The Story of Christianity is an informative, interesting, and consistently readable narrative history. The first part brings alive the people, dramatic events, and ideas that shaped the first 15 centuries of the church's life and thought--including major events outside of Europe, such as the Spanish and Portuguese conquest of the New World. Historian Justo Gonzalez shows how various social, political, and economic movements effected Christianity's internal growth. Beginning with the Protestant Reformation, the second volume (included) continues the narrative history to the present. Gonzalez brings to life the people, dramatic events, and ideas of Protestantism, Catholicism, and Orthodoxy during this period, keynoting crucial theological developments while providing fresh understanding of the social, political, and economic forces that influence the church. In particular, the author notes recurring themes of unrest, rebellion, and reformation.
