ebooks The Reformation (The Penguin History of the Church) (v. 3) by Owen Chadwick in History

Review

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Reformation 101By J.M.K.Readers from various confessions; denominations and backgrounds may have "favorite" histories of the Reformation written from their own points of view; and some will also point to more modern; more critical histories. Owen Chadwick's history; however; is venerable precisely because of its combination of dryness; readability and conciseness-- this remains elusive in most histories of the reformation era. This is not to say that the reader should not read critically-- no history of the Reformation; not even this one; is immune from a certain amount of cheerleading. Keep in mind that Owen Chadwick's affiliation is Anglican; and that he does present the English Reformation a bit more thoroughly than the reformations in some other parts of Europe; but this will likely be appreciated by American readers whose denominations and non-denominations largely trace to English origins.If this text has liabilities; they are chiefly:- The Church of England during the era is painted a bit more glowingly than perhaps it deserves-- martyred Catholics and oppressed "dissenting" Protestants are a bit more of an apologetic aside than one would hope; so that both St. Thomas More and the Mayflower pilgrims might have cause to take issue.- The Calvinist strains of the Reformation are painted somewhat less flatteringly than Calvinist readers would likely hope.- Coverage of the Catholic Reformation smacks a bit of Victorian-era prejudices; although not irredeemably so.- Orthodox Christians are barely an aside.- The text is becoming dated; as it was written prior to the gradual warming of ecumenical relations we have been blessed with in the post-Second Vatican Council era. The Pope and the Ecumenical Patriarch; in particular; have been on amicable terms since the 1960's. The Patriarch Kirill of Moscow met with Pope Francis in 2016 for the first time in centuries. The Archbishop of Canterbury is now a familiar dialogue partner in various congregations within the Roman Curia. The Lutheran-Catholic dialogue has produced the Joint Document on Justification; which has also been signed by United Methodist representatives; and a joint remembrance of the Reformation's 500th anniversary is planned. These are signs of hope that Christians of Owen Chadwick's day could scarcely conceive of.The text is otherwise fairly even-handed. This is a solid and serviceable introduction to the era; and may be the only reformation history that is a must-read primer regardless of one's religious affiliation. Read cover to cover; underline; highlight; take notes; and you will come away with a serviceable; more-than-cursory textbook understanding of the essential events and controversies of the era. From there; develop your own reading as you see fit.Primary sources are a must; with the most essential being perhaps The Martin Luther Collection: 15 Classic Works; Cajetan Responds: A Reader in Reformation Controversy; The John Calvin Collection: 12 Classic Works and The Canons and Decrees of the Council Of Trent. Another excellent single-volume primary source collection; originally intended for use in undergraduate courses; is A Reformation Reader: Primary Texts With Introductions.For other surveys; Diarmaid MacCulloch's more recent; if overly-critical; histories Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years and The Reformation certainly seem to be the most popular lately. Brad Gregory's The Unintended Reformation: How a Religious Revolution Secularized Society is arguably much better if you are up to its scholarly language. Before you get to either of those; however; start here.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Good conventional history for this 3-part seriesBy Stratiotes Doxha TheonChadwick's history is a solid conclusion to this 3-part history of the Church. Though avoiding the theological debates few of the Protestant; Catholic; or Anabaptist partisans will be pleased. Instead; this is a middle-of-the-road easy read that assumes some knowledge of the topic already. It is a fair introduction in a way but the assumptions of additional learning will leave some puzzled with unexplained references. This would be a fine companion; for instance; to one working through a more detailed lecture series such as; The Teaching Company: History of Christianity in the Reformation Era 18 Audio Cds with Course Outline Booklet (The Great Courses).We would have enjoyed also a more thorough coverage of the proto-reformation movements such as the Lollards and Hussites of the preceding centuries. True; there is a limit in the amount that can be covered in under 500 pages but those movements in particular seem especially relevant to this study. For a more in-depth study that takes those earlier reformation movements into account; see The Reformation (The Story of Civilization VI).For a study of this period; there are many works that cover the material with far greater detail. Others may provide a reasonable introduction to the reformation. This one falls somewhere in between. A solid; conventional history that attempts not to offend any of the Christian traditions involved. Despite the rather drab approach to history; it still manages to entertain and incite a desire to learn more. For that we can highly recommend this well-respected work.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. and we think we have it bad now.By W David GemmillInteresting; and we think we have it bad now.