Product Review

Christianity has a deceptively simple core, but is an extremely diverse religion. Frankiel approaches that diversity by a historical study that traces the contours of development and identifies some of the major different religious styles, worldviews, and directions within the religion. She then examines the characteristics of Christianity that endure over time those that make it distinct from other religions. This multidimensional approach provides a rich picture of Christianity by utilizing a variety of perspectives, bringing some material into view more than once to reinforce learning and provoke questions.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Introduction

II. The Historical Development of Christianity

Organization and Development / The Church in the Later Empire / Eastern and Western Branches of the Church / The Western Middle Ages / European Religious Reformation / New Worlds / Modern Developments in Christianity

III. Structures of the Christian Life

The Christian Story / The Meaning of Salvation / Spiritual Knowledge: Creed and Doctrine in Christianity / The Drama of Transformation: From Baptism to Eucharist / The Church as Holy Community / The Life of the Church / Jesus as Model of the Christian's Personal Life

IV. Dynamics of Christian Life

The Pilgrimage to Compostela / The Route of the Pilgrim / The Meaning of the Pilgrimage / Lyman Beecher and Harriet Beecher Stowe / The World of Lyman Beecher / Harriet Beecher Stowe / American Protestantism in a New Generation

Title of related interest from Waveland Press: Ferguson, Christian Thought: An Introduction (ISBN 9781577661207).