1001 Surprising Things You Should Know about Christianity

I have a love for history. As a born again Christian I found this book to be an excellent Christian history reference. I am familiar with other works by MacGregor and Prys. They know how to arrange a book so that it is easy to find information and easy to read. -- Kenneth Whitman

I don't know a lot about Christian history, so I did learn a few things. Some things did bore me, I must admit. I wasn't exactly *surprised,* but it was interestign to read. I especially liked how each "surprising thing" was listed by itself in short bits as to not overwhelm the reader.

The book title is a bit inaccurate, because not all 1001 bits of information in this book are necessarily "surprising". In fact, the more one knows about the history of Christianity the fewer things in here would actually be considered of a surprising nature. However, there is lots of valuable information here, presented in a popular style that is easily digestible. The negative aspects of the church throughout the years are certainly not glossed over, and one gets the feeling that for at least half of the years since Christ true Christianity has been in the dumper, as a church rife with corruption, materialism, debauchery, and a lack of Christian charity seems to have been the rule rather than the exception. Let the church of today take note!A couple of surprising things, in the form of inaccuracies, are noted here. For example, one item states that the term "Christian" was first used by those involved in the First Crusade of 1095. Anyone who knows their Bible would know this is not the case. Acts 11:26 states "...now it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians." That was many years before 1095. Also, we are informed that there is a seminary named after Francis Asbury on the "east coast". I think the students at this seminary which is in Wilmore, KY, would find that it's an awfully long walk to the beach. Am I being picky by pointing out these things? Maybe, but it makes one wonder what other inaccuracies may be contained in this book, making it of questionable trustworthiness. Assuming that most of the book is accurate, however, I do recommend it to anyone who wants to brush up on their Christian trivia, and get a painless education in the bargain.