The Lost History of Christianity by Philip Jenkins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Jenkins has done a great service to Christendom in writing this book on its "lost history." Yes, so much of the Middle East, Central & East Asia, and N. Africa were once vibrantly Christian. Jenkin's historical trek through the centuries & characters of these formerly Christian majority areas is very insightful, as well as encouraging. He does a great job of asking the questions of why things changed--and what caused the demise of Christianity in these areas; there are complex reasons & answers to those questions. Jenkins also does a great job in showing that there were a variety of expressions of Christianity in these areas--some more indigenous than others. But, there are good lessons to be learned from all of them and the history--whether good or bad--of each of them. I read this book in conjunction with another insightful book just reviewed: Transcending Mission, by Michael Stroope. Very interesting to read these 2 books side by side, as they cover some of the same territory, especially in regards to the idea & history of "mission." I got this ebook as a birthday present. Read on my iPad.


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