Church History in Plain Language, 4th Edition by Bruce Shelley, revised by R L Hatchett and published by Thomas Nelson.
With more than 315,000 copies sold, this is the story of the church for today's readers. Dr. Bruce Shelley makes church history come alive in this classic book that has become not only the first choice of many laypeople and church leaders but the standard text in many college classrooms. What separates Dr. Shelley's book from others is its clarity of language and organization. Church History in Plain Language treats history as the story of people - their motivations, the issues they grapple with, the decisions they made - and the result is that history reads like a story, almost as dramatic and moving as a novel. Yet there is no fiction here. Dr. Shelley was a respected scholar whose work was painstakingly researched and carefully crafted for historical accuracy.
The fourth edition of Shelley's classic one-volume history of the church brings the story of Christianity into the twenty-first century. This latest edition of the book, revised by R.L. Hatchett, contains information concerning Gnosticism and its ongoing relevance, the theology of the early church and Reformation, and most extensively the rapid global extension and transformation of Christianity since 1900.
The continuing popularity of this book attests to its success in achieving its purpose - to make church history clear, memorable, and accessible to every reader.
