Dr. Bruce Shelley makes church history come alive in this classic book that has become not only the first choice of many laypeople and church leaders but the standard text in many college classrooms over the nation. What separates this book from others is its clarity, both of language and organization. This book treats history as the story of people-their motivations, the issues they grapple with, the decisions they make--and the result that its history reads like a story almost as dramatic and moving as a novel. Yet there is no fiction here. The author is a respected scholar whose work is painstakingly researched and carefully crafted for historical accuracy. In this new edition of the classic text, Shelley explores contemporary phenomena such as the Religious Right, megachurches, and user-friendly worship services as well as some of the leading personalities behind these movements. On the cultural and political fronts, he points out the effects of mass media on the communication of the gospel worldwide, and the openness of socieites formerly closed to evangelical witness.
