Introduction to World Christian History By Derek Cooper Paperback 0830840885 9780830840885 Introduction to World Christian History Christianity is a global faith. Today, people are increasingly aware that Christianity extends far beyond Europe and North America, permeating the Eastern and Southern hemispheres. What we may know less well is that Christianity has always been a global faith. A vast untold story waits to be heard beyond the familiar tale of how the Christian faith spread across Europe. Not only was Jesus born in Asia, but in the early years of the church Christianity found fertile soil in Africa and soon extended to East Asia as well. In this brief introduction to world Christian history, Derek Cooper explores the development of Christianity across time and the continents. Guiding readers to places such as Iraq, Ethiopia and India, Scandinavia, Brazil and Oceania, he reveals the fascinating―and often surprising―history of the church.

Both chronologically and geographically He rarely stops in one place for long Sometimes he chooses to emphasize one particular country to illustrate what is happening in a broader region For the most part he seems to cover the topics at hand with diligence and forthrightness He does make an occasional mistake or at least it would seem to me that a mistake had been made one glaring example concerns the suggestion that explorer Henry Stanley was a disciple of David Livingstone What makes this book intriguing and somewhat unique is the way in which he lays out his study He organizes the book according to the United Nations Geoscheme.

But curiously it did not get such attention in the last part covering the modern era What is clear in Cooper s narrative is the wide diversity of Christian expressions from the very beginning Divisiveness was not just a Protestant innovation Even from the earliest stages divisions and arguments arose among Christ followers Dozens of groups and factions emerged early and often Cooper also emphasizes how this conflict and territoriality instead of cooperation and mutual support among Christian groups hurt the church worldwide When external cultural and religious forces began bearing down on Christians.

They often had less strength than they might have had to face these challenges A cautionary tale for us all Derek Cooper 4 stars because it has really good information if this is the kind of thing you like but if you don t find all of this interesting ITS BORING AS HECK. The parts that grabbed my attention I really did enjoy learning about but everything else made me want to jump off a cliff soooo Derek Cooper Two clear goals of the book 1 to introduce the reader to the history of Christianity all around the globe 2 to disabuse the reader of notions that Christianity s strength is always Western As to the first.

There is a tendency to speak of Christianity as being a Western religion by which most people think of Christianity as a European religion The fact is Christianity like Judaism Islam Hinduism Buddhism Sikhism and a number of other major religions is in fact an Asian born religion Its roots are in Asia and from there it spread south east west and yes north in the two millennia since its birth in the first century of the common era Telling the story of Christianity is not easy for it is a diverse religion spread across the globe Christianity has ebbed and flowed in different parts of the world its fortunes often related to other factors including migration nationalism as well as nature itself As a Church historian I ve read my share of histories Some are long and detailed others relatively brief Each has its place and purpose and such is the case with Derek Cooper s Introduction to World Christian History Cooper introduces us to world Christianity in a matter of 244 pages He covers a lot of ground exploring the place of Christianity as it exists in each subregion To give an example the UN Geoscheme organizes Asia according to five subregions Central Eastern Southern Southeastern and Western With this as the geographical scheme the book is divided into three chronological parts Part one covers Christianity from its birth in the first century to the seventh century During this period Christianity existed in Asia Africa and Europe It was of course in the seventh century that Islam began to make its push across Asia and northern Africa overtaking what had previously been Christian strongholds So we watch as Christianity moves outward finding its earliest successes in Asia including modern Turkey and moving across northern Africa with Egypt becoming a major success While Cooper doesn t focus on theology he does note that early Christianity was diverse and often divided theologically especially regard to the nature of Christ Part two again focuses on the presence of Christianity in Asia Africa and Europe It is in this period that runs from the eighth through the fourteenth centuries that Christianity makes its great inroads into Europe even as it begins its long decline in Asia and Africa Even as the former centers of Christianity including the Holy Land came under Islamic rule culminating in the fall of the Byzantine Empire in the fifteenth century Christianity came to dominate Europe largely under Catholic influence through the conversion of Germanic peoples especially the Franks which culminated in the crowning of Charlemagne as the Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Leo III in 800 CE While the Byzantine Empire pulled back during the Middle Ages Orthodoxy spread north and east finally taking root in Russia There is a tendency to think of the Protestant Reformation in the sixteenth century as being the great divide within the Christian world and it was a major fissure but if we re thinking on a global scale as Cooper wants to do then it s not the Reformation that is the great chronological marker it is the beginnings in the fifteenth century of the age of exploration As Cooper reminds us Protestantism remained a largely European and then North American phenomena long after Christianity was being spread by Roman Catholics in Africa Latin America North America Asia including India and Oceania long before Protestant missionaries began to go out in the eighteenth century For the most part Cooper who appears to be an evangelical remains true to his promise not to arbitrate among rival articulations of what it means to be a Christian p 19 He doesn t place a grid of orthodoxy on the various claimants to Christianity If you make the claim he counts you In doing so he allows for us to explore the global expansion of Christianity in all its forms For many Christians reading this book will introduce them to forms of Christianity that have great ancient lineages and have existed in places like Iraq and India and Ethiopia from almost the beginnings of the Church It will also be helpful in letting go of the idea that Christianity is a European American religion. This last recognition is important because it is becoming clear that even as Christianity is in decline in Western Europe and North America it is booming in the Global South and in Asia Failure recognize this reversal of fortune will diminish our own sense of who we are as a Christian community In many ways the Christian community is returning to its roots. Of course a book this brief cannot cover every region in the same way I wish had been said about the spread of Christianity in Oceania In regards to Southeastern Asia while the Philippines is certainly in need of exploration I was hoping for something to be said about Christian presence in Vietnam All in all I believe this book will serve nicely as an introduction to world Christianity as its title indicates Derek Cooper I m often asked for history books to recommend and find it hard to navigate the tension between readability and thoroughness accuracy Cooper s Book is really well organized contains interesting tidbits of stories as well as laying out the big picture efficiently enough that an educated non historian can read it This will be my new go to book Derek Cooper My grad school prided itself on its global Christian impact yet the church history I learned there was a largely Western story Certainly there was an acknowledgement that Christendom s origins weren t in the West and the church in Africa and Asia yet time and energy was spent unearthing the European story as the dominant narrative running through Christian history This made a certain amount of sense It was a school in the West and the West has pride of place in medieval and modern Christianity however there was a richer story than the one I was in large part told. In Introduction to World Christian History Derek Cooper explores the global development across time and continents Cooper is the associate professor of world Christian history at Biblical Theological Seminary in Hatfield Pennsylvania As such he is used to introducing students to the diversity of the world Christian movement For this book he utilizes the United Nations Geo scheme for Nations as a template for exploring Christian history in three periods the first to the seventh the eighth to the fourteenth and the fifteenth to the twentieth centuries These division departs between the seventh and eighth centuries in his periods de centers the European story Traditional church history treats the conversion of Constantine and the first Council both fourth century asa watershed moment in the Christian story 16 However Cooper observes these events may be overstated in global importance particularly when you consider that the church was never coterminous with the Roman empire and the councils never represented the whole church 16 17. In part one Cooper explores Christianity in the first to seventh centuries He begins in chapter one with Asia as the birthplace and cradle of the Christian faith describing the growth of the Christian movement in western Asia i. e president day Saudi Arabia and Turkey central Asia India and China and Southern Asia Iran Chapter two describes the deep roots of the African church Northern Africa like Alexandria Algeria and Tunisia and the Eastern African church of Ethiopia Chapter three examines the European story in Eastern Southern Northern and Western Europe In the early part of the Christian story Asian and African Christianity loom large. Part two examines again the regions of Asia Africa and Europe this time from the eighth to the fourteenth centuries While Asian and African Christians were dominant in earlier times this was a difficult period for both of them i. e the spread of Islam and other faiths the Crusades isolation of Asian Christian communities Cooper writes Although it is not accurate to state that Christianity died in Asia at this time it certainly diminished and fairly rapidly and extensively so 87 This is true of Africa as well African Christians suffered severe persecution with the spread of Islam In some areas the Christian faith was stamped out though a Christian witness remained in both Asia and Africa though a chastened one It is in this era the European story becomes the dominant narrative of Christian history chapter six. Part three describes Christianity from the Fifteenth to the Twenty First Centuries In this period global diversity explodes in the Christian movement Cooper lays aside his tripartite division of Asia Africa and Europe adding region and scope He begins with Europe chapter seven and traces the growth of global Christianity through evangelization He devotes a chapter each to Christianity in Latin America Northern America Oceania Australia and New Zealand Micronesia Melanesia and Polynesia Africa and Asia. This is a short book about 250 pages for all of Christian history As the title suggests this is an introduction to World Christian history not the definitive word By necessity Cooper gives us a bird s eye view of Christianity than a detailed analysis of every region nevertheless he does give us a robust sense of the global Christian movement through the ages Theologians like Thomas Oden and historians like Phillip Jenkins have noted that the center of Christianity has shifted in recent history east and south This is true and Cooper would concur However his at a glance romp through church history reveals that the global character of Christianity is not a recent phenomenon but one of its persistent features. This would be a good supplementary text for a Church history class though it is an accessible read for anyone interested in Christian history As a student I would have used this book as a jumping off point for deeper research Cooper uses contemporary names for regions and countries throughout makes this approachable for the non scholar and ordinary reader I give this four stars. Note I received this book from IVP Academic in exchange for my honest review Derek Cooper Introduction to World Christian History is for me a fascinating book Derek Cooper is the first author I have read who approaches this subject in the way he does which is different than other books I have read on Church History. Church History often approaches the subject from the author s view of which Church was the correct expression of Christianity Cooper does not make such judgments in this book He touches on differences of belief but does not explore such differences in depth Allowing all who call themselves Christians to be represented though he does not spend much time on groups like Gnostics or the most recent Western developments like LDS or JW Taking this approach allows him to present the global presence of Christianity in a way that reveals what so many other Church History books fail to communicate Christianity has held a global presence from its earliest years. Also Cooper does not divide History according to the divisions often used in Western oriented Church Histories He considers global history and its impact on global Christianity Approaching the subject in this way he addresses Christianity from its beginning to the seventh century the eight through the fourteenth centuries and the fifteenth century to the present On a global scale Cooper considers the development and rise of Islam as important than the fall of the Roman Empire He also considers the exploration of the Spanish and Portuguese accompanied by Catholic missionaries as important than the Protestant Reformation where the impact on global Christianity is concerned. Add all of these factors together and you have a very unique in my reading experience book about World Christian History If I have one negative thing to say about this book it is simply this I d love to see a readable three volume or set dealing with Christian History in this format with sections that delve deeply into both local history and theological distinctions That would be a massive undertaking but Cooper writes neutrally about the various churches and may just be the man to write such a set. I recommend this highly Enjoy Derek Cooper A sterile yet informative overview of the spread of Christianity demarcated into three historical periods Derek Cooper

Introduction to World Christian History By Derek Cooper

0830840885

9780830840885

English

255

Paperback

Cooper s unique strategy for telling the story of Christianity offers a new vantage point for the study of Church history He reveals the significance of the Church of the East the Christian kingdom of Aksum in Ethiopia and the relationship of the Mongol Khans with Christians in Central Asia to contribute to this unconventional history of Christianity Additionally Cooper presents the Western contributions to this narrative in the broader context of global Christianity rather than through Eurocentric Christianity Further this book includes seldom mentioned figures organizations movements and developments that encourage further research For instance Cooper 2016 259 includes the story of Birgitta of Sweden who emerged in the 1300s as perhaps the most famous woman writer in medieval Scandanavia After reading her story in this book I wanted to know and understand about the influence of women during medieval history Birgitta serves as only one example of the many oft forgotten people and places that Cooper includes in his book Additionally Cooper delivers this extensive narrative in an accessible fashion The arduous task of delivering a broad and global narrative presents many challenges Yet Cooper seems to understand his complex task He presents the material as a master teacher and directs the reader to connect with the story I especially appreciated how he specifically asks the reader to consider the circumstances of each context and draws them away from traditional frameworks of understanding Derek Cooper I really liked this book in the first place as a European Christian and pastor to be i am used to read about church history from a eurocentric protestant point of view i think its great Cooper walks through the whole history and all the regions of the world The downside is ofcourse that you want to read about certain traditons and regions and there isn t space for that I think it therefore would have been a great addition if Cooper would have placed a booklist at the end of the book if you want to dig deeper into certain traditions or regions Derek Cooper Derek Cooper s An Introduction to World Christian History overviews two thousand years not only at 30000 feet but at 500 miles an hour You better not blink or you will miss a century or two. The merits of Cooper s volume are many First it is extremely well balanced giving as much coverage to Asia and Africa as to Europe For example the steady spread of Christianity into Central Southern and Eastern Asia in the first seven centuries by the Church of the East often called Nestorians reveals the largest and widest expanse of the church at that time Christianity in Egypt Ethiopia Sudan Nubia and Northern Africa receives equal attention. Second all groups who self identify as Christian are in his scope regardless of how they might have been viewed by other Christians This gives the widest possible range and thus allots space to many who are neglected in traditional Western oriented histories Third you get a massive sweep quickly Because of his global approach he divides the epochs of Christian history differently than many Constantine is mostly significant in the West and the East West division of 1054 was not important to much of Asia and Africa Instead what had the most significant impact on Christianity East West and South during the first millennium Islam So a major division comes in the seventh century The fifteenth century forms the other break due to the fall of Christian Byzantium to Islam and for the age of European exploration that ultimately took Christianity to the Americas Oceana and . The book could have been improved with the addition of maps especially since the book is organized as much geographically as it is chronologically Also China is given a subsection in each of the first two parts of the book this IS a great introduction to Christianity the author guiding the reader continent by continent I loved learning about the progress and state of Christianity in places like Ethiopia Mexico India Korea Japan South Africa Oceania Egypt Brazil Cuba Kazakhstan etc As to the second goal the author over stresses his legitimate point. The book doesn t arbitrate disputes and theological controversies such as Christological ones but charts uncritically the various Christian denominations Orthodox Church of the East Catholic Protestant etc Footnotes provide a good bibliography should further reading about a particular region be desired The author doesn t gloss over the ugly aspects of church history though his take on the Crusades while popular today is incorrect For a better study of the Crusades see Rodney Stark s God s Battalions Derek Cooper Christianity is a global faith Today people are increasingly aware that Christianity extends far beyond Europe and North America permeating the Eastern and Southern hemispheres What we may know less well is that Christianity has always been a global faith A vast untold story waits to be heard beyond the familiar tale of how the Christian faith spread across Europe Not only was Jesus born in Asia but in the early years of the church Christianity found fertile soil in Africa and soon extended to East Asia as well In this brief introduction to world Christian history Derek Cooper explores the development of Christianity across time and the continents Guiding readers to places such as Iraq Ethiopia and India Scandinavia Brazil and Oceania he reveals the fascinating and often surprising history of the church Introduction to World Christian HistoryDerek Cooper PhD The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia is associate professor of world Christian history at Biblical Theological Seminary He is the author of several books including Exploring Church History and Christianity and World Religions An Introduction to the Worlds Major Faiths and he is the coeditor of the Reformation Commentary on Scripture volume on 1 2 Samuel 1 2 Kings 1 2 Chronicles Derek Cooper PhD The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia is associate professor of world Christian history at Biblical Theological Seminary He is the author of several books including Exploring Church History and Christianity and World Religions An Introduction to the World s Major Faiths and he is the coeditor of the Reformation Commentary on Scripture volume on 1 2 Samuel 1 2 Kings 1 2 Chronicles site_link.

: Cooper approaches this global presence using the UN global scheme of regions While this may seem odd at first it actually reads very well