I was a bit disappointed that the the section on Church history was shorter than anticipated- the book comprises three sub-divisions: 1. Church History 2. Major Worldviews 3. Christian ethics.
As an introduction to Church history, I found the first division really useful as a top-down view of the most crucial events (e.g. The Council of Nicea, Council of Trent) that shaped Church history, as well as the important topics the Church had to grapple with (e.g. the Trinity, justification by faith vs works).
The Worldview section was an interesting surprise; I only skimmed through the final division.
Read the first section if you want a springboard for further research into the doctrines & topics the Church has had to deal with over the ages. Overall, Eckman gives a balanced view of the various movements and influential figures described.
Great insight. Must read for every serious Christians covers the most important times of Christians history and provide great insight of how we inherited various Christian doctrines and practices. We can't appreciate what we have unless we know how much it took to get them. The studying Christian should have one copy for quick reference.
Great, quick, easy to read overview of Church history. The major thinkers, theological doctrines, and pendulum swings of the church and culture are all laid out well and in brief. There is a clear Reformed bias, but it is communicated well.