Pocket History of the Church: A History of New Testament Times

The IVP Pocket Reference Series

by D. Jeffrey Bingham

The story of Christianity is a fascinating tale. Here we find drama, vision and expansion along with failure, setbacks and tragedy. Yet during the past two thousand years the power of Jesus is felt throughout the interplay of human actors and the forces of world events. How can you grasp the story played out on such a gigantic stage? This book is an ideal place to start. D. Jeffrey Bingham has skillfully selected the key people and episodes to tell a grand and humbling story. From Roman persecution to the early creeds, from the monastic movement to the Reformation, from the rise of liberalism to missionary expansion, he chronicles the ups and downs of a people and a faith. This pocket history has been crafted for students, pastors and other busy people who want an informed, clear and concise presentation that feeds the mind and moves the heart. It is an account that nurtures the Christian virtues of faith, hope and love. For Bingham aims not only to uncover the treasures of the church's past but also to show how history aids your own spiritual journey today.

Genres: History, Church History, Theology, Nonfiction, Christian, Faith, Reference

192 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2002

Reviews

[Jes Drew · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very clear overview of church history- and small enough to, of course, fit in your pocket. Definitely the easiest of the three textbooks I was reading in my church history course to understand, but it packed a lot of info too.

[Jeffrey Endres · Rating 2 out of 5]

oh yeah, I forgot I finished this one

It did what it set out to do, but I wasn't really a fan. If you're going to be that brief, you gotta simply the language too so you're not cruising through some heady doctrine in like 2 pages. Read Church History in Plain Language by Shelley instead.

[Brice Karickhoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fair, readable, concise… pretty good read if your goal is to quickly tackle a helpful primer on church history. Didn’t learn much new information but seeing it all put together was helpful.

I’ve noticed a trend with quite a few historians showing the Dark Ages some love. In fact, they don’t even like calling them the Dark Ages. Idk if it’s right or not because I wasn’t there. Interesting though!

[Ryan Hawkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

To my surprise, I *loved* reading this! I just decided to pick it off my shelf and try it out. Every once and a while I do this with church history books, but I rarely get through them. But this one was different.

I have taken church history courses both in undergraduate and graduate studies, so in one hand, this was nothing too new (except, of course, for all the many things you forget even after “studying” a subject). But what made this book unique was how instructive he was on the spiritual fruit that came from all ages.

And that I’m sure is the biggest upside and downside of the book—depending on what you’re looking for. If you’re looking for an objective, facts-based church history book, this certainly is not it. In fact, the amount of things he left out was surprising (even for a pocket book). Being 165 pages, he could’ve included many more dates, events, and such. He left so much out that is usually considered introductory.

But that allowed him to do what I loved about this book: He was able to selectively choose things which were uplifting and educational for the modern evangelicals faith. In each stage, he took insights and writings from specific people, and it left you being amazed at how, in every age, there were unique but very solid and Bible- and Christ-loving people who we can learn from.

This of course was true during his Reformation and Patristic ages. But the one that surprised me the most—and which was by far my favorite section of the book—was his section on the…Middle Ages. Now, that’s impressive! Making the Middle Ages (which are poorly known as the Dark Ages) look not only fascinating, but extremely spiritual and God-honoring in many ways. He did this not by lying, but by focusing on the medieval monks' and scholastics' spirituality. And he quoted first hand sources. I was shocked by how Bible-focused they were, how genuine they were in their faith, how they prayed over the Bible, and more. It was surely a breath of fresh air. And I will keep this book as a reference for material on the Middle Ages because of this.

So if you’re interested in church history, but especially interested in evangelical gleanings from church history, then this is a great book. It will leave out a lot of facts—so many so that it almost shouldn’t even be considered an introduction to church history. But it’s a great, spiritually helpful read.

[Lydia Ware · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was great information in this book and it was truly amazingly concise, but I found it difficult to read. The author’s writing style, combined with the speed at which history passes among the pages, had me rereading passages frequently; this is unusual for me. Oh, and he doesn’t use the Oxford comma :(

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really good introduction to church history. Trying to learn about such an in depth and far reaching subject can feel daunting, but I feel better prepared now to tackle a little more in depth reading on the subject.

[Will Lindsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bite-sized presentation of church history era-by-era. What a great introduction into church history if you’re just getting started.

[Aidan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Church history is cool. I want to be an ascetic even more now.

[Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

My knowledge of church history was previously limited to arbitrary events, people and ideas. This book helped me put it all together. Dr. Bingham's views were very apparent and he didn't mind giving his own opinions, which made the book that much more enjoyable. He also contrasted church history with scripture and gave application to 21st century Christians which we engaging. The book focuses primarily on the western church and why the modern church is the way it is today. It would have been great to learn more about the eastern believers, but this was not Bingham's goal. If anything, this book has whet my appetite for a greater understanding of Church History and Historical Theology.

[Maddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A “lite”dose of church history with a personal feel from the author. I did not have the pleasure of having this author as a professor when I was in seminary, and I wish I would have. He was one of my good friend’s favorites. I enjoyed the read. I enjoyed the reverent posture of a believer faithfully transmitting church history with doses of humor as well as hopeful expectancy mixed throughout. Felt as if more content were pre reformation than after. Though that could have been because it took me longer to read that, ha. The concise nature of the book was much appreciated as a refresh read on church history.

[Paul Pompa · Rating 4 out of 5]

History

The only thing that would prevent me from reading this five stars is that it is a brief look at Church history. I thought the author did a very good job at hitting High Point and low points throughout the history of the church. For the most part, I felt that it was as impartial as it could be. It leaned protestant, but not heavily so. He stressed the need for both tradition and scriptural integrity. If you’re interested in a brief overview of Church history, this is the book for you. If you’re looking for an extensive look at Church history, this is not for you. I definitely appreciate this book for what it is.

[Jack Darida · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you need a refresher or a quick synopsis of church history, this is a good little book to pick up. It follows the church family tree from the Apostles to Modern Evangelicalism. Don't expect anything too far outside of that stream. It includes a list of source material in the footnotes for further study.

[Mark Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent introduction into Church history. I have walk away with a better understanding of the history of the Church from the early church fathers to Billy Graham. Highly recommended for those who are interested in learning about Church history but don't know where to start.

[Emma Starcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! It perfectly fulfilled my pocket sized history desires. A lot of the info I was already aware of, but this book helped me organize the themes and main players in each stage of church history. I also appreciated the many shoutouts it gave to add to my “want to read” list.

[J. Tayler Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is an okay summary of the history of Christianity since the book of Acts. There are, however, better and more detailed books to read on this subject.

[Jonathan Maikell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good introduction to church history. I highly recommend this book if you haven’t spent time with the church fathers.

[Mel Foster · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good basic little survey. Mix of lyrical and historical style.

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating look into church history

[Keith · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Izzy Oliver]

Read for LIFT

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would say this is a balanced treatment overall.

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first half of the book was fine, and did an admirable job. The last half, with the more contemporary issues, the author started promoting his own agenda. History is not an excuse to push your own views. It is unprofessional and bad scholarship to go from simply presenting history to promoting your own ideals of theology. The last chapter was also poorly done, as though a college student had said 'forget it, I only need one more page so I'll just throw everything in here to get the proper word count. Forget chronology or reader understanding, I'll just rush through the last chapter'. Ugh. Not the best book out there, but did better in the first half.

[christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This proved an excellent short introductory survey of church history (by a Dallas Seminary professor). Dr. Bingham includes quite a few quotes from leading theologians, especially considering the brevity of the book. The medieval section may have the most marked passages. I also appreciated what I felt to be the author's fair presentation of strengths and weaknesses alike for each era and movement. The book concludes with a substantial bibliography for further exploration, and it has motivated me to add some of the listings to my wish list.

[Chris Pray · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good book for what it is...a short, fly by "history" of the church. It's good for showing a very brief overview of some of the key characters and stages in the history of the Christian church. I found that it piqued my interest in a number of stages in church history, particularly the dark ages, the reformation and the great awakening.

It's not long and it's worth reading.

[Al · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written summary of church history in less than 200 pages. Concise, clear, and informative this pocket book gives an overview for any reader. One weakness is that the writer gave much more information on early church history than middle, late, or current.

[Phillip Klinglesmith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was about a 10 mile high flyover of all Church History from the apostolic fathers to liberalism/evangelicalism. I enjoyed it, but mainly it served to make me want to read a real, substantive, more detailed work about Church history.

[Ben Warren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent first book in an introduction to Church History. Get it, then move on to Mark Knoll's Turning Points, and Bruce Shelley's Church History in Plain Language

[Trevor Binkley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very lean history, but some pearls and an excellent review of the frightening antics of Charles Finney.

[El · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for a quick overview but he sometimes exaggerates the views of theologians like Finney, so I felt the need to double check some things.