The Story of Christianity: Century by Century

The Story of Christianity traces the origins and roller-coaster development of a great global faith that has more followers today than any other. In Christ’s reported brief life on earth, he simplified the complex and often confusing messages of the scriptures handed-down by word-of- mouth that were the basis of Israel’s faith. This book is the result of years of open research on Christianity’s turbulent and not always glorious journey through history. In the course of it, the influences of many characters unfold, some familiar, some not so well-known. The involvement of human authority has grown, sometimes at the expense of its mission. Schisms, misbehaviour and wars took place on the way and more recently the Reformation, the Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution had their effect with huge social consequences, leading to the 20th century with two world wars and the use of nuclear weapons against whole cities. After the Cold War the threat of global warming was identified while improvements in health, education, diversity and well-being were made, albeit limited in many parts of the world. Christ had preached peace, forgiveness, love and hope, a message that the early Christians followed dutifully in the face of heavy persecution. The Story of Christianity takes a neutral look at evidence over time as to whether the human Church institutions followed Christ’s message as they grew.