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A Student's Guide
God's Story: A Student's Guide to Church History
Brian Cosby makes the past come alive for students to explain Christian identity and to help readers avoid past mistakes. The history of the church reveals God's story for the world - despite the sin, corruption, and twisted events in the church's past, God has preserved this remnant, His people. Get a new understanding of His plan for the church and your life.
144 pages, Paperback
First published May 20, 2014
About the author
Brian H. Cosby
22 books9 followersBrian H. Cosby is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church in America. He has written several books including John Bunyan: The Journey of a Pilgrim in the Trailblazers series and continues to write articles for various magazines and journals.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
August 24, 2015
In God's Story: A Student's Guide to Church History by Brian Cosby the author's goal is to give a "brief overview of the history of the Christian church" by addressing the "poignant people, councils, events, revival, and movements throughout the history of the church."
Mr. Cosby starts his review of the Christian church with a quick synopsis of the Old Testament, followed by a brief summary of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. Using the book of Acts as a springboard, he explains the beginning of the early Christian church and highlights the Apostolic Fathers. The author also includes a look at the Creeds and Councils, as well as the Roman Catholic Church and the rise of Islam. The heroes of the Reformation are highlighted with just a passing mention of the Puritans. Starting at the 18th century, Mr. Cosby rounds out his whirlwind tour by examining some of the different worldviews, denominations, and revivals.
Based upon the author's intended goal, he did a decent job of highlighting the main topics of the Christian church in the last 2,000 years. However, because of the vast span of history the author covers, there are areas where Mr. Cosby does more damage than good by his brevity.
The first area of concern is his very limited remarks on mysticism. Mysticism is making a comeback into Christianity today via the Emergent Church. This practice is not biblically based and should not be a part of the worship of God. The author touches on this subject by describing different types of mysticism and concludes: "Both of these types of mysticism tended to discredit the hierarchy of the church. Moreover, church leaders seemed too worldly, too man-centered," (Kindle location 599). Mr. Cosby gives no indication that mysticism was not good for the Christian church then or now.
The second area of concern is Mr. Cosby's comment on the cults of Mormonism and Jehovah's Witnesses. The author states that Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses both "have their own 'translation' of the Bible, which obviously doesn't come from the original Greek and Hebrew languages," (Kindle location 1094). I point this out as an area of concern because no Bible is translated from the original Greek and Hebrew manuscripts. All current translations are based on copies. According to the official Jehovah Witnesses website (JW.org), the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (2013 revision) uses the same underlying texts as other modern Bible translations. This information is readily available on the Internet:
From JW.org: "Both Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia and Biblia Hebraica Quinta were consulted when preparing the present revision of the New World Translation... In addition, master texts such as those by Nestle and Aland and by the United Bible Societies reflect recent scholarly studies. Some of the findings of this research were incorporated into this present revision."
From ESV.org: "The ESV is based on the Masoretic text of the Hebrew Bible as found in Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (2nd ed., 1983), and on the Greek text in the 1993 editions of the Greek New Testament (4th corrected ed.), published by the United Bible Societies (UBS), and Novum Testamentum Graece (27th ed.), edited by Nestle and Aland."
A third area that I found concerning was the author's statement about evangelicalism: "Today evangelicalism -- despite its manifold stripes and diversity -- generally holds to conservative, historic, orthodox, and biblical doctrines," (Kindle location 1143). Again, due to the brevity of the book, he positively cites denominations (PC USA & Pentecostal) and people (Billy Graham & Rick Warren) in this chapter that do not hold to conservative, orthodox, and biblical doctrines. The Evangelicals and Catholics Together document of 1994, which called for a need to deliver a common witness to the modern world, is clear evidence that evangelicalism is not aligned with historic Christianity.
In addition, I am disappointed with the number of editing mistakes in this book. Mr. Cosby overuses the exclamation point to the point of distraction. He also overuses parentheses and dashes as he tries to relay too much information into a short amount of space. The abbreviations A.D. (anno Domini) and B.C. (Before Christ) are not capitalized throughout the book. Apostrophes are not used to denote plural numbers. Surprisingly, hyphens are inappropriately used; with the advent of word processors, the hyphen used to divide words between syllables at the end of a line are no longer needed; even though, these hyphens (within words) appear sporadically throughout this book. I also think that the chapter numbers should be included with the chapter headings at the beginning of each chapter and not just in the table of contents. Here's an example which includes some of the mistakes I've cited:
"In 597, Pope Gregory the Great sent August-ine [sic] of Canterbury (not St. Augustine of Hippo!) to Christianize the Kingdom of Kent and convert the people from Anglo-Saxon paganism (the Anglo-Saxons were a group of Germanic tribes who had migrated there in the 5th century)," (Kindle location 794).
Overall, God's Story provides a brief, but adequate, time-line of the Christian church. It gives the reader a framework to build on with additional study of the time periods highlighted by Mr. Cosby. I recommend this book to the Christian who is just beginning to delve into church history with the caveat that the accuracy has been compromised due to its brevity and the poor editing can be distracting at times.
Full Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Mr. Cosby starts his review of the Christian church with a quick synopsis of the Old Testament, followed by a brief summary of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. Using the book of Acts as a springboard, he explains the beginning of the early Christian church and highlights the Apostolic Fathers. The author also includes a look at the Creeds and Councils, as well as the Roman Catholic Church and the rise of Islam. The heroes of the Reformation are highlighted with just a passing mention of the Puritans. Starting at the 18th century, Mr. Cosby rounds out his whirlwind tour by examining some of the different worldviews, denominations, and revivals.
Based upon the author's intended goal, he did a decent job of highlighting the main topics of the Christian church in the last 2,000 years. However, because of the vast span of history the author covers, there are areas where Mr. Cosby does more damage than good by his brevity.
The first area of concern is his very limited remarks on mysticism. Mysticism is making a comeback into Christianity today via the Emergent Church. This practice is not biblically based and should not be a part of the worship of God. The author touches on this subject by describing different types of mysticism and concludes: "Both of these types of mysticism tended to discredit the hierarchy of the church. Moreover, church leaders seemed too worldly, too man-centered," (Kindle location 599). Mr. Cosby gives no indication that mysticism was not good for the Christian church then or now.
The second area of concern is Mr. Cosby's comment on the cults of Mormonism and Jehovah's Witnesses. The author states that Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses both "have their own 'translation' of the Bible, which obviously doesn't come from the original Greek and Hebrew languages," (Kindle location 1094). I point this out as an area of concern because no Bible is translated from the original Greek and Hebrew manuscripts. All current translations are based on copies. According to the official Jehovah Witnesses website (JW.org), the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (2013 revision) uses the same underlying texts as other modern Bible translations. This information is readily available on the Internet:
From JW.org: "Both Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia and Biblia Hebraica Quinta were consulted when preparing the present revision of the New World Translation... In addition, master texts such as those by Nestle and Aland and by the United Bible Societies reflect recent scholarly studies. Some of the findings of this research were incorporated into this present revision."
From ESV.org: "The ESV is based on the Masoretic text of the Hebrew Bible as found in Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (2nd ed., 1983), and on the Greek text in the 1993 editions of the Greek New Testament (4th corrected ed.), published by the United Bible Societies (UBS), and Novum Testamentum Graece (27th ed.), edited by Nestle and Aland."
A third area that I found concerning was the author's statement about evangelicalism: "Today evangelicalism -- despite its manifold stripes and diversity -- generally holds to conservative, historic, orthodox, and biblical doctrines," (Kindle location 1143). Again, due to the brevity of the book, he positively cites denominations (PC USA & Pentecostal) and people (Billy Graham & Rick Warren) in this chapter that do not hold to conservative, orthodox, and biblical doctrines. The Evangelicals and Catholics Together document of 1994, which called for a need to deliver a common witness to the modern world, is clear evidence that evangelicalism is not aligned with historic Christianity.
In addition, I am disappointed with the number of editing mistakes in this book. Mr. Cosby overuses the exclamation point to the point of distraction. He also overuses parentheses and dashes as he tries to relay too much information into a short amount of space. The abbreviations A.D. (anno Domini) and B.C. (Before Christ) are not capitalized throughout the book. Apostrophes are not used to denote plural numbers. Surprisingly, hyphens are inappropriately used; with the advent of word processors, the hyphen used to divide words between syllables at the end of a line are no longer needed; even though, these hyphens (within words) appear sporadically throughout this book. I also think that the chapter numbers should be included with the chapter headings at the beginning of each chapter and not just in the table of contents. Here's an example which includes some of the mistakes I've cited:
"In 597, Pope Gregory the Great sent August-ine [sic] of Canterbury (not St. Augustine of Hippo!) to Christianize the Kingdom of Kent and convert the people from Anglo-Saxon paganism (the Anglo-Saxons were a group of Germanic tribes who had migrated there in the 5th century)," (Kindle location 794).
Overall, God's Story provides a brief, but adequate, time-line of the Christian church. It gives the reader a framework to build on with additional study of the time periods highlighted by Mr. Cosby. I recommend this book to the Christian who is just beginning to delve into church history with the caveat that the accuracy has been compromised due to its brevity and the poor editing can be distracting at times.
Full Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
July 14, 2014
For the same reason we study history in school, we should study history of how Christianity came to be. History can give us firm grasp of where we came from and where we should go and how far we have drifted from the truth. With 139 pages and 11 chapters, we briefly get a glimpse of how the church came to be, the growth, the ugly, the bad and the good.
Chapter 1 begins with how the Old Testament ties to the church. The Old Testament is the promise of the Messiah and the plan of redemption for God’s people.
Chapter 2 with the Apostolic fathers building the foundations of the New Testament church. How persecution grew the church and the falsehoods that were attaching themselves to Christianity. The purity of the gospel was center for the Apostles
.
Chapter 3 with the death of the Apostles, the church continued to grow and strengthen with creeds, leaders and Christ as the head. This time in the history of the church, what was believed and the why was established for the foundation of the church.
Chapter 4 begins the Dark Ages. The rise of Islam and the church pulling away from sound doctrine, Europe and the Middle East begin to experience the deterioration of economics, intellect and the struggles of power in the Catholic Church. The Dark Ages became a time of confusion for professing Christians conforming to the culture.
Chapter 5 because of the Dark ages lead to the time of Divide and Conquer. This time is used more against Christianity than any time. The Crusades is shown in context. With Christianity the power struggle and the rise of militant Islam, resulted in the death of many.
Chapter 6 because of the divide and conquer, unity in truth was to be found thru the road to reformation. With the moral failure of the Catholic Church and prevision of Church authority caused social anxiety during the time of the great famine and the plaque. Because of the “social anxiety” led to the witch hunt that led to countless women being executed and tortured. Because of fear, many people were led to mysticism. With the Reformation, led to the printing press where people could read the word for themselves. The corruption of the church was so wide spread due to lack of accountability. With the word in the hands of Christians, the corruption could be fought with the word of truth. It led many not to follow the Catholic Church.
Chapter 7 because of the Reformation, the Catholic and Protestant Church had many differences. The authority of the word vs. the pope, justification by faith and not by works, and the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
Chapter 8 leads to the English Reformation and the Puritans. The Puritans desired the church to be purified from the corruption and unbiblical theology which led to idolatrous worship. This time in world history, kings were ruling the churches and they were the final authority.
Chapter 9 reflects as in Nehemiah’s time, after the people realized how far in the darkness they had gone, the word brought forth the light. So it is during the Enlightment and Awakening (1700-1800). It was the birth of our nation that the Pilgrims leaving on the Mayflower came to America to worship freely and to set up civil laws that required a close connection with God’s law.
Chapter 10 with the growth of our nation, many other ideals begin to take root in our government, school and culture. There became an abandonment of biblical doctrine. With the culture of liberalism, it became more of a theology for many. Liberalism is more of individualism based on emotion and feelings. This type of theology has made its way into Christianity. A far cry from what was passed down from the apostles and prophets. Many cults have formed during this time as well and many have grown tremendously today. This chapter covers these cults and the difference they have with biblical Christianity.
Chapter 11 is our current state of the church resulting from history. With the growth of the church in Asia, Africa and South America, the west is struggling with unity and a consumerism driven church. Evagelicalism has brought to the church the youth ministry which at times uses gimmicks to bring youth into the church. The gimmicks however, do not give a strong foundation has youth go on into college and they are usually bombarded with a liberal culture that conflicts with biblical teaching.
This little book may give you the desire to go deeper into the history of the world and Christianity. God calls us to remember all that he has done and in looking back we get a bigger picture of what redemption is for His people.
A complimentary review copy was provided to me by Cross Focused Reviews (A Service of Cross Focused Media, LLC). I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own
Chapter 1 begins with how the Old Testament ties to the church. The Old Testament is the promise of the Messiah and the plan of redemption for God’s people.
Chapter 2 with the Apostolic fathers building the foundations of the New Testament church. How persecution grew the church and the falsehoods that were attaching themselves to Christianity. The purity of the gospel was center for the Apostles
.
Chapter 3 with the death of the Apostles, the church continued to grow and strengthen with creeds, leaders and Christ as the head. This time in the history of the church, what was believed and the why was established for the foundation of the church.
Chapter 4 begins the Dark Ages. The rise of Islam and the church pulling away from sound doctrine, Europe and the Middle East begin to experience the deterioration of economics, intellect and the struggles of power in the Catholic Church. The Dark Ages became a time of confusion for professing Christians conforming to the culture.
Chapter 5 because of the Dark ages lead to the time of Divide and Conquer. This time is used more against Christianity than any time. The Crusades is shown in context. With Christianity the power struggle and the rise of militant Islam, resulted in the death of many.
Chapter 6 because of the divide and conquer, unity in truth was to be found thru the road to reformation. With the moral failure of the Catholic Church and prevision of Church authority caused social anxiety during the time of the great famine and the plaque. Because of the “social anxiety” led to the witch hunt that led to countless women being executed and tortured. Because of fear, many people were led to mysticism. With the Reformation, led to the printing press where people could read the word for themselves. The corruption of the church was so wide spread due to lack of accountability. With the word in the hands of Christians, the corruption could be fought with the word of truth. It led many not to follow the Catholic Church.
Chapter 7 because of the Reformation, the Catholic and Protestant Church had many differences. The authority of the word vs. the pope, justification by faith and not by works, and the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
Chapter 8 leads to the English Reformation and the Puritans. The Puritans desired the church to be purified from the corruption and unbiblical theology which led to idolatrous worship. This time in world history, kings were ruling the churches and they were the final authority.
Chapter 9 reflects as in Nehemiah’s time, after the people realized how far in the darkness they had gone, the word brought forth the light. So it is during the Enlightment and Awakening (1700-1800). It was the birth of our nation that the Pilgrims leaving on the Mayflower came to America to worship freely and to set up civil laws that required a close connection with God’s law.
Chapter 10 with the growth of our nation, many other ideals begin to take root in our government, school and culture. There became an abandonment of biblical doctrine. With the culture of liberalism, it became more of a theology for many. Liberalism is more of individualism based on emotion and feelings. This type of theology has made its way into Christianity. A far cry from what was passed down from the apostles and prophets. Many cults have formed during this time as well and many have grown tremendously today. This chapter covers these cults and the difference they have with biblical Christianity.
Chapter 11 is our current state of the church resulting from history. With the growth of the church in Asia, Africa and South America, the west is struggling with unity and a consumerism driven church. Evagelicalism has brought to the church the youth ministry which at times uses gimmicks to bring youth into the church. The gimmicks however, do not give a strong foundation has youth go on into college and they are usually bombarded with a liberal culture that conflicts with biblical teaching.
This little book may give you the desire to go deeper into the history of the world and Christianity. God calls us to remember all that he has done and in looking back we get a bigger picture of what redemption is for His people.
A complimentary review copy was provided to me by Cross Focused Reviews (A Service of Cross Focused Media, LLC). I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own
July 11, 2021
solid intro for students
February 23, 2017
Great crash course. I read it in an afternoon
July 17, 2014
I’ve said before that I think familiarizing our kids with church history is important.
I was taught little to no church history growing up, beyond a cursory mention of major events like the Reformation in my history textbooks. I want my kids to have more than just this passing knowledge. I think familiarity with the major figures and events in the history of the church is essential to seeing and understanding God’s “one story” for all of history. It’s also incredibly valuable to help them establish a stable faith that isn’t blown to and fro by every new whim that comes along. And, it’s essential to understanding how we got where we are now. So, since they were very young, I’ve spent time searching out and collecting resources to make sure they’re aware of the rich heritage of our beliefs.
God’s Story: A Student’s Guide to Church History by Brian Cosby is one such resource that recently came my way. This little book is part of the “A Student’s Guide” series published by Christian Focus Publications and covers the span of church history from its Old Testament roots to the present day.
God’s Story begins with a discussion of four reasons to study church history:
It helps explain our identity
It helps explain the present
It guards us from repeating its mistakes
It testifies to God’s powerful working as HIS STORY
Funny how these reasons correspond almost exactly with my reasons for wanting to teach this stuff to my kids. :)
Read the entire review here: http://homewithpurpose.net/2014/07/go...
I was taught little to no church history growing up, beyond a cursory mention of major events like the Reformation in my history textbooks. I want my kids to have more than just this passing knowledge. I think familiarity with the major figures and events in the history of the church is essential to seeing and understanding God’s “one story” for all of history. It’s also incredibly valuable to help them establish a stable faith that isn’t blown to and fro by every new whim that comes along. And, it’s essential to understanding how we got where we are now. So, since they were very young, I’ve spent time searching out and collecting resources to make sure they’re aware of the rich heritage of our beliefs.
God’s Story: A Student’s Guide to Church History by Brian Cosby is one such resource that recently came my way. This little book is part of the “A Student’s Guide” series published by Christian Focus Publications and covers the span of church history from its Old Testament roots to the present day.
God’s Story begins with a discussion of four reasons to study church history:
It helps explain our identity
It helps explain the present
It guards us from repeating its mistakes
It testifies to God’s powerful working as HIS STORY
Funny how these reasons correspond almost exactly with my reasons for wanting to teach this stuff to my kids. :)
Read the entire review here: http://homewithpurpose.net/2014/07/go...
July 13, 2014
This study and understanding of church history is a vital area of concern for all believers. The individuals and events that have helped form and shape the church and the beliefs we hold dear are quite honestly far too often neglected. Perhaps this is due to memories from school of history books and the forced memorization of dates, places, people, and facts, that utmost drudgery that many do not look back upon with the fondest of memories. For those who are not avid historians, Dr. Brian Cosby has written a book that takes a look at the important people, places, and events that have occurred over the last two thousand or so years, focusing on why those people, places, and events are of great importance to our world today.
As far as history books are concerned, as noted earlier, most can rightly be labeled as rather boring unless of course you are a history buff. Dr. Cosby notes in the introduction to his book that his overall effort is to “whet your appetite for a deeper and more-extensive study of God’s story.” It is my opinion he absolutely hits his intended mark in this book. While I enjoyed most of my history classes in high school as well as in my undergraduate and graduate studies, admittedly there were points in those classes where I was tempted to fall asleep or skim through the material just to get the assignment completed. After reading Dr. Cosby’s primer on church history, I have a renewed interest in the history of the church, in particular the lives of the many men (and women) of God who faithfully served the body of Christ and who stood up against the tide of heresy and liberalism, issues we honestly still face today.
Each chapter in this book is devoted to a specific period of church history. I appreciated the fact that Dr. Cosby took the needed time at the outset of his book to ensure the reader understands that the church did not just pop up out of the proverbial blue in the book of Acts. The people of God (i.e. the church), actually finds its roots in the Old Testament with God calling a people to be His. As history unfolds, the plan of God established from eternity past, namely the fulfillment of God calling His elect can be observed. From the times of the Apostolic Fathers to our own time, God has been working in history to bring a chosen people to Himself.
I also appreciated the fact that despite Dr. Cosby desiring this book to be a primer on church history, he was not afraid to include some more “nerdy” theological concepts such as transubstantiation or scholasticism for example. While such issues may seem far removed from our own day and age, the debate on the validity of such positions had a large impact on the church as a whole, especially leading up to the time of the Reformation. In fact, Dr. Cosby spends a good deal of time providing an overview of the Reformation as it unfolded in the period of the 16th and 17th centuries to include a group of people I am becoming rather fond of, namely the Puritans.
Dr. Cosby also devotes some needed time to issues that have had a great impact on how church’s conduct business today, specifically the influence of preachers such as Charles Finney and the emergence of Dispensationalism under the guidance of John Darby. Other important topics such as the impact of theological liberalism, in particular the influence of liberal German theologians such as Friedrich Schleiermacher and his followers such as Paul Tillich and Rudolf Bultmann are discussed. These individuals and the influence they had on theology cannot be overstated and Dr. Cosby does an excellent job of presenting these individuals and discussing their rather negative influence on theology in the late 19th century and on into the present.
The rise of fundamentalism and what is commonly known as evangelicalism to include the various forms both schools of thought take are also noted by Dr. Cosby. The flurry of denominations splits and the establishment of offshoot denominations in response to positions taken on topics such as evolution, neo-orthodoxy, and Pentecostalism are also noted. While some of the important people who were involved at the time, men such as Karl Barth or William Jennings Bryan may not be familiar to most, those who hold to for example the Pentecostal ideal in today’s church are certainly well-known, people such as Kenneth Copeland, T. D. Jakes, and Joel Osteen. Thus, understanding the root of their belief system is vital to grasping the reason for the message they promote.
Each chapter in this excellent book concludes with a series of discussion questions designed to help the reader dig deeper into the issues presented in that chapter. I found all of the questions provided to be very engaging and they will certainly spark some additional study on a number of people, places, and ideas presented by Dr. Cosby.
I highly recommend God’s Story: A Student’s Guide to Church History for all believers, whether they are history buffs or not. This will be a book that will fund its way into the homeschool curriculum for our daughter, especially as we engage facets of church history covered by Dr. Cosby. In a time when the people, places, and events that have helped shape the church as we know it today have more often than not been neglected, Dr. Cosby has provided a helpful tool to once again connect people of today with those who paved the way so long ago.
I received this book for free from Christian Focus Publications via Cross Focused Reviews for this review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
As far as history books are concerned, as noted earlier, most can rightly be labeled as rather boring unless of course you are a history buff. Dr. Cosby notes in the introduction to his book that his overall effort is to “whet your appetite for a deeper and more-extensive study of God’s story.” It is my opinion he absolutely hits his intended mark in this book. While I enjoyed most of my history classes in high school as well as in my undergraduate and graduate studies, admittedly there were points in those classes where I was tempted to fall asleep or skim through the material just to get the assignment completed. After reading Dr. Cosby’s primer on church history, I have a renewed interest in the history of the church, in particular the lives of the many men (and women) of God who faithfully served the body of Christ and who stood up against the tide of heresy and liberalism, issues we honestly still face today.
Each chapter in this book is devoted to a specific period of church history. I appreciated the fact that Dr. Cosby took the needed time at the outset of his book to ensure the reader understands that the church did not just pop up out of the proverbial blue in the book of Acts. The people of God (i.e. the church), actually finds its roots in the Old Testament with God calling a people to be His. As history unfolds, the plan of God established from eternity past, namely the fulfillment of God calling His elect can be observed. From the times of the Apostolic Fathers to our own time, God has been working in history to bring a chosen people to Himself.
I also appreciated the fact that despite Dr. Cosby desiring this book to be a primer on church history, he was not afraid to include some more “nerdy” theological concepts such as transubstantiation or scholasticism for example. While such issues may seem far removed from our own day and age, the debate on the validity of such positions had a large impact on the church as a whole, especially leading up to the time of the Reformation. In fact, Dr. Cosby spends a good deal of time providing an overview of the Reformation as it unfolded in the period of the 16th and 17th centuries to include a group of people I am becoming rather fond of, namely the Puritans.
Dr. Cosby also devotes some needed time to issues that have had a great impact on how church’s conduct business today, specifically the influence of preachers such as Charles Finney and the emergence of Dispensationalism under the guidance of John Darby. Other important topics such as the impact of theological liberalism, in particular the influence of liberal German theologians such as Friedrich Schleiermacher and his followers such as Paul Tillich and Rudolf Bultmann are discussed. These individuals and the influence they had on theology cannot be overstated and Dr. Cosby does an excellent job of presenting these individuals and discussing their rather negative influence on theology in the late 19th century and on into the present.
The rise of fundamentalism and what is commonly known as evangelicalism to include the various forms both schools of thought take are also noted by Dr. Cosby. The flurry of denominations splits and the establishment of offshoot denominations in response to positions taken on topics such as evolution, neo-orthodoxy, and Pentecostalism are also noted. While some of the important people who were involved at the time, men such as Karl Barth or William Jennings Bryan may not be familiar to most, those who hold to for example the Pentecostal ideal in today’s church are certainly well-known, people such as Kenneth Copeland, T. D. Jakes, and Joel Osteen. Thus, understanding the root of their belief system is vital to grasping the reason for the message they promote.
Each chapter in this excellent book concludes with a series of discussion questions designed to help the reader dig deeper into the issues presented in that chapter. I found all of the questions provided to be very engaging and they will certainly spark some additional study on a number of people, places, and ideas presented by Dr. Cosby.
I highly recommend God’s Story: A Student’s Guide to Church History for all believers, whether they are history buffs or not. This will be a book that will fund its way into the homeschool curriculum for our daughter, especially as we engage facets of church history covered by Dr. Cosby. In a time when the people, places, and events that have helped shape the church as we know it today have more often than not been neglected, Dr. Cosby has provided a helpful tool to once again connect people of today with those who paved the way so long ago.
I received this book for free from Christian Focus Publications via Cross Focused Reviews for this review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
August 14, 2023
Great reformed/presbyterian church history intro for middle/jh. I'd phrase a couple sentences differently, and the final section on global Christianity desperately needs another two pages of "Next Christendom" lite, but overall a very useful resource.
July 6, 2014
The study of history, in general and church history specifically, is a discipline that we neglect at our own peril. Beyond that, we also miss out on opportunities of worship when we do not recognize God’s providential presence throughout the ages. The joy that is found in seeing how God has worked, the appreciation that grows in seeing what was endured by those who came before and suffered and struggled, and the warnings that spring forth from conflict and heresy are all invaluable.
But, Church history is a daunting subject. Multiple continents, multiple people groups, tons of personalities and 2000+ years to cover all make a book like this from Christian Focus and Brian Cosby that much more valuable.
Cosby sets out to cover the length of Church history in less than 200 pages. If you are looking for a detailed, nuanced guide to every twist and turn in the history of the Christian Church, this is not it! If, however, you are like most and would be utterly overwhelmed by a detailed, nuanced guide to every twist and turn in the history of the Christian Church, this is a work you definitely should avail yourself of! This bird’s eye view of Church history can easily and pleasurable be consumed in one sitting and you will walk away informed and intrigued, filled with a greater desire to learn of even more that God has done throughout the last two millennia.
In a book where I genuinely enjoyed each chapter it is a bit difficult to list what stood out. However, his section on Scholasticism and the chapters on the 19th/20th centuries and on the English Reformation were especially good.
My main issue with this work, though acknowledging that space is obviously an issue, is that the reader can walk away from thinking, “Has God acted in East Asia? South America? The majority of Africa?” While I know it would be difficult to go into too much detail, the work would have benefited, as would have the reader, with more emphasis placed on God’s actions in the Southern and Far Eastern hemispheres. I think a 3-5 page chapter looking forward based on current trends in Christianity would have rounded the work out quite well and would have been a great opportunity to include the Southern and Far Eastern world in this work.
God’s Story is a work that will benefit anyone seeking a basic understanding of Church history. This is a work where a highlighter might prove useless. Not because there is nothing worthy of marking, but because it is so packed with useful, interesting, encouraging, and intriguing facts and stories that you might find yourself just like me and end up coloring your book yellow. This will be the work I recommend to people as they begin study of Church history for some time to come.
Excellent book on an-oft neglected topic.
I received a review copy of this work from the publisher.
But, Church history is a daunting subject. Multiple continents, multiple people groups, tons of personalities and 2000+ years to cover all make a book like this from Christian Focus and Brian Cosby that much more valuable.
Cosby sets out to cover the length of Church history in less than 200 pages. If you are looking for a detailed, nuanced guide to every twist and turn in the history of the Christian Church, this is not it! If, however, you are like most and would be utterly overwhelmed by a detailed, nuanced guide to every twist and turn in the history of the Christian Church, this is a work you definitely should avail yourself of! This bird’s eye view of Church history can easily and pleasurable be consumed in one sitting and you will walk away informed and intrigued, filled with a greater desire to learn of even more that God has done throughout the last two millennia.
In a book where I genuinely enjoyed each chapter it is a bit difficult to list what stood out. However, his section on Scholasticism and the chapters on the 19th/20th centuries and on the English Reformation were especially good.
My main issue with this work, though acknowledging that space is obviously an issue, is that the reader can walk away from thinking, “Has God acted in East Asia? South America? The majority of Africa?” While I know it would be difficult to go into too much detail, the work would have benefited, as would have the reader, with more emphasis placed on God’s actions in the Southern and Far Eastern hemispheres. I think a 3-5 page chapter looking forward based on current trends in Christianity would have rounded the work out quite well and would have been a great opportunity to include the Southern and Far Eastern world in this work.
God’s Story is a work that will benefit anyone seeking a basic understanding of Church history. This is a work where a highlighter might prove useless. Not because there is nothing worthy of marking, but because it is so packed with useful, interesting, encouraging, and intriguing facts and stories that you might find yourself just like me and end up coloring your book yellow. This will be the work I recommend to people as they begin study of Church history for some time to come.
Excellent book on an-oft neglected topic.
I received a review copy of this work from the publisher.
July 25, 2014
Who likes history? Honestly, I think not many will thrilled at this particular topic. However, Brain Cosby has attempted to make church history something interesting to the kids/youths with this book.
First Cosby defends the need for us to know our history well, the common adage ‘those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it’ has proven to be true numerous time. But christians has an even more important reason to know our history well. We each come from a particular denomination and they have existed for a particular reason, it would be wise for us to know why. Secondly, history is really His-Story. When we know about our history we can rejoice what God has done, and trust in what he will do in the future.
Cosby then explains and teaching church history chronological, starting from the very first church! Those that are started in the apostolic times and working across the centuries and millennium, Cosby brings out the ‘big players’ during the particular eras. No particular person was given extra attention, though John Calvin did received slightly more attention.
What Cosby did excellently in this book is how he approach the topic on ‘Crusades’, this is a dark history in the church’s history but Cosby does not sweep things under the rag, he slowly tease out the issue, and explains how christians can answer those who questioned the atrocities committed by the church.
Cosby did give more content in this book to the reformation and those reformation era, which was covered in greater depth than the eras before that.
This is a relatively easy book to read too, it can easily be finished in a few sitting, however since it is published by CF4kids, I do question at what age is it especially pitch at? I feel that kids that are younger (12 and below) would most likely not read this book, and unless for teens who are deeply interested in this topics, the rest might not be engaged enough in this book to read it through. However, this remains to be a good primer for those who wants a quick, brief, succinct introduction to church history (even for adults!). You might be surprised at how much you’ll actually learn from this thin book. [Update: It's meant for teens 14-16!]
One tiny complain for this book, a little too much self-promotion of the previous books written by the author (no I don't dislike the author!). But maybe also include references to other books by other authors too.
Rating: 3.75/5
First Cosby defends the need for us to know our history well, the common adage ‘those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it’ has proven to be true numerous time. But christians has an even more important reason to know our history well. We each come from a particular denomination and they have existed for a particular reason, it would be wise for us to know why. Secondly, history is really His-Story. When we know about our history we can rejoice what God has done, and trust in what he will do in the future.
Cosby then explains and teaching church history chronological, starting from the very first church! Those that are started in the apostolic times and working across the centuries and millennium, Cosby brings out the ‘big players’ during the particular eras. No particular person was given extra attention, though John Calvin did received slightly more attention.
What Cosby did excellently in this book is how he approach the topic on ‘Crusades’, this is a dark history in the church’s history but Cosby does not sweep things under the rag, he slowly tease out the issue, and explains how christians can answer those who questioned the atrocities committed by the church.
Cosby did give more content in this book to the reformation and those reformation era, which was covered in greater depth than the eras before that.
This is a relatively easy book to read too, it can easily be finished in a few sitting, however since it is published by CF4kids, I do question at what age is it especially pitch at? I feel that kids that are younger (12 and below) would most likely not read this book, and unless for teens who are deeply interested in this topics, the rest might not be engaged enough in this book to read it through. However, this remains to be a good primer for those who wants a quick, brief, succinct introduction to church history (even for adults!). You might be surprised at how much you’ll actually learn from this thin book. [Update: It's meant for teens 14-16!]
One tiny complain for this book, a little too much self-promotion of the previous books written by the author (no I don't dislike the author!). But maybe also include references to other books by other authors too.
Rating: 3.75/5
July 10, 2014
I love history, and am always excited to learn more about church history, so I was estatic when I had the opportunity to review Brian Cosby’s new book on church history, God’s Story.
God’s Story, while a small book, should not be overlooked! Easy to read, and written in layman’s terms, God’s Story condenses more than two thousand years of church history into a manageable 138 pages.
Replete with Scripture references, Cosby discusses why we should study church history, and while written with a reformed, teenage audience in mind, God’s Story is a book that Christians of all ages and backgrounds will find useful.
God’s Story allows readers a brief, yet broad, insight into our religious past as Christians, covering everything from the disciples, Apostolic Fathers, and Church Fathers to creeds, confessions, and catechisms, from the Crusades, the Reformation, and cults to fundamentalism, evangelicalism, and evolution!
God’s Story is an excellent overview of the history of Christianity, complete with discussion questions following each chapter, making it ideal for family or group discussion. I would highly recommend God’s Story to Christians everywhere, particularly if they are interested in knowing more about the history behind their faith! I would give God’s Story an “A”.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the Cross Focused Reviews Blogger Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 .
God’s Story, while a small book, should not be overlooked! Easy to read, and written in layman’s terms, God’s Story condenses more than two thousand years of church history into a manageable 138 pages.
Replete with Scripture references, Cosby discusses why we should study church history, and while written with a reformed, teenage audience in mind, God’s Story is a book that Christians of all ages and backgrounds will find useful.
God’s Story allows readers a brief, yet broad, insight into our religious past as Christians, covering everything from the disciples, Apostolic Fathers, and Church Fathers to creeds, confessions, and catechisms, from the Crusades, the Reformation, and cults to fundamentalism, evangelicalism, and evolution!
God’s Story is an excellent overview of the history of Christianity, complete with discussion questions following each chapter, making it ideal for family or group discussion. I would highly recommend God’s Story to Christians everywhere, particularly if they are interested in knowing more about the history behind their faith! I would give God’s Story an “A”.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the Cross Focused Reviews Blogger Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 .
July 16, 2014
Brian Cosby's God's Story: A Student's Guide to Church History is an excellent introduction to the good, bad and ugly of Christian history.
In the first chapter, Cosby make an important distinction between the visible and invisible church. The "visible church" often means that much of what happened in church history was the result of unregenerate people having authority and influence in their historical context. But, Cosby reminds the reader that God has always preserved a remnant of faithful followers (invisible church) to Himself.
The following chapters contains basic historical information on each of the major time periods of Christian history. This book is designed to be an overview for students, so there are not a lot of details, but the author still covers all of the major people and ideas that have shaped the Church over time. Cosby consistently presents the information with a theologically reformed worldview and clearly shows how different leaders and ideas have helped or hurt that orthodox view.
Even though the book is targeted toward students, I think it would also be an excellent resource for every Church member, Sunday School teacher, homeschool family...basically anyone who would benefit from understanding how the past has shaped the present state of Christianity. This book is short, fun, to the point, and would be a great springboard for deeper study on a particular person or time period.
In the first chapter, Cosby make an important distinction between the visible and invisible church. The "visible church" often means that much of what happened in church history was the result of unregenerate people having authority and influence in their historical context. But, Cosby reminds the reader that God has always preserved a remnant of faithful followers (invisible church) to Himself.
The following chapters contains basic historical information on each of the major time periods of Christian history. This book is designed to be an overview for students, so there are not a lot of details, but the author still covers all of the major people and ideas that have shaped the Church over time. Cosby consistently presents the information with a theologically reformed worldview and clearly shows how different leaders and ideas have helped or hurt that orthodox view.
Even though the book is targeted toward students, I think it would also be an excellent resource for every Church member, Sunday School teacher, homeschool family...basically anyone who would benefit from understanding how the past has shaped the present state of Christianity. This book is short, fun, to the point, and would be a great springboard for deeper study on a particular person or time period.
July 21, 2014
Really good intro to church history for an older child or younger teenager.
November 24, 2014
Useful for teens, but not comprehensive enough, really.
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