John Young, 1937 February 20- (1937–)

Christianity: A Complete Introduction: Teach Yourself

For some of us that are over a particular age, we will remember the old yellow and black covered books that marked the Teach Yourself series. At one time they were quite popular as they were instructive without being patronising and could be found on many people’s shelves. It is great to see that John Murray Learning have brought this series back, and long may it continue.

Christianity: A Complete Introduction: Teach Yourself, from two well-known Christian and theological writers John Young and Greg Hoyland. This book was originally printed back in 1996 and has been a popular book and it is now in to its sixth edition and has been updated so that it takes you from the 1st Century right up to the 21st Century and how a faith that was relevant then is just as relevant today in the digital age.

What makes this books so good is that it is intellectually stimulating and gives a comprehensive picture of Christian belief and how from the beginning it has always fitted the age that believer lives in. How Christianity has remained throughout the ages as a compelling and powerful faith that fits the modern world, that has always been diverse with a rich heritage.

What I like about this book, is that it is broken down in to easy manageable sections which helps the reader to get to grips with key ideas within the faith.
• The Central Figure: Jesus (and the Bible)
• Christian Belief and Practice
• The Christian Church (and its history)
• The Modern World (and its challenges)
The way these sections are broken down makes it easier, in my mind, to understand the Christian faith and gives you opportunities to test yourself as you work your way through the book.

Whether you are using this book as someone who is interested in the Christian faith and enquiring further about it, or a student or have a mission within the church then this book will be an excellent resource for you. With its guided reading, its fact check, case studies, key ideas all helps those who want or need to know more.

This book is a fantastic tool for all, and should be the ultimate one stop guide for Christian and those who wish to hold the faith to account.… (mais)

I hated the first part of this book. The writer spoke in a way that I found patronising, comparing science to religion without properly understanding the former. However, half way through the book Young concentrates instead on the historical evidence for Christ's existence, which is a lot closer to his area of expertise. This read a lot more comfortably, as his enthusiasm became more apparent.

However, do not mistake this for a scholarly or academic tome, since it is not. There is no bibliography, and the only citations Young gives link to either the bible itself, or books written by other Christian leaders. He makes generalisations without supporting them, and this became very tiresome.… (mais)