In order to better appreciate church life in this century, it is helpful and perhaps essential, that we understand how Christianity has been lived since the very beginning. Mindy & Brandon Withrow have combined their gifts for writing and a passion for history to bring us 5 easy-to-read books with the series title “History Lives”
Each book covers a period in church history with different tiles describing the church at that time. So we have ‘The Ancient Church’, The Medieval Church’, The Reformation Church, The Awakening Church and The Modern Church. One reviewer says…’This is history without the wooliness and with all the wonder’.
There are some charts and statistics along with important timelines. Church councils are explained, types of music described, the beginning of missionary societies recorded as well as significant world events of the times covered in each volume. Because of the qualifications of the writers, all facts are well verified and able to be substantiated.
Another intentional purpose of the books is to show that women as well as men were notable in the growth of the church and there was no gender distinction when it came to martyrdom and persecution. Many significant events over the centuries can be attributed to the persistent faith of women who laboured long and hard without much recognition in their lifetime.
Many of the accounts are written in story form which brings history to life as we read of actual happenings told as if they were occurring today. Along with church history are facts and figures of scientific importance and world events as they occurred in the timeline of each volume. Fascinating reading made all the more gripping because it is all a ‘true story’.
This series can be purchased from Amazon Books. Although not on the list of books sold through the CBE Bookstore, this series purposely features many prominent women throughout Christian history.
