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hannahbananagram's review against another edition
4.0
(3.5–4 stars) I read part (probably close to half?) of this book in undergrad almost 6 years ago and wanted to reread it/read it in its entirety.
Having now read the whole book, I definitely still prefer the early chapters that were about the much older turning points, like the Councils of Nicaea and Chalcedon and the Great Schism. Once the book got to the chapters about the Reformation and other events in Protestant history, I didn’t particularly care about many of the following chapters, other than the ones about the Catholic Reformation and the second Vatican Council. Though I will admit, that’s 100% because I’m Catholic, and while I recognize the importance of things that happened in history relating to Christianity as a whole or Protestantism, I don’t really care to learn about it unless it was specifically about the Catholic Church
Having now read the whole book, I definitely still prefer the early chapters that were about the much older turning points, like the Councils of Nicaea and Chalcedon and the Great Schism. Once the book got to the chapters about the Reformation and other events in Protestant history, I didn’t particularly care about many of the following chapters, other than the ones about the Catholic Reformation and the second Vatican Council. Though I will admit, that’s 100% because I’m Catholic, and while I recognize the importance of things that happened in history relating to Christianity as a whole or Protestantism, I don’t really care to learn about it unless it was specifically about the Catholic Church
mattshervheim's review against another edition
4.0
Though it's not as specific and influential as Noll's The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind, nor a vital provocation like The Civil War as Theological Crisis, Mark A. Noll's survey of church history, Turning Points, is still quite good, just in a quieter way. It's a good book and an excellent place to start if you're new to church history.
So far as the audiobook goes, James Anderson Foster does a fine job as reader.
So far as the audiobook goes, James Anderson Foster does a fine job as reader.
msgtdameron's review
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
Noell is an evangelical Christian, he admits this in the introduction, and this work reads as an evangelicals apology for the mistakes that evangelicals have made over the centuries. Don't get me wrong there is a heap of great history and great information about the early church and the various revival, reenergizing, rebirth of ideas, and how the church chose to expand. But all of that is at times overshadowed by the blatant "Evangelicals are not to blame for many of the wrongs the church has done." Noell discusses many evangelical turning points that have led to people being persecuted by the church or by politicians using the church for their own power grabs. And no apology for the damage done. If you are a Evangelical and want to have your faith "grown" by learning church history, GREAT READ. Just curious, OK Read. believe the evangelical movement has led tumor harm than good, don't bother.
raben_76325's review against another edition
4.0
This was an assigned book in my seminary level Survey of Church History class. Noll explores church history by coming up with his 13 most important events in church history. These are the thirteen things that he feels like changed the church the most in its history. Then, in the afterward, he examines several events/trends in recent years that might be potential turning points for the church today.
This is a great introduction to church history by way of events. However, Noll's writing is dry and a little academic, so it's a quite, patient book, not really a page turner. Still, I learned a good bit, especially about the split of the east and west, the counter reformation and how the Wesleys fit into church history, so this one was a win for me. It's probably a 3.5/5, but I round academic books up, so you'll see a four as my Goodreads rating.
This is a great introduction to church history by way of events. However, Noll's writing is dry and a little academic, so it's a quite, patient book, not really a page turner. Still, I learned a good bit, especially about the split of the east and west, the counter reformation and how the Wesleys fit into church history, so this one was a win for me. It's probably a 3.5/5, but I round academic books up, so you'll see a four as my Goodreads rating.
soprano_buddy15's review against another edition
3.0
University textbook... interesting stuff... but not particularly riveting.
julis's review against another edition
challenging
slow-paced
4.0
I’m going to break this review into sections because there was a lot in this book and I have a lot of thoughts on it: Information, writing, and agenda.
Information: Mark Noll knows his shit. He was solid enough on the areas I’m confident in (pre-100 CE and the Reformation) that I was willing to take his word on the areas I’m not (…the rest of it). He’s good at explaining and excellent at providing context–even if his focus wasn’t on an area, if that area was relevant to something he was focusing on, he would provide enough information for me to follow.
The problem with the information is that he picked 14 turning points (and I agree that 2000 years of history need to be simplified somehow) but they don’t seem very well distributed and sometimes chosen with blinkers on. For example, there are no turning points between 1054 and 1521, and then there are 3 in the 1500s. I agree that the Reformation is important but surely one chapter would suffice, while the rise of monasticism, the Crusades, and the increasing involvement of laity in religion deserve some time? He wishes he could have spent more time on Christianity in Russia (and I agree) and talks briefly about Christianity in Africa, but doesn’t even mention the evolution of Catholicism in Latin America.
Writing: Again, good and accessible! He lays situations out in a very straight forward and informal manner and isn’t afraid to poke fun at amusing situations (which in history are frequent). I really enjoyed his writing style and found it very easy to spend several hours reading (helped by being on a plane, but…)
My one quibble here is I’m not 100% sure the book is completely accessible, but that’s because I have such a solid foundation in history.
Agenda: You probably saw this coming.
Mark Noll is an evangelical Protestant who has been exposed to the idea of post-colonial thought but doesn’t really understand it. He dedicates a few pages (which is a lot in a book covering 2000 years) to the rise of African Christianity but takes it as a given that Africans should have been converted in the 1800s and 1900s by white missionaries. He congratulates modern Christians on approaching the conversion of Jews “non-violently”, rather than taking them to task for trying to convert us at all.
I don’t mind that this book was written by someone who believes in the literal divinity of Jesus. I, in fact, greatly enjoyed the opportunity to learn how evangelical Protestants conceptualize history and their religion, and to see more of how Christians in general see themselves as the product of 2000 years. I do greatly mind that Mark Noll feels that I would be better off Christian and that mentions of Christian oppression of other religions were mostly left out–or, when mentioned at all, mostly presented as positive things. I appreciate that he finds the medieval Christian treatment of Jews horrific, but I’m a little befuddled that he doesn’t extend that to European pagans, whose conversion he is proud of.
So, you know. I think he’s a very learned, articulate man whose efforts in writing this book I admire greatly, and also I want to take him into an alley and shout at him a bit.
Normal historian stuff, really.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Religious bigotry