Turning Points: Decisive Moments in the History of Christianity

Based on his substantial experience teaching the history of Christianity at Wheaton College, Noll has organized the formidable body of material that must be included in any historical survey of Christianity around 12 turning points: the destruction of Jerusalem (70); the Council of Nicea (325); the Council of Chalcedon (451); the Benedictine Rule (540); the coronation of Charlemagne (800); the Great Schism (1054); the Diet of Worms (1521); the English Act of Supremacy (1534); the founding of the Jesuits (1534); the conversion of John Wesley (1738); the French Revolution (1789-1799); and the Edinburgh Missionary Conference (1910). Noll's introduction includes a cogent argument for his approach as well as a candid recognition that any selection of turning points will exclude important events with equally valid claims as turning points. Noll's treatment of the material is evenhanded, engaging and illuminating. This will be a useful text for readers seeking a historical framework within which to understand their Christian faith. (Nov.)