Christianity's Dangerous Idea: The Protestant Revolution: A History from the Sixteenth Century to the Twenty-First

Mr. McGrath clearly has a broad knowledge of, and understands the many facets of the Protestent Reformation. Without passing judgement on either Roman Catholicism, nor the "Dangerous Ideas" introduced by the Reformers, the author brings to light, in clear terms the issues relating to the developement of the Protestant movement. Without a "post-modern" bias of many christian intellectuals in todays academia, Mr. McGrath holds an unspoken yet deep reverence for the Church Christ established... in all of its many forms. Protestants of all persuasions, and Roman Catholics alike will gain a meaningful historical understanding of the influences, circumstances and threats that shaped todays Protestantism, begining with the birth of the Reformation in the early 1500's. Dennis K.

Alister McGrath's latest book has been a long time in the making, and the end result certainly shows the care and meticulous attention he spent on the project. Christianity's Dangerous Idea is not only valuable as a history and examination of Protestantism, it is an especially good book on what it means to be a Protestant and how that meaning has shifted significantly since the movement's beginning. McGrath divides his book into three large sections. The first deals with the history of Protestantism from the Reformation to 19th century, the end of which marked a major watershed. Because of the complexity of the era and the broad goals which McGrath has set out for his book, his treatment is not exhaustive but is very good nonetheless. The second section deals in some greater detail with the major issues within Protestantism, both historically and today, such as the theories of the sacrament, the organization of Protestant churches, the distinctive traits of Protestantism, and--most interestingly for me--Protestantism's impact on culture, the arts, and science. The final third of the book is perhaps the most important, and examines Protestantism from about 1900 onward. The beginning of the 20th century marks the beginning of the Pentacostal movement, which has grown from a meeting of students and faculty in Kansas to a worldwide movement of perhaps half a billion people. McGrath devotes a great deal of time to examining what has made Pentacostalism so successful--research which I imagine was difficult but rewarding. This section also discusses Protestantism in the "global south" and Asia, as well as the movement's future, which is far from certain. The book's greatest strength is its straightforward, easily comprehensible writing--one of McGrath's trademarks--and its clear organization. Rarely have I seen something as complex as the Reformation dealt with so clearly and evenhandedly. McGrath deftly handles difficult issues, presenting all sides with pros and cons as simply as possible. I have already mentioned the book's only major weakness, which is posed by the limits of time and space. No single book can handle such a broad, difficult subject exhaustively. But within the limits set by his subject, McGrath has admirably crafted a detailed, thoughtful book on one of the most important religious movements in history. Recommended.

What is the most basic, fundamental, revolutionary idea to come out of the Protestant Reformation? Alistair McGrath contends that it is the idea that individuals can read and decide on their own, without a centralized authority, what the bible means. Tracing this foundational and revolutionary idea from the Renaissance to the present McGrath shows how this idea is both an amazing blessing and a Pandora's box not only for the development of most of Christianity, but also for the Western world as a whole. Written in an understandable style, but documented and researched with superb scholarship this is a must read for everyone who takes the label "Christian." That being said this is a book of history, not theology, so take what Dr. McGrath writes as a broad picture of the development of Christianity rather than a blueprint for theological thinking. Whether you are a Fundamentalist, a Liberal, an Evangelical, a Pentecostal, Eastern Orthodox, or a Catholic you will be challenged to reexamine your presuppositions of your own traditions and methods for reading the bible.

Alister McGrath not only presents an excellent survey of Protestantism from the Reformation up to now; the book was also a good, enjoyable read. Like an exciting novel, it was hard to put down. That is the good side. The other side is that I found Alister McGrath's estimate for the future of Protestantism regretable, even if accurate. As A practising Roman Catholic, I frequently pray for the reunification of our fractured Christianity. If Alister McGrath's estimate is right, That just ain't going to happen. One more thing. Alister McGrath seems to find Protestantism as a root cause of western secularism. If one views the Reformatrion as a consequence of a historical Catholic and Protestant disfunction, then one has to understand that secularism is rooted in that disfunction, and Protestantism shouldn't shoulder the blame alone.