 4 stars but the imbalance and bias are too prominent to allow it. If I could, I would give it 3.5 stars.
This is a key sentence to keep in mind when reading the book. It is not designed to discuss the events in depth. Instead, each chapter is like as an introduction to the topic at hand. Although the book shares differing perspectives of various people and events, they are not done in exhaustive fashion. Each section is only 1-3 pages in length and presents the major ideas and challenges as needed, but little more. These characteristics are not necessarily drawbacks to the book. They are simply in keeping with its intended purpose as stated in the preface.
One impressive aspect of the work is its awareness of how one event shapes the future. Multiple chapters end with statements that mention how people or actions impacted future generations, for both good or bad. For example, at the end of the chapter on Tertullian it reads, “Tertullian was swimming against the tide. For more than twelve hundred years the clergy would have a special place. Not until Martin Luther challenged the church would an emphasis on ‘the priesthood of all believers' be recaptured” (pg. 25). This sense of development over the centuries is well done, and something that should be readily grasped by readers. This is a strong benefit of the list being in chronological order.
Concerning the list itself, it is reasonable, if a bit biased. It contains many entries that one would expect, such as the Council of Nicea, the East-West Schism, and Martin Luther posting his Ninety-five Theses. One of the book’s strengths is how it highlights key points in the development of denominations and a number of minority groups. This reviewer particularly appreciated the sections on the growth of various Bible translations and other important books. In addition to these, the authors also include a few chapters on art. For example, the births of Bach and Handel, and Rembrandt's The Return of the Prodigal Son, are represented in the list. Their inclusion is impressive.
Although each chapter serves as a useful introduction to each event, some may be disappointed from time to time. For this reviewer, that is the case for the two pages on Pope Urban II launching the First Crusade (pgs. 73-74). Having done research on the topic, the discussion on it seemed shallow and elementary. It is a good example of the need for readers to seek additional information to more fully understand the topics discussed. If this, and a few other chapters are any indication, the book may give a biased perspective of various events. Those who know a lot about church history may find this to be the case, thereby dampening the usefulness of the book.
In the preface, Ken Curtis admits that some may accuse the authors of favoring the West, Protestants, males, and evangelicals. A good argument can be said for each. There is one more example of bias that results in an imbalance in the book. Most of the pages of the book are used for the last 500 years of history. The first 94 pages take the reader up to 1498 with the execution of Savonarola. That is a small number of pages for such a long period of time. In contrast to that, the last 110 pages begin with 1512 and continue to 1976. That is only about 460 years. Readers run through over a millennium of history in the first half of the book, only to slow to a crawl once the 1500’s are reached. This imbalance is unfortunate.
Of course, there are a number of reasons why the authors chose certain events over others. Although I may have preferred a more balanced listing of events, Ken Curtis, Stephen Lang, and Randy Petersen may be right. I am not a historian, and they know far more than I do when it comes to religious history. Even with its areas of bias and imbalance the book is useful for its intended audience. It does succeed in providing a convenient look at major contours and catalysts that have shaped church history. I almost rated the book 4 stars but the imbalance and bias are too prominent to allow it. If I could, I would give it 3.5 stars.
October 9, 2024
I enjoyed this and knowing the church's history through the different centuries. = =On the back cover: Two thousand years of Church History
Johann Gutenberg produces the first printed bible(1456)
Martin Luther posts his ninety-five theses(1517)
Great awakening under Jonathan Edwards(1735)
William Booth founds the Salvation Army (1865)
Billy Graham's Los Angeles crusade (1849)
What do these events have in common? These are a few of the entries in the 100 most important events in Christian history from Nero's burning of Rome to the twentieth-century charismatic renewal, it highlights the major people, events, and ideas that have shaped the long history of Christianity. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
other examples are
387 Conversion of Augustine
590 Gregory 1 becomes Pope
1173 Peter Waldo founds the Waldensians
1415 John Hus burned at the stake
1517 Martin Luther posts his ninety-five theses
1608-1609 John Smyth Baptists the first Baptists
Johann Gutenberg produces the first printed bible(1456)
Martin Luther posts his ninety-five theses(1517)
Great awakening under Jonathan Edwards(1735)
William Booth founds the Salvation Army (1865)
Billy Graham's Los Angeles crusade (1849)
What do these events have in common? These are a few of the entries in the 100 most important events in Christian history from Nero's burning of Rome to the twentieth-century charismatic renewal, it highlights the major people, events, and ideas that have shaped the long history of Christianity. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
other examples are
387 Conversion of Augustine
590 Gregory 1 becomes Pope
1173 Peter Waldo founds the Waldensians
1415 John Hus burned at the stake
1517 Martin Luther posts his ninety-five theses
1608-1609 John Smyth Baptists the first Baptists
May 28, 2023
I did not read the whole book but I did get about 1/4 of the way in before I started skimming to the entries I was most interested in. I did not research the author's background and religious doctrine but based on the "most important events" he chose I would have to guess that he is Catholic. That and the exclusion of entries like Tyndale make me wonder. It's fine. And the beginning portraits really help introduce a picture of how Christianity moved toward a Catholic practice and organization around greed and power, but I really felt that the inclusions/exclusions were subjective and the author failed to prove why those entries were supposedly the "most important" in all of 'Christian' history.
October 7, 2022
If you have an interest in Church History but do not know where to start, this is a good place.
Starting in 64 AD with the fire in Rome it covers 100 major events ending with the House Church movement in China. It attempts to give an objective view, Catholic, Protestant, Liberal, and Conservative, even though the authors and publishers would be in the Conservative Evangelical "camp." I wish that they would have continued on into the 21st century, and spent more time with the Eastern Orthodox, and the movements in the Southern Hemisphere.
The chapters are short and I read them devotionally, a chapter a day.
Starting in 64 AD with the fire in Rome it covers 100 major events ending with the House Church movement in China. It attempts to give an objective view, Catholic, Protestant, Liberal, and Conservative, even though the authors and publishers would be in the Conservative Evangelical "camp." I wish that they would have continued on into the 21st century, and spent more time with the Eastern Orthodox, and the movements in the Southern Hemisphere.
The chapters are short and I read them devotionally, a chapter a day.
May 1, 2021
Interesting from the perspective that I wasn't familiar with most of these events in church history, but, because I didn't have at least some familiarity, I found myself forgetting events almost as fast as I learned about them. Thus when they were referenced again later without any kind of reminder, I didn't get as much out of it as I would have liked or had to go back and try to figure it out all over again. Remembering terms was harder because I couldn't remember where they were defined.
March 29, 2018
This book is a snap shot of historical events in the life of the Christian church. As the author noted, these are his 100 most important events, and others may choose differently. But I appreciated the fact that it introduced me to some events of which I was not aware, and it put in context the dates of the events and how many related to others.
February 4, 2019
It's embarrassing how long it took me to get through this book. I find that books like this that are little stories are harder for me to sit and just read through then a big thick book on one subject. However, while this book is a bit dated, I really enjoyed learning about events in Christian history. Some of them I knew about, others inspired me with the newness.
August 3, 2024
What a great little book on church history. Felt like I dipped my toe into many different people, movements, and events that I would love to study more. My favorite part of reading this was coming away with a sense of wonder at how God's plan for His gospel to spread has not been thwarted by flawed human beings but spread through flawed human beings!
December 29, 2024
This book was a nice snapshot of church history. It was by no means scholarly or in depth, but it was easy to digest and not dry. I found myself a little skeptical of some of the recent 150-year choices. We can not gauge the lasting impact of some of these choices against monumental achievements and people who have stood the test of time over 1000's of years.
Read
March 22, 2023A little depressing, tbh...most events (especially earlier ones) were about power and politics. Took me awhile to get through but I think overall it gives a good basic outline of Christian church history.
April 20, 2018
Nice intro to church history
June 6, 2020
2.5 stars [History]
(W: 2.5, U: 3, T: 2.75)
Exact rating: 2.75
#68 in genre, out of 81
A decent little book worthy of underlining and use for constructing a large-scope timeline.
(W: 2.5, U: 3, T: 2.75)
Exact rating: 2.75
#68 in genre, out of 81
A decent little book worthy of underlining and use for constructing a large-scope timeline.
January 17, 2021
I learned very much.
June 26, 2024
The lack of flowing stories makes this a tedious read. The stories in this book are very interesting though.
January 9, 2025
Første "review" så vi gjør det kort. Boken er super partisk i hvilke hendelser den velger å fremstille, men utrolig praktisk for en kort introduksjon til noen av kirkehistoriens viktigste hendelser.
January 16, 2025
Fun taster of 100 events of Christian history. Just enough to make you go do your own research should something pique your interest.
May 10, 2025
Straightforward and interesting, but this is more of a reference booklet than a complete book. I wish the author had delved more into the lasting effects of each event.
September 25, 2021
This is a great introductory book for those seeking to get a grasp of Christian history. One aspect that this book brings to notice is this, the Spirit of God has moved among the people greatly when the word of God has been taken in all its seriousness.
It is also a great book in the evangelical sense that it has excluded all the liberal intellectual whores such as Paul Tillich, F.D.E Schleiermacher who have basterdised the gospel from inclusion into Christian history.
It is also a great book in the evangelical sense that it has excluded all the liberal intellectual whores such as Paul Tillich, F.D.E Schleiermacher who have basterdised the gospel from inclusion into Christian history.
March 15, 2016
Brief history of what the title says
I found this to be a great reference of key moments of Church history which is what the title says. You are not going to get a great in-depth account of everything leading up to this time. If you want that then you need to look elsewhere, what you do get it a brief history of key moments and a taste of what happened and often of the great sacrifices made so that we can have the freedom and tools available to us today. I enjoyed this trip through history with some new some wildly know but all important in their own way.
I found this to be a great reference of key moments of Church history which is what the title says. You are not going to get a great in-depth account of everything leading up to this time. If you want that then you need to look elsewhere, what you do get it a brief history of key moments and a taste of what happened and often of the great sacrifices made so that we can have the freedom and tools available to us today. I enjoyed this trip through history with some new some wildly know but all important in their own way.
July 13, 2009
The early part of this book was better than the latter. The author did very little critical interaction with the events. The authors appear to be generally against organized religion and have a bias towards baptist thought. Their praise of J.N. Darby was almost more than I could handle. It was recommended to me for children learning the basic contours of the Christian faith. For this purpose it is well suited. But for in depth analysis look elsewhere.
October 6, 2008
The first is a great summary of some key events. It was a great place to start teaching Church History to my family.
I used it as a jumping off point for study.
I did have issues with the neutral approach the authors took as well as the things they chose to include from the 20th century, yet over all I liked the book.
I used it as a jumping off point for study.
I did have issues with the neutral approach the authors took as well as the things they chose to include from the 20th century, yet over all I liked the book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews