SEEING THE BIGGER PICTURE
We are all at different stages in our faith journey. If we are to understand where we are at this point in time, then we need to know something of the story of our faith; we need to see the bigger picture. Two thousand years of growth and development, a magnificent story of success and failure.
The story of our faith is told in just 176 pages in Tim Dowley's book The Christians: an Illustrated History (Lion, 2007; £16.99).
The story begins with "a former carpenter from the north named Jesus, who had recently been savagely executed, nailed to a wooden cross". His followers were confident that life not death was the final outcome. They proclaimed their faith in their risen Lord, and over the centuries that faith became a worldwide phenomenon.
The book describes:
How the movement began - what he calls the "Jesus Movement". How that movement developed and it's Scriptures. How over time the Christians developed and organised their beliefs. The story of the growth of the Church. The Missionary talk of the Church.One feature of the book is its blue pages and sections. These contain brilliant summaries of key people and events. The pages also contain very practical information such as "why is Easter a moveable feast?"
Excellently illustrated, it's easily and quickly read. Having done that, it's something you will want to dip into from time to time, when you want to savour some of the "deeper arguments", a very useful introduction to the bigger picture of our faith, and something worth keeping by for reference.
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