Curtis E. Jennings. Western Christianity? All That?! Vantage, 2003.

Western Christianity? All That?! is a topical overview of the history of Christianity in Europe and the Americas. The title suggests the humorous historical satire 1066 and All That, but this is a serious book that can be helpful to readers, especially lay readers who may have never studied church history but want to know how we got to where we are.

Western Christianity? is arranged differently from most history books. Each of its ten chapters covers a different topic. This can help a reader who is looking for a specific item. For example, I might have been reading about Nestorian churches in medieval China. I would look in the chapter titled “Doctrine” to find out what Nestorius believed. We also read, for example, how both the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches came to be organized in a manner similar to the political kingdoms of the day in the chapter “Organization.”

Other chapters cover Women, Church-State relations, the Reformation, Liturgy, Music, Art, Architecture, and Holy Orders. Each chapter is 12-20 pages, so this is an overview. It is helpful to readers looking for basic background material. The author has a detailed bibliography and often in the text refers to works where the reader can find more details on the subject.

Alert readers may have noticed that this is published by what used to be the primary American self-publishing house. Jennings is a college professor, and had this been an academic work, he probably would have found an academic publisher. Unfortunately, like many self-published works there are a number of spelling and grammar errors that in some cases change the intended meaning. Speaking from experience, I often re-read pages I have written on this blog and nearly half the time make a correction. We miss things when we become familiar with what we have written. It does help to have outside editors or proofreaders to make sure it says exactly what you want it to say.