A History of Christianity

Outstanding historical material..Enjoyed reading the book

I loved the depth into which this book went regarding the historicity of Christianity. I was left bitterly disappointed because it contains NO FOOTNOTES and NO ENDNOTES. There is a good Bibliography and Index at the end. But those don't really help if you're into research and pressed for time and money.

I was born and raised as a Catholic Christian. My second grade teacher, Sister Teresa, had me convinced I was to become a priest. The founding Pastor of my neighborhood parish was my great great uncle. My Grandmother was an organist at the parish for 56 years. My second grade teacher, Sister Teresa, had me convinced to join the priesthood. You get the idea, Catholic Christianity was deeply a part of my life. Yet, as I grew older and began to see what the Catholic Church had become, I had LOTS os questions. But my Catholic “guilt” prevented me from researching the root cause of my feelings. Then I discovered The History of Christianity by Paul Johnson, himself a devout Catholic Christian. His facts and record of history opened my eyes. What Christianity and the Catholic Church has become is NOTHING that Jesus envisioned. I am been set free! Faith is clearly different than religion. Jesus preached faith, love, and hope, NOT religion. If you are an obedient, practicing Catholic (and for that matter, a Christian of any denomination), read the book at the peril of questioning your relationship to your religion - but know that your faith in Jesus will be strengthened! This is a powerful book, yet it reveals the good, the bad, and the ugly of Christianity. As did Jesus, you will begin to think for yourself and follow the true word of God, rather than blindly follow the doctrine of whatever form of Christianity you do. My greatest challenge is to find a new “home”, something that gets as close to possible to what Jesus envisioned - a loving, accepting, and ever supportive community of believers in the power of Almighty God.

AWESOME

Fascinating coverage of the development of a Jewish reform movement into a world religion. The political and social manipulations by individuals and the church make one wonder if Jesus would recognize Christianity as it is today. Needs a revision to encompass some recent historical insights, but still an excellent read

Very Good ! Paul Johnson is a master . His facts and language are a pleasure. Anyone interested in history, religion etc. should read his books.

It is an outstanding book which along with A History of the Jews by the same author is a must read for us all to understand how we have come to where we are now.