I hope that this book will help readers stand back from Christianity, whether they love it or hate it, or are simply curious about it, and see it in the round. The book is self-evidently not a work of primary-source research; rather, it tries to synthesise the current state of historical scholarship across the world. It also seeks to be a reflection on it, a way of interpreting that scholarship for a large audience which is often bewildered by what is happening to Christianity and misunderstands how present structures and beliefs have evolved. It can be no more than a series of suggestions to give shape to the past, but the suggestions are not random. At some points in it, I have developed further the text of my previous book, Reformation, which was an attempt to tell part of this wider story, but which led me on to this attempt to put shapes on the greater picture. My aim is to tell as clearly as possible an immensely complicated and varied tale, in ways which others will enjoy and find plausible. Furthermore, I am not ashamed to affirm that although modern historians have no special capacity to be arbiters of the truth or otherwise of religion, they still have a moral task. They should seek to promote sanity and to curb the rhetoric that promotes fanaticism. There is no surer basis for fanaticism than bad history, which is invariably history oversimplified. (A History of Christianity , page 12)
This is possibly the most recent book to feature in this series, indeed I am still reading it. There is little wonder; I received it from Amazon on 30 November and have been reading it ever since. It stands at 1016 pages and I have read as far as the counter-Reformation. MacCulloch is a brilliant writer. This history is never dull and always readable. I'm still struggling with the exact nature of non-Chalcedon Christians but then, I suspect, so are most people. I bought the book as a result of watching his BBC television series, based upon the book. I have commented on this book in several posts on my ecumenical blog .
I think MacCulloch is right about fanaticism and the contribution made by oversimplified history. Why do so many Christians seem terrified of being found wrong? When we read this history, so much is placed in context, and helps us understand where our treasured beliefs originated. Does this imply they are not reliable? Or does it imply, God loves humanity in its errors and not just those who get it right (if any such exist).
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