I love history, so I am bias, but I think that even a non-history person would be captivated by this book. Shelley captures well the heart of history, which is a story well told. In this volume it’s the story of Christianity. The glories and wonders of it, as well as the dirty laundry. He knits the whole story together by telling lots and lots of fascinating little stories along the way. This is not a history book that buries you with mind numbing lists of dates, places and events. Yes, they are in there but covertly woven into incredible, despicable, charming, disgusting, and miraculous stories of real people like you and me.
I know it sounds crazy, it’s a history text book after all, right? but I couldn’t put the book down and I learned so much.
I think it should be pointed out, that Shelley is not interested in glossing over the less glorious side of the Christian story. You will not just find a celebration of what is good in this book about Christianity but also an evaluation and analysis of what was not at all good.
