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Over 330,000 copies sold. This is the story of the church for today’s readers.

Bruce Shelley’s classic history of the church brings the story of global Christianity into the twenty-first century. Like a skilled screenwriter, Shelley begins each chapter with three elements: characters, setting, plot. Taking readers from the early centuries of the church up through the modern era he tells his readers a story of actual people, in a particular situation, taking action or being acted upon, provides a window into the circumstances and historical context, and from there develops the story of a major period or theme of Christian history. Covering recent events, this book also:

Details the rapid growth of evangelical and Pentecostal Christianity in the southern hemisphereAddresses the decline in traditional mainline denominationsExamines the influence of technology on the spread of the gospelDiscusses how Christianity intersects with other religions in countries all over the world

For this fifth edition, Marshall Shelley brought together a team of historians, historical theologians, and editors to revise and update this father’s classic text. The new edition adds important stories of the development of Christianity in Asia, India, and Africa, both in the early church as well as in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. It also highlights the stories of women and non-Europeans who significantly influenced the development of Christianity but whose contributions are often overlooked in previous overviews of church history.

This concise book provides an easy-to-read guide to church history with intellectual substance. The new edition of Church History in Plain Language promises to set a new standard for readable church history.

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Zondervan Academic serves the needs of Christian scholars, pastors, and students. Since 1931, we have been privileged to partner with the scholarly community to develop Christ-honoring resources in service of the academy and the church worldwide.

Together we produce works in various areas of biblical-theological studies that exhibit faithfulness to historic Christian faith, cultural relevance, excellence, and innovation.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Zondervan Academic
Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 13, 2021
Edition ‏ : ‎ Fifth
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Print length ‏ : ‎ 624 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0310115965
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0310115960
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.96 x 1.7 x 8.96 inches
Best Sellers Rank: #4,395 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #8 in General History of Religion #9 in History of Religions #11 in Christian Historical Theology (Books)
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