Christianity For Dummies

by Richard Wagner, Kurt Warner (Foreword)

Get to know the beliefs and practices inspired by Jesus Christ Discover what it means to be a Christian and follow the gospel Curious about Christianity? This friendly guide helps you understand the basic teachings of the Christian faith, exploring the common ground that all Christians share, the differences among the major branches, the key events in Christian history, the key theological issues, and the many ways Christians live out their faith in today’s world. The Dummies Way Discover how

Genres: Religion, Nonfiction, Christianity, Christian, Reference

408 pages, Paperback

First published March 5, 2004

About the author

Richard Wagner is author of The Gospel Unplugged (published as Rich Wagner) and several books in the For Dummies series, including Christianity For Dummies and Christian Prayer For Dummies. He is also publisher of Digitalwalk.com, a Web site for challenging and encouraging Christians living in a digital, postmodern age. Richard has been an avid student of C.S. Lewis’s works for over 20 years.

Reviews

[Paul Bryant · Rating 3 out of 5]

“IT'S ONLY OUR POOR PREACHER THAT'S PUTTING ON HIS STYLE”
- Vernon Dalhart, 1927

Let’s get this out of the way first : the winsome folksiness of this writer is hard to take. I had to have a bucket handy while I was reading. Example :

God made it clear from the get-go that following him meant letting the good times roll, while going against him would be a major bummer for all parties involved – yucky stuff like eternal death and judgement

Elsewhere, Adam and Eve are described as “the original dynamic duo”. But alas, “they had to go and screw everything up.”
What we have here is a hip, slang-slingin’ pastor who’s down with the kids and has an ever-lovin’ wife and two rascally little tykes which he continually reminds you of because it’s cute. Well, I was kind of expecting this kind of thing, and man alive, I got it. He’s trying so hard not to be starchy and pompous, so very often he ends up sounding like he’s talking to fairly dense ten year olds. American analogies, mainly from the area of sports, are found at every turn. I felt mildly bilious throughout.

“WHEN HEARTS ARE HIGH THE TIME WILL FLY SO WHISTLE WHILE YOU WORK”
- Snow White, 1936

I give him respect for the massive task of organising the information into something reasonably coherent within 378 pages. He doesn’t dodge many issues. And hey ! I found out that the church I grew up in, Congregationalist, was part of the Calvinist group of Protestants. I never knew that. (No one ever took me aside and said “Hey kid, there’s something you should know about predestination…”)

DENOMINATION BLUES : AN ASIDE

In fact, I think 90% of Christians are like that – they have no idea what separates them from other denominations. “The denomination name can mean squat” says Rev Wagner rather inelegantly.
Cue Washington Phillips’ lovely 1927 song “Denomination Blues”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoOX9...

Now the missionary baptists, they believe
Go under the water and not to wash your feet.
And that's all I tell you that’s all,
But you better have Jesus, I tell you that’s all

„GRÜNLICHE DÄMMERUNG, NACH OBEN ZU LICHTER, NACH UNTEN ZU DUNKLER“

You probably spotted this already, but the author of this book is not the same Richard Wagner who wrote The Ring Cycle operas. That’s wack. Totally different dude.

“THE SIMPLE THINGS YOU SEE ARE ALL COMPLICATED”
- The Who, 1965

I think the Christian religion is deeply weird. The other two monotheistic religions, Judaism and Islam, are relatively straightforward – here are the rules, do this, then this then that, job’s a good one. But Christianity is mystical. The whole thing about Jesus on the cross, being sacrificed for our sins. How does that work? The whole other thing about Jesus being God – fully human and fully God. Wow! So God sacrificed himself to himself to redeem the sins of the humans he had created in order that they would get to have eternal life as long as they acknowledged that that’s what he’d done. One’s head is spinning. Makes you wonder why he did it in such a complicated way. Why not give us all eternal life anyway? Or not create us at all and just stick with squirrels and wombats?

But Christianity is the largest religion in the world (30% of global population – nearest rival is Islam with 25%) which is very impressive, considering where it came from (an obscure sect in an obscure part of one of the Roman Empire’s least glamorous provinces).

"I WON'T LOSE A FRIEND BY HEEDING GOD'S CALL
FOR WHAT IS A FRIEND WHO'D WANT YOU TO FALL
OTHERS FIND PLEASURES IN THINGS I DESPISE
I LIKE THE CHRISTIAN LIFE"

- The Louvin Brothers, 1956


Rev Wagner rightly points out that when you turn on your tv news, all you get is miserable stuff, war, pestilence, bent politicians, paedophile disc jockeys, on and on. But cheer up, because Christianity is the Good News! (I recall that Marshall McLuhan said that the adverts were the good news, but that’s not strictly relevant.)
Rev Wagner is not a guy to avoid the very harsh truths of Christianity, which a lot of other people would most probably not want to mention. Let’s get to the uncomfortable facts now!
Christianity’s Good News is that the God who created us will condemn us to eternal suffering unless we believe certain specific things. But it’s easy to do that because they’re true!

But let's be very clear : unless you actually believe these things, and become a Christian, you will suffer for all eternity in the torments of Hell, which is a real place. Doesn’t matter if you never heard of Jesus. Or if you grew up as a Muslim in Iran, where it’s illegal to convert to Christianity (penalty : death). Also, doesn’t matter if you’re like a really good person. Being good or bad has nothing to do with whether you’ll get saved from Hell.

The idea of good people being rewarded and bad people being punished may be the most instinctive of all solutions, but Christianity says that you better not stake your eternity on it.

So let’s say you have Ted Bundy and a lady who’s run the down and out shelter in town for the last 20 years. According to the Bible, if Ted, before his electrified demise, sincerely turned to Jesus and repented and asked for forgiveness, he would get it, and then he would go to Heaven for all eternity. But our imaginary do-gooding lady is an agnostic and pays no attention to religion, she gets an eternity of suffering in Hell.

You see, it’s faith alone which gives salvation, not works. You can’t earn your way to heaven by doing good. Faith in Jesus is the only way.

“LOOK OUT KID, IT’S SOMETHIN’ YOU DID – GOD KNOWS WHEN BUT YOU’RE DOIN’ IT AGAIN”
- Bob Dylan, 1965




We all sin, says the Bible, which is “continually the bearer of bad news when it comes to the hearts of humans”. Most of us aren’t murderers or thieves, but there are plenty of sins of omission you pretty much can’t avoid. Did you give enough to the poor? No? A lot of sin is “unnoticeable at times, such as envy, pride, or even worry”. All of human nature is soaked in sin. I’m so sorry, but that’s how it is.

I wanted to ask RW : Even Mother Theresa? Even Mother Theresa?? But I think he’d have sadly nodded and said “Even Mother Theresa.”

But hey, that sounds real bad, but it’s actually all good. You see, “no sin is ever too great, and no sinner is ever disqualified from God’s grace – even someone as evil as Adolf Hitler… so long as people confess their sin and believe in Jesus, God forgives them”
Yes. God will forgive you for snapping at your kids and being a bit smug about your golf handicap AND he’ll forgive Hitler for the 6 million killed in the Holocaust. But if you or Hitler DON’T ask his forgiveness for these sins, then you’ll both fry forever. On this point he’s very clear:

In God’s eyes, a little white lie is as big of a stain before God as a mass murder. (p67)

(And we really don’t know whether Hitler did pray for forgiveness down in the bunker. Maybe he did and he really was forgiven. Wouldn’t that be a kicker?

RW adds : “That may be offensive to one’s notion of fair play”.

“BODY ALL ACHIN’ AND WRACKED WITH PAIN”
- Paul Robeson, 1930

On the thorny subject of the problem of evil, which I think puts more people off Christianity than anything else, Rev Wagner has some bracing stuff to say on page 298:

Evil sometimes achieves good.
Pain forces Christians to depend solely on God rather than on their own resolve.
Pain provides an opportunity for God to display his power in a Christian’s life.
Pain brings spiritual joy.

Yes, I boggled at these statements myself. There’s another one I’ll throw in here – Christians argue that evil acts such as the Holocaust happened due to God granting human beings free will. I can go with that argument, although it means that God is okay with the depravity which then follows, that He sees the Holocaust and doesn’t then think “this free will thing has gone too far”. But I always bring up the natural disaster, like tsumanis, earthquakes and so forth. I had quote forgotten the Christian answer to that - they’re caused by Adam and Eve’s original sin. The logic of that assertion completely escaped me.

“THAT SURE SOUNDS LIKE HEAVEN TO ME”
- Eddie Cochran, 1957

Rev Wagner doesn’t shy away from talking about what happens in Heaven :

Heaven is a real place… heaven isn’t some cosmic ethereal state of bliss but a real tangible place.
Heaven is a social city, but it doesn’t have slums or city limits
Heaven will meet people’s deepest longings. In a way that’s impossible to grasp, Christians believe that God will meet human’s need for adventure in a way that isn’t life-threatening (because they’ll be invincible!)

So, white water canoeing without lifejackets! And maybe even bikinis in Heaven… Well, we don’t know for sure.




“THE THINGS THAT YOU’RE LIABLE TO READ IN THE BIBLE”
- Peggy Lee, 1956

Rev Wagner admits that there are errors and inaccuracies in the Bible, which is the inspired word of God. The original manuscripts were error-free but subsequent scribes and copiers have been the problem.
This is strange – because why wouldn’t God want to ensure his word reached us without these errors? Come to think of it, why wasn’t he a lot clearer about issues like predestination, the sacraments, whether there can be a just war and so on instead of leaving us to guess what he meant for 2000 years? And why allow the rise of a successful other monotheistic religion 700 years after Jesus? It’s all so unclear. It almost looks as if things in this world were entirely manmade and have evolved in a haphazard higgledy-piggledy way over the centuries without any supernatural intervention at all.

The whole think kind of bugs me. I don’t mean to be harsh (I’m not Richard Dawkins or Christopher Hitchens) but it just seems that the point of Christianity is to get yourself safely into Heaven. That’s it. The point is not to do good on this earth, that’s nice but quite inessential, and won’t be taken into account. It sounds more than a trifle self-centred to me.

“ALL ROMANTICS MEET THE SAME FATE SOMEDAY, CYNICAL AND DRUNK AND BORING SOMEONE IN SOME DARK CAFÉ”
- Joni Mitchell, 1971

In the end, the version of Christians this book promotes does seem to be extremely romantic. God being so lonely he needed human beings. God wanting humans to freely choose Him, and not be robots. His only Son having to die to save us, unworthy us. But me, I’ve bored you enough already for one day. There are lots of other topics we could chat about – what about Satan, for instance? And grace? And the difference between Calvinism and Arminianism, that’s a good one. And the Trinity, whew…

OK, OK. What button do I press now?

Ah yes.

SAVE

[Dina · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am pissed. I read a health book by this "for dummies" series that I really enjoyed, so I thought I should get a basic book to learn more about Christianity.

The purpose was to better understand history and basic belief system of the religion so as to be better informed. If I wanted to be converted, I would have walked into the nearest church.
What is this? "Christianity is the answer" pamphlet that Jehova's witnesses distribute? And to make things worse, the writer is trying to be witty, and down to earth with this simplistic style of writing.

Mr. Wagner, I don't care that you are a born again Christian. He asserts at one point that 'the more artifacts are found, the more evidence of the trueness of Christianity.'
I wasted my money, and time, don't waste yours.

[Sheena · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Christianity for Dummies" is a good source for the very basics -- identifying denominations, basic overviews of the Big Traditions, (Sacraments, etc) and a basic overview of Christian history. Rich Wagner does not have an apparent bias toward or against any denomination in particular, but does seem to write from the perspective of a Christian. I consider this a great reference for the non-theologian -- as with other books in the "Dummies" series, this book is written to be understood. Tough concepts are defined, timelines are provided, and key figures are mentioned.

[Scott W. Vincent · Rating 4 out of 5]

I felt this is a very good overview of Christianity, and I learned quite a bit. It's not very in-depth, but it's exactly what I expected for a "...For Dummies" book. It's not an entirely objective book either, but the author makes it clear early on what his background and beliefs are and one doesn't need to agree with him 100% on everything to enjoy this book and learn something. A worthwhile read!

[Dan Boyles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well explained and unbiased

Christianity For Dummies is written primarily sympathetic to the Protestant way of thinking, unsurprisingly once you know who the author is, but provides a decent unbiased view of all viewpoints and overview of the faith. Americanism aside, this is a great read to start you on the path.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although a Christian, so unaware of the denominational differences. This book helps.

[Glownthedarc · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was great! I recommend it to those who think they know everything, and those who know they don't.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gives a really good synopsis of the history and denominational differences of Christianity. I learned a lot. It was also an easy read, like other '...for Dummies' books.

[Ken Bruss · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was disappointed by this book. I accept the fact that it comprehensively, yet simplistically covered the topic. It would have been useful if in the forward, the author acknowledged that he was writing this book from a very Catholic perspective. My broader objection was the proselytizing tone the author used. I have read numerous competent intro to religion texts, where if it were not stated in the bio one would not know that the author was not an adherent of the religion he was describing.
Also, I believe the description of Pentecost in relationship to a Jewish holiday is confusing if not misleading. Beginning on the second night of Passover, the Omer (a biblical measure of grain) is counted for 49 days. So this is an agricultural holiday, but the primary significance of the holiday is celebrating the Torah being given at Mount Sinai.

[Tabitha Ormiston-Smith · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found this an unpleasant read, due both to the author's patronising tone and his frequent use of offensive language. Of more concern, however, was the nature of the book itself and the way in which it has been approached. My understanding of a book in the 'Dummies' series was that it should be a presentation of factual material; instead, Wagner spends a great deal of the book in preaching. The Dummies series is not a series of devotional works, and this is inappropriate.

[Abby Rose · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wagner wouldn't know Christianity if it sauntered up to him, introduced itself, and did the can-can.

This was horribly written and the author comes across as bias and ignorant.

[Benita Sulaiman · Rating 4 out of 5]

As expected, Dummies series use easy language to explain complex concepts in Christianity. Even if I was born as a Christian and already familiar with church and all the culture, I find this book so helpful and interesting to read!

Cover the fundamentals, provide clear comparison among the "subgenres", provoke curiosity to explore deeper.

[Riley Pearson · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engaging read.

I only took a star off because it had incorrect beliefs surrounding Orthodoxy and Catholicism. Overall, a great introduction to Christianity. The author makes it very clear he is an Evangelical Christian and is biased towards his beliefs- which is fine.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very informative! Typical Dummies book, but I did learn a lot about Christianity that I didn't know before or thought I knew but really didn't.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent resource covering the basics of the Christian faith.

[James Emmans · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not bad.