★★★★★ 5
Worth the time, effort to get a good theological overview
Format: Hardcover
This book may be 600+ pages, making it a daunting task for the average Christian. But I recommend Olson's book because it gets the job done. If you want to have a good overview of the process of theology, this "story" is excellent. Written in a chronological fashion, Olson makes the facts come alive rather than mundane and dull as some other books have done. Yes, as one earlier reviewer said, Olson has his presupposions--which historian doesn't?--and his views do come out, like when he is talking about "fundamentalists" and "Calvinists." But is there really any way to write in a completely objective fashion? It's a pretty difficult task, and I think every historian I've read has his/her own opinions, meaning the recording of history is quite subjective. So I don't think it's as big of a problem as that reviewer believed it to be.
My favorite part of the book was the first couple hundred pages. To me, it's obvious that Olson feels most comfortable with the first 5 centuries of the church, and this also happens to be my favorite part of church history to study. I had no qualms with how he presented everything, and the thorough index is a wonderful tool that I will probably use in the future as a reference book. All in all, I give this book a hearty thumbs-up. Just be patient and work your way through it, and you will be blessed.
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Reviewed in the United States on October 2, 2005
