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Turning Points: Decisive Moments in the History of Christianity

Free PDF Turning Points: Decisive Moments in the History of Christianity

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From the Back Cover

This new edition of Mark Noll's classic introduction to church history isolates fourteen key moments that provide a framework for understanding the history of Christianity. This version includes a new preface, updates throughout the book, revised further readings for each chapter, and two new chapters. Study questions are included.Praise for previous editions"This highly recommended work provides a thoughtful yet comprehensive framework for the history of Christianity."--George Westerlund, Library Journal"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."--Publishers Weekly"An informative and inspiring survey of the history of Christianity designed for the general reader. . . . A thoughtful introduction to the two millennia of Christian history."--Richard V. Pierard, Church History"Noll's emphasis on historical significance allows him to range well beyond the institutional and doctrinal matters that dominate traditional church history surveys. . . . A valuable text for church study groups and college-level, one-semester surveys of church history."--James A. Patterson, Journal of Church and State"Noll has pulled off a historical tour de force, giving his readers a sense of the overall story of Christianity while neither getting bogged down in the details, nor resorting to oversimplification. . . . [This book is] very helpful in introducing beginning students to the broad sweep of historical events. More knowledgeable students will enjoy it as well, as they ponder the reasons for Noll's choices and his assessment of the events he describes."--Donald L. Huber, Trinity Seminary Review"Mark Noll's survey of key movements in the two millennia of Christianity is well written and judiciously selected. The book is designed for the relative newcomer to church history and would be an interesting read for the oft cited 'educated person in the pew.'. . . A fair and interesting historical survey, attempting to do right by all brands of Christians."--Tim Bradshaw, Themelios

About the Author

Mark A. Noll (PhD, Vanderbilt University) is the Francis A. McAnaney Professor of History at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. He is one of the nation's most distinguished practitioners of American religious history and is the author of dozens of books in this field, including America's God: From Jonathan Edwards to Abraham Lincoln and The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind.

Product details

Paperback: 368 pages

Publisher: Baker Academic; 3 edition (July 1, 2012)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0801039967

ISBN-13: 978-0801039966

Product Dimensions:

5.9 x 0.8 x 8.9 inches

Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review:

4.5 out of 5 stars

124 customer reviews

Amazon Best Sellers Rank:

#21,406 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

In the first three chapter of his book Turning Points, Mark A. Noll gives summarized accounts of what he considers the first three defining moments of the Christian church. Chapter one discusses the fall of Jerusalem in 70 C.E. According to the author, this moment was the catalyst for making a clear distinction between Judaism and Christianity, particularly within Rome. It appears that as a consequence of this period of distinction, the church began to develop and decide on the relationship of its cannon to the Hebrew scriptures (the Marcionism movement), episcopacy, and early creeds. In chapter two, the author describes the events that led to the Council of Nicea in 325 C.E., and the repercussions it had for later debate. He begins his summary by explaining the events that brought Constantine to call the council together, including his conversion experience and his rise to being the sole emperor. Noll concludes that the foundations laid by this council were four-fold: Christ was "true God from true God," "was "consubstantial with the Father," was "begotten, not made," and that Christ "became human for us humans and for our salvation." It is on these irrefutable foundations that the church has been built for 17 centuries, which is why Noll asserts it as a major turning point in Christian history. Chapter three covers the events prior to and during the Council of Chalcedon in 451 C.E. Once again, this council was called by the emperor of Rome. Its purpose was simple â€“ to find the delicate balance between a "word-flesh Christology" and a "word-man Christology." The eventual outcome was recognition that God is one person with multiple natures. The author argues that this was the primary reason he labels this as a turning point: "Chaldeon proved that the heart of the gospel message could be preserved, even when that message was put into a new conceptual language." Chaldean created boundaries for future discussions about the nature of God that would allow creative minds to examine the person of God for generations to come.Kimbrough 2 Continuing on in Noll's Turning Points, the fourth chapter highlights the development of monasteries as a rescuing tool in the church's history, and particularly within this movement, Benedict's writing of his Rule. Perhaps the most significant tie the author makes between the events explained in previous chapters and the monastic reform was that by adhering to a life of self-denial, monks were essentially carrying on the tradition of martyrdom. Although it's not explicitly stated, the modern Christian practice of "dying to oneself" as an interpretation of certain Biblical texts is likely a further continuance of this sentiment. Because the monastic rescue has these kinds of long-term impacts, Noll labels it as a significant turning point. In chapter five, Noll surprisingly selects the coronation of Charlemagne as a highly significant historical moment; however, the surprise quickly diminishes after he details what small moments brought about this event. It appears as though the crowning of a new "Roman" emperor by the pope is really just a centralized moment that displays the Pope's authority by the year 800. This chapter is more about the rise of the papacy as an established power with distinct authority to do things like instilling the position of emperor than it is about the crowning of a man. Finally, in chapter six, Noll begins an explanation of The Great Schism in 1054. His description of the actual schism is brief because he takes care to explain the historical nuances that led to its occurrence (Noll even comments in chapter 4 that all events are products of groups of smaller events). While he certainly doesn't take away from the importance of The Great Schism, he also takes the opportunity to explain the occurrences surounding the Crusades, particularly the first and fourth, and the impact these had on Russia. This chapter reads more like a narrative text than the other chapters, perhaps because there was more information for the author to draw from.The seventh chapter of Noll's Turning Points is centered on the Diet of Worms in 1521, and in particular, Martin Luther's questioning of papal authority over scripture that would eventually lead to reformation of the church. Throughout this chapter, Noll includes several first-person caveats in which he informs his readers that he is of the protestant tradition, and makes note that this personal belief might cause his readers to think his decision to mark this as a turning point might be biased. However, as he goes on to explain in later chapters, the impact of this moment has ramifications not just in the life of Protestants, but in all walks of Christianity. Noll briefly describes the influence Luther has on Bonheoffer and Kierkegaard towards the end of the chapter as examples of Luther's vast influence. In chapter eight, Noll recognizes the act of Henry VIII breaking away from the Roman Catholic Church as a major turning point in Christian history, and does so in the context of Luther's precedent for church reformation. Henry wanted an annulment, an act that the pope would not condone; so Henry approached his new archbishop, Thomas Cranmer, to get the authorization he needed. The act of seeking authority outside of the papacy was a piggy-back off of Luther's aforementioned ideas. The ramifications of this were the birth of full-scale Protestantism: a community church denomination, and what will eventually become multiple denominations within single vicinity. Finally, in chapter nine, Noll addresses the Catholic reformation and the birth of the Jesuits, founded by Ignatius Loyola. As part of this chapter, Noll draws distinct attention to the mission work of the Jesuits, which he not so subtly points out to his Protestant readers began at least 150 years before anything similar came from their churches. Noll's entire reason for recognizing the Catholic reformation is because out of it came the Jesuits, and out of the Jesuits came a spread of Christianity outside of Europe like none before it after a lack of mission work for 400-500 years.Chapter 10 of Noll's Turning Points is entitled "The New Piety," and focuses on the conversion and works of the Wesley brothers in the 18th century. The author is cautious in this chapter to present both John and Charles Wesley as creating the biggest change in the Christian church since the Reformation. John Wesley became known for his modern preaching that was accessible to all, while Charles made history as one of the best hymn writers who ever lived. Together, these brothers united the church under the banner of salvation "by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone," calling Christians to a life of piety in the highest sense. On a personal note, I was amazed at how many Wesleyan influences I have seen in churches I've attended today. In the next chapter, "Discontents of the Modern West," Noll discusses the effect of the French Revolution on Christianity. Noll talks about the fall of Christendom as the result of several factors, but overall settles on humanity's secularization and elevation of reason. He makes careful note in this chapter of the difference between secularization and enlightenment, explaining that the former refers to the general population and the latter to individuals. Finally, Noll explains that the culmination of this chapter is the eventual advent of World War I, during which Europe lost a devastating number of lives, the equivalent of which had not been seen since the plague. However, Noll also notes that the crown of Christendom's demise was that in the devastation of the war, Europe didn't cling to its own sin as being the culprit for their downfall. Finally, in the first section of chapter 13, Noll depicts the ongoing implications of the Second Vatican Council from 1962-65 as a modern turning point. In this council, called by Pope John XXIII, the leaders of the Catholic Church came to several conclusions that are still debated today. The most influential of these was the recognition that the Protestant and Catholics churches are "in some way united." To my own knowledge, this is the first time this was vocalized since the split of the churches, and is therefore highly important.

This book makes several claims one of which is that you would probably disagree with what is included. That was definitely a fulfilled prophecy. The highlights advance I probably would have overlooked and Misses a lot of things. But it is nicely wrapped together showing that nothing in church history happens in a vacuum. Mark Noll is an excellent church store in but this is not his finest work. Still it is an asset for any aspiring scholar or theologian.

Noll's "Turning Points" provides an in-depth analysis of what he deems to be the major events or turning points within Christianity. His task was not to trace the entire history of the church, rather to write a history of the most significant events, as a result, many important movements don't make the cut. This is not a fault of the author, rather a natural byproduct of spacial constraints. However, for what it is, Noll does an excellent job. Each turning point is expounded upon in great detail and is thoroughly researched. While books could be written on each one, Noll provides the historical setting for each and carefully outlines the consequences of the events. I recommend it for anyone who is looking to better understand the history of Christianity and what events have shaped the church as it is today.

I taught 12 classes using the book "Christian History Made Easy" by Timothy Jones and using this as a reference the "Turning Points:....in the History of Christianity" was just as good if not better than Timothy's. Turning Points was more concise and gave introspective into each moment along the way. Mark Noll did a good job to give us reasons why certain points in history was important and how it affected the modern Christianity we have today. I would highly recommend either book to study and have a better understanding of our history today.

Noll's book is well worth the cost and the time to read. It is a fine resource for teaching in the local church or for individual study. Written in plain prose with adequate explanation of the technical theological terms that must be considered, it is easily accessible by the average reader today. If for nothing else, this book will acquaint or re-acquaint us with the importance of doctrines, Evangelical piety no matter in what tradition it is found, and how the world can be changed. It is implicitly, a call to return to our roots.Noll's major contribution in this work however, may very well be how he demonstrates to us that crucial turning points in the progress of history are often the consequence of intense, penetrating debate concerning rather precise and difficult concepts. These debates may be acrimonius and there may be many dark episodes that accompany them, but Noll's synopsis makes us realize just how vital those debates are, even when so accompanied. We often consider the ancient thinkers as being somewhat primitive because their technology was not as advanced as ours. A survey of history such as this will quickly disabuse us of this notion and cause us to reflect upon the paucity of such thinking around us now as was evidenced in these debates.I highly recommend reading the book. It would be good to pay attention to the names and dates but the real teaching, for me, is that we moderns need to get back to thinking deep thoughts about our time and place as these men and women did in theirs.

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