Barrett, David B., ed.World Christian Encyclopedia. Oxford University Press, 1995. Guide to contemporary Christianity, with information on various churches and sects.
Chesterton, G. K.Orthodoxy: The Romance of Faith. John Lane, Reprint, Doubleday, 1908. 1991. Classic explanation of the essentials of the Christian faith, with an account of Chesterton's personal journey to belief.
Chidester, David.Christianity: A Global History. HarperSanFrancisco, 2000. By a professor of comparative religion, for those seeking a broad view.
Childress, James F., and John MacQuarrie, eds.The Westminster Dictionary of Christian Ethics. Westminster, 1967, 1995. One of the most complete and expansive volumes on Christian ethical concerns and Christian ethical traditions.
Hastings, Adrian, ed.A World History of Christianity. Eerdmanns, 1999. A skillful assembly of facts, figures, and analyses of the spreading of the Christian faith.
Lewis, C. S.Mere Christianity. Macmillan, Reprint, Simon & Schuster, 1952. 1997. Classic discussions of the Christian faith, originally broadcast by the BBC as part of Lewis's series of informal talks.
Russell, Bertrand.Why I Am Not a Christian and Other Essays on Religion and Related Subjects. Simon & Schuster Trade, 1957, 1976. In essays written between 1899 to 1954, Russell expounds on the some of the great questions of humankind and advances positions that differ from those customarily offered by religion.
Stark, Rodney.The Rise of Christianity: A Sociologist Reconsiders History. Princeton University Press, 1996. Argues that Christianity gained its adherents rapidly because it offered its initiates a better faith and better treatment, both physically and spiritually, than was offered by competing religions.
For younger readers
Morris, Neil.The Life of Jesus. Enchanted Lion, 2003. Told through art and text, for readers in grade 5 and up.
Borg, Marcus J., and N.T. Wright.The Meaning of Jesus: Two Visions. HarperCollins, 1998. Leading scholars from opposite ends of the theological spectrum offer views on Jesus' life and teachings and discuss what these differing viewpoints mean for the faith of today's Christians.
Pelikan, Jaroslav.Jesus through the Centuries: His Place in the History of Culture. Yale University Press, 1987. A noted historian and theologian traces the impact of Jesus on cultural, political, social, and economic history. An abridged, illustrated version was published in 1997 as The Illustrated Jesus through the Centuries.
Bouteneff, Peter.Orthodox Spirituality. Templegate, 1997. In addition to providing texts for reading and contemplation, this volume introduces, explains, and celebrates the Orthodox tradition.
Carroll, Jackson W., and Wade Clark Roof, eds.Beyond Establishment: Protestant Identity in a Post-Protestant Age. Westminster, 1993. Focuses on each major denomination's beliefs, values, symbols, and other distinctives, with commentary by authors, historians, scholars, educators, anthropologists, and liturgists.
Hutchison, William R.The Modernist Impulse in American Protestantism. Duke University Press, 1992. Surveys liberal thought in American Protestantism from the later 19th century to the early decades of the 20th century.
Attridge, Harold W.; Theodore M. Hesburgh; and Richard P. McBrien, eds.The Encyclopedia of Catholicism. HarperCollins, 1995. More than 4,200 entries by 280 contributors, with tables of the liturgical calendar, ecumenical councils, and the popes.
Gillis, Chester.Roman Catholicism in America. Columbia University Press, 2000. A broad survey of American Catholicism and the persistent tension with Rome.
Hotmail
Messenger
My MSN
MSN Directory
back to top
