Christianity: A Global History

Abstract

Christianity claims the allegiance of up to a third of the world's population and has had a profound impact on almost all the rest. In his accessible and comprehensive history, leading authority David Chidester examines the key doctrines and developments, from the ancient origins of Christian beliefs and practices during the first five centuries, through the historical transitions of the mediaeval and Byzantine era, to the global transformations of Christianity in the modern world. Alongside this broad panorama is a richly human story which the author encapsulates in incisive character sketches and historical vignettes. Change and conflict have defined the history of Christianity, and Chidester traces its extraordinary transition from persecuted superstition to persecuting imperial religion; through the upheavals that led to the emergence of the Orthodox Catholic and Protestant churches; and the diverse ideals which inspired pilgrims, scholars, monks and mystics, Crusaders and witch-hunters, devotees of the Virgin Mary and alleged heretics. Although the churches had always reached out to convert others, when Columbus set sail for the New World in 1492, Christianity was still predominantly European. Yet missionary and colonial activities soon began decisively to alter the religious ladnscape of Russia, Africa, Asia, the Americas and the Pacific Islands. Chidester assesses the complex culture clashes, the churches' tangled relations with other faiths, and the extent of Christian complicity in anti-Semitism and the Holocaust. In the last half-century, the Cold War and today's consumerist society have presented a huge range of fresh challenges to a religion which now relies on cartoon strips and websites as much as icons and stained-glass windows. Full of trenchant analysis and revealing detail, David Chidester's enthralling book brings the story of Christianity vividly to life.

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