Resources

Books on Historical-Contemporary Dialogue

Though its specific approach may differ from that of others, RetroChristianity stands together with a chorus of voices from different evangelical traditions calling for reform and renewal by reflection on the history of the church. The following are a mere representation of numerous books on this subject.

The Ancient-Future Approach

Hartog, Paul, ed. The Contemporary Church and the Early Church: Case Studies in Ressourcement. The Evangelical Theological Society Monograph Series 9. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock, 2010. Intermediate.

Husbands, Mark and Jeffrey P. Greenman, eds. Ancient Faith for the Church’s Future. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2008. Intermediate.

Webber, Robert E. Common Roots: The Original Call to an Ancient-Future Faith. Rev. ed. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2009. Intermediate.

Williams, D. H. Retrieving the Tradition and Renewing Evangelicalism: A Primer for Suspicious Protestants. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999. Intermediate.

Evangelical Ressourcement: Ancient Sources for the Church’s Future Series

Edited by D. H. Williams, the Evangelical Ressourcement series seeks “to address the ways in which Christians may draw upon the thought and life of the early church to respond to the challenges of today’s church” (series description). Intermediate.

Allert, Craig D. A High View of Scripture? The Authority of the Bible and the Formation of the New Testament Canon. Evangelical Ressourcement. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2007.

Heine, Ronald E. Reading the Old Testament with the Ancient Church: Exploring the Formation of Early Christian Thought. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2007.

Williams, D. H. Evangelicals and Tradition: The Formative Influence of the Early Church. Evangelical Ressourcement. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2005.

———. Tradition, Scripture, and Interpretation: A Sourcebook of the Ancient Church. Evangelical Ressourcement. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2006.

The Patristic Period

Green, Michael. Evangelism in the Early Church. Rev. ed. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2004. Advanced.

Hall, Christopher A. Learning Theology with the Church Fathers. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2002. Intermediate.

Hannah, John D. The Kregel Pictorial Guide to Church History. Vol. 2: The Early Church A.D. 33–500. Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2005. Beginner.

Haykin, Michael A. G. Rediscovering the Church Fathers: Who They Were and How They Shaped the Church. Wheaton: Crossway, 2011. Intermediate.

Litfin, Bryan M. Getting to Know the Church Fathers: An Evangelical Introduction. Grand Rapids: Brazos, 2007. Intermediate.

McGuckin, John Anthony. The Westminster Handbook to Patristic Theology. Westminster Handbooks to Christian Theology. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2004. Beginner.

Oden, Thomas C. gen. ed. The Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, 28 vols. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2001–2009. Advanced.

Skarsaune, Oksar. In the Shadow of the Temple: Jewish Influences on Early ChristianityDowners Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2002.

Svigel, Michael J. Heroes and Heretics: Solving the Modern Mystery of the Ancient Church. Plano: IFL Publishing House, 2006. Beginner.

The Medieval Period

Bredero, Adriaan H. Christendom and Christianity in the Middle Ages. Trans. Reinder Bruinsma. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1994. Advanced.

Deanesly, Margaret. A History of the Medieval Church, 590-1500. 9th ed. New York: Routledge, 1969.

Evans, G. R. The Medieval Theologians: An Introduction to Theology in the Medieval Period. The Great Theologians. Oxford, UK: Blackwell, 2001. Advanced.

Ginther, James R. The Westminster Handbook to Medieval Theology. Westminster Handbooks to Christian Theology. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2009. Beginner.

Hannah, John D. The Kregel Pictorial Guide to Church History. Vol. 3: The Triumph of the Church A.D. 500–1500. Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2007. Beginner.

Lynch, Joseph H. The Medieval Church: A Brief History. 9th ed. Edinburgh: Longman, 1992. Intermediate.

Southern, R. W. The Making of the Middle Ages. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1953. Advanced.

The Reformation Period

George, Timothy. Reading Scripture with the Reformers. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2011. Intermediate.

George, Timothy., gen. ed. The Reformation Commentary on Scripture. 28 vols. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2011– ). Advanced.

George, Timothy. Theology of the Reformers. Nashville: Broadman Press, 1988. Beginner.

Hannah, John D. The Kregel Pictorial Guide to Church History. Vol. 4: The Reformation of the Church (The Early Modern Period) A.D. 1500–1650. Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2009. Beginner.

Holder, R. Ward, ed. The Westminster Handbook to Theologies of the Reformation. Westminster Handbooks to Christian Theology. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2010. Beginner.

Lindberg, Carter, ed. The Reformation Theologians: An Introduction to the Early Modern Period. The Great Theologians. Oxford: Blackwell, 2002. Advanced.

Nichols, Stephen J. The Reformation: How a Monk and a Mallet Changed the World. Wheaton: Crossway, 2007. Intermediate.

Payton, James R. Jr. Getting the Reformation Wrong: Correcting Some Misunderstandings. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2010. Beginner.

The Modern Period

Ford, David F., ed. The Modern Theologians: An Introduction to Christian Theology Since 1918. The Great Theologians. Oxford, UK: Blackwell, 2005. Advanced.

Hannah, John D. The Kregel Pictorial Guide to Church History. Vol. 5: The Church in the Late Modern Period A.D. 1650–1900. Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2010. Beginner.

———. The Kregel Pictorial Guide to Church History. Vol. 6: The Church and Postmodernity A.D. 1900–Present. Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2011. Beginner.

Lindberg, Carter, ed. The Pietist Theologians: An Introduction to Theology in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries. The Great Theologians. Oxford, UK: Blackwell, 2004. Advanced.

Olson, Roger E. The Westminster Handbook to Evangelical Theology. Westminster Handbooks to Christian Theology. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2004. Beginner.

Packer, J. I. and Thomas C. Oden. One Faith: The Evangelical Consensus. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2004. Intermediate.

Sweeney, Douglas A. The American Evangelical Story: A History of the Movement. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2005. Intermediate.

Books on Church History

Bettenson, Henry, and Chris Maunder, eds. Documents of the Christian Church. 4th ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011. Advanced.

Bingham, D. Jeffrey. Pocket History of the Church. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2002. Beginner.

Catherwood, Christopher. Church History: A Crash Course for the Curious. Wheaton: Crossway, 2007. Beginner.

Gonzalez, Justo L. The Story of Christianity, Vol. 1: The Early Church to the Dawn of the Reformation. 2d ed. New York: HarperCollins, 2010. Intermediate.

———. The Story of Christianity, Vol. 2: The Reformation to the Present Day. 2d ed. New York: HarperCollins, 2010. Intermediate.

Hannah, John D. Kregel Pictorial Guide to Church History. Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2001. Beginner.

McDermott, Gerald. The Great Theologians: A Brief Guide. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2010. Beginner.

Noll, Mark A. Turning Points: Decisive Moments in the History of Christianity. 2d ed. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2001. Intermediate.

Shelley, Bruce. Church History in Plain Language. 3d ed. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2008. Beginner.

Books on the Development of Doctrine

Berkhof, Louis. The History of Christian Doctrines. Edinburgh, UK: Banner of Truth, 1996. Intermediate.

Hannah, John D. Our Legacy: The History of Christian Doctrine. Colorado Spring: NavPress, 2001. Beginner.

Hultgren, Arland J. The Rise of Normative Christianity. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock, 2004. Advanced.

Kelly, J. N. D. Early Christian Doctrines. Rev. ed. New York: HarperOne, 1978. Advanced.

McGrath, Alister E. Historical Theology: An Introduction to the History of Christian Thought. Oxford: Blackwell, 1998. Intermediate.

Olson, Roger E. The Story of Christian Theology: Twenty Centuries of Tradition and Reform. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 1999. Intermediate.

Pelikan, Jaroslav. The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Doctrine. 5 vols. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1975–1991. Advanced.

Books on Spirituality

Alexander, Donald L., ed. Christian Spirituality: Five Views of Sanctification. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 1988. Beginner.

Blackaby, Henry, Richard Blackaby, and Claude King. Fresh Encounter: God’s Pattern for Spiritual Awakening. Rev. and exp. ed. Nashville: B&H, 2009. Beginner.

Bridges, Jerry. The Pursuit of Holiness. New ed. Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2006.

Collins, Kenneth J., ed. Exploring Christian Spirituality: An Ecumenical Reader. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2000. Advanced.

Dieter, Melvin, et al. Five Views of Sanctification. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1987. Beginner.

Foster, Richard J. Streams of Living Water: Celebrating the Great Traditions of Christian Faith. New York: HarperOne, 2001. Intermediate.

McGrath, Alister E. Christian Spirituality: An Introduction. Oxford: Blackwell, 1999. Intermediate.

Sittser, Gerald L. Water from a Deep Well: Christian Spirituality from Early Martyrs to Modern Missionaries. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2007. Beginner.

Webber, Robert E. The Divine Embrace: Recovering the Passionate Spiritual Life. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2006. Intermediate.

Theologies with Strong Historical Background

Allison, Gregg R. Historical Theology: An Introduction to Christian Doctrine. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2011. Advanced.

McGrath, Alister E. Christian Theology: An Introduction. 5th ed. Oxford: Blackwell, 2011. Intermediate.

Oden, Thomas C. Classic Christianity: A Systematic Theology. New York: HarperOne, 2009. Advanced.

Books on the Church (Ecclesiology)

Bolsinger, Tod E. It Takes a Church to Raise a Christian: How the Community of God Transforms Lives. Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, 2004. Intermediate.

Clowney, Edmund. The Church. Contours of Christian Theology. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1995. Advanced.

Cowan, Steven B., ed. Who Runs the Church? Four Views on Church Government. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2004. Beginner.

Dever, Mark. Nine Marks of a Healthy Church. Exp. ed. Wheaton: Crossway, 2004. Beginner.

Stackhouse, John G. Jr., ed. Evangelical Ecclesiology: Reality or Illusion? Grand Rapids: Baker, 2003. Advanced.

Willimon, William. What’s Right with the Church? San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1971. Beginner.

Yancey, Philip. Church: Why Bother? My Personal Pilgrimage. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1998. Beginner.

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