Doing Church History: A User-Friendly Introduction to Researching the History of Christianity

by Gordon L. Heath

The book is an introductory textbook for seminary students who take church history courses. Most seminary students do not have a history background (and many do not look forward to taking history courses at seminary), and so there is a need to provide a brief, basic, non-technical introduction to the discipline. There are other texts written for those seeking to do more rigorous research in church history (e.g., theses and dissertations), but those works are quite technical, long and dense. This book is for those in seminary who are training for ministry, need help in their church history courses, and who have no time or interest in wading through a 200+ page text. The text is intended to be short, helpful, and intelligible to a student with no history background. The book is divided into two parts. The first deals with theoretical issues such as the need for church history, how you write about God as a cause of events, and objectivity in historical research. The second is more practical in nature, and deals with the types and use of sources, documentation, and types of historical research. The Appendices provide helpful information on terms, how to use church history in a local church, and how to write a local church history. Dr. Gordon L. Heath is assistant professor of Christian history at McMaster Divinity College in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. He is the author of two other books and numerous articles. He lives in Ancaster with his wife Virginia, two children Joshua and Natasha, and one rabbit ("Bunny").

Genres: Church History, History, Theology

108 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2008

Reviews

[Stephen Bedard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this little book (I read it one sitting). If you are a seminary student about to take your first history course, you need to read this book. Heath situates history in the context of both the church and the academy, showing why it is important and relevant. He has a very readable style that makes understanding history look attainable.

[Natalie Judson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quite enjoyable textbook I read for my church history course. I loved the short chapters. "We cannot get away from history any more than a fish swimming in the sea can get away from the water."

[Stephen Ring]

Read this as one of my assignment textbooks for a course on Christian History. A good general overview of a number of key issues in historical research, both theoretical and practical without being indepth.

[Simon O'Mahony · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is exactly what it claims to be: "A User-Friendly Introduction to Researching the History of Christianity."

However, a 108 page book at $15.00 is overpriced.

[Thaddeus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great short book on doing church history! Well written and clearly articulated... a recommended read for any student of church history.

[Kyle Grow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very light and introductory. First book of seminary!

[Sean McGowan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short. Helpful.

[Kevin Ressler · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is a good book. Nothing exemplarily exciting one way or another. It is a good primer, so those who already know contemporary academic models of history and the mainstream reasons for church historians specifically to use that method will find this book a bit pedantic. It's an easy read, so even for those people, it isn't but an hour and a half bother to read anyway and he makes interesting illustrations and provides helpful charts anyone can use as a reviewing thought process.

[Ronnie Curfman]

This work was well written, and is an excellent introduction to the subject of church history. I gave it four stars because it serves it's purpose well. For those who have very little exposure to church history or doubt it's relevance, this book is for you. On the other hand if you have had some exposure to church history research you will probably find this work a bit unnecessary.

[Dennis Podryadchikov · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is a basic introduction to approaching church history. The author highlights several major challenges of the subject matter and offers guidelines of dealing with them. Every student of a seminary and many parishioners will find this book an easy and informative read.

[Brendan Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the summary states, this is an intro to church history for seminary students, which is why I read it. It's a quick read and provides a good framework for understanding and digging into the various works on church history.

[Andy Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well-written (I gave him three stars for his whit and humor), but if you have any past experience in historical theology, really unnecessary.

[Murph Hutson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very short book. Serves its purpose quite well in those few pages, though.