The Reformation to the Present: An Exploration of Christianity's History, Volume 2

Necole: Really informative and well written.

United States on Sep 23, 2023

Son Kim Reng: I love the book. It complimented my collection on various book Church History.

India on May 19, 2021

Sue K.B.: Excellent book. Bought for my husband who is extremely pleased with it.

United Kingdom on Jan 21, 2018

Stephen Bang: This book is breathtaking in its breadth and depth, describing not only the people, events and theological developments of Christianity, but also the political environment, and philosophers and theologians who might not all be Christian. I loved Volume I of this two-volume set, and Volume II did not disappoint. Gonzalez seems to be very thorough and very fair towards each theology shift that he describes. I thought I read on Amazon somewhere that he is Roman Catholic, but his Wikipedia page says that he is Methodist and his wife is a professor at a Presbyterian seminary. When Gonzalez tells about Luther’s spiritual journey and his theology, he puts himself in Luther’s place and tells it in a way that is sympathetic to Luther.

The book has three parts: The Reformation (p 6-171), Orthodoxy, Rationalism, and Pietism (p 172-292), Beyond Christendom (p293-530)

The Bainton biography of Luther and this book have differing explanations for the origin of the word “Protestant.” According to Bainton, the Emperor decreed that each territory could choose between Lutheranism and Roman Catholicism. In Lutheran territories, individuals could choose either Lutheranism or...

United States on Nov 14, 2017

Chad: Justo Gonzalez is a very intelligent author and this follow up to his previous volume is an excellent read. His teachings are quite in depth but he writes in a way that allows the reader to follow along and understand what he's saying.

Canada on Nov 02, 2017

Jody Bevan: Provides a sweeping view of Christianity around he world from the Reformation on. Easy to read, and well organized. You can set it down and pick it up later to read as each section stands on its own. Massive task, and decisions required to decide what to put in or not. He did a very good job on all accounts. A must read for someone wanting to know the history of this time in one book.

Canada on Aug 28, 2016

j: Brilliant introduction to Christian Church History. Read it like a novel, and enjoyed it immensely

Australia on Jan 07, 2015

FrKurt Messick: In another text ('The Changing Shape of Church History'), Justo Gonzalez writes about the shift away from a Eurocentric focus on the history of Christianity to a recognition that Christianity is a global phenomenon, not just due to Western missionary activity, but rather has been since its earliest day. Gonzalez keeps this global perspective in mind in his two volume narrative history, 'The Story of Christianity'.

Gonzalez' presentation of the Reformation period concentrates on significant people, primarily Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, and John Calvin, bringing in other people as appropriate (Tetzel, various popes, etc.). However, Gonzalez does not confine himself to a 'story of great men' approach, combine the history of ideas, events, and institutions together with the biographical narratives of the people involved. Gonzalez is also the author of a three-volume history of Christian thought, and draws material from that series into this more general church history text.

Gonzalez' approach to the Reformation includes the standard Luther/Zwingli/Calvin triad, with information about the reformations in Britain, the Benelux (Low) countries, France, Anabaptists, and...

United States on Jan 25, 2005