History of Christianity

[qqMOARpewpew]

I was just wondering about how the church started, how the beliefs of Jesus's early followers might have been different than the modern church. etc.

[ageofknowledge]

There's a lot of introductory books on church history ranging from poor to very good. Here's a good one that many Christian universities use as an introduction to church history. I've read it. It's a quick overview.

'Church History in Plain Language: Third Edition' by Dr. Bruce L. Shelley

[qqMOARpewpew]

Sweet, thanks. When I've got some money i will have to check it out. C:


I heard something about christianity following the same story line as several other older religions. Egyptian, Kristna, Baal, some greek dude. I'll have to do more research before I properly ask about it though.

[ageofknowledge]

2nd edition used on ebay is like 9.95 plus shipping.

[qqMOARpewpew]

Great i could by it if i had S & H money. But I couldn't do that I still owe money on a car I bought from a friend :O

[ageofknowledge]

Check your local library for it.

[Jac3510]

The one Age mentioned is very good. I have a copy. In the meantime, you can read Philip Schaff's History of the Christian Church online for free here. Much older, but much more detailed than anything written today, and for the part you are interested in, it will give you more than you need.

The short answer to your question, by the way, is that the similarities between Jesus' story and other religions is really overstated and falls apart on closer inspection. You can read two articles specifically about that by Edwin Yamauchi in the March 1974 editions of Christianity Today:

Yamauchi. Edwin M. “Easter--Myth, Hallucination, or History? Part 1” Christianity Today (March 15, 1974): 4-7
Yamauchi. Edwin M. “Easter--Myth, Hallucination, or History? Part 2” Christianity Today (March 29, 1974): 12-16

Or, if you want the articles without going to a library, click here.

I would also encourage you to check out William Lane Craig's website. He has several articles on this subject, both popular and scholarly, that you should find very useful. Happy reading.

[Proinsias]

Not sure where you are in the world or what the viewing rights are but the BBC is doing a decent look into the history of Christianity. I found the first few shows fascinating, but I don't know much about the area at all.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00ntrqh

[ageofknowledge]

Not sure where you are in the world or what the viewing rights are but the BBC is doing a decent look into the history of Christianity. I found the first few shows fascinating, but I don't know much about the area at all.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00ntrqh

If a surgeon performed on a patient the way the BBC and the History channel perform on the history of Christianity, he would have his medical license pulled, sued, and never permitted to work on a patient again. They absolutely make a colossal mess of it.

[TallMan]

I was just wondering about how the church started, how the beliefs of Jesus's early followers might have been different than the modern church. etc.

The Christian church got started on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2) where believers in Jesus as the Saviour of mankind, who had been baptised became part of his body by receiving His Spirit, relulting in a miraculous new prayer language.
They faithfully ministered the same message to those they were sent to.

The true Christian church has not changed.

What many call "Christianity" and "the Church" today doesn't even get these basics right!

All you need to know is the truth, you don't need to spend time and money reading the history of disobedience.

Be obedient yourself, then you will understand salvation and be safe on the inside, able to help those without, instead of on the outside, wondering what's going on and what God wants.

[qqMOARpewpew]

Not sure where you are in the world or what the viewing rights are but the BBC is doing a decent look into the history of Christianity. I found the first few shows fascinating, but I don't know much about the area at all.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00ntrqh

If a surgeon performed on a patient the way the BBC and the History channel perform on the history of Christianity, he would have his medical license pulled, sued, and never permitted to work on a patient again. They absolutely make a colossal mess of it.

bbc and the history channel are great sources I dunno what you're talking about sir

[touchingcloth]

qqMOARpewpew - The BBC and the History Channel are terrible sources. I'm not aware of any mainstream media that gives high quality coverage on on history, or science, or even politics. They are mostly characterised by sloppiness and spin.

[zoegirl]

Oh, I do have a fondness for Sir David Attenborough....(I can't remember if that's how you spell his name)

wasn't that BBC?

I thought his series on the different kingdoms very well done.

[touchingcloth]

Attenborough is a very welcome exception to the rule

In fact the BBC Natural History unit do tend to make a good job of things, but they still aren't exactly, erm, authoritative. I think them problem with a lot of TV shows and news articles is that there's too much of an emphasis of spinning everything around a narrative. That's more entertaining than a stale representation of the facts so I guess it brings in the viewers.

[zoegirl]

That's definitely true. For teaching purposes it's a welcome difference with videos. It does make information relevant to life. Although I have found mistakes. (not with Attenborough's)