What Has Christianity Ever Done for Us?: How It Shaped the Modern World - Hardcover

Hill, Jonathan

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0830833285 ISBN 13: 9780830833283

Publisher: IVP Academic, 2005

Synopsis

What has Christianity ever done for us? What value is there in seeking to preserve its influence today? In this book, Jonathan Hill answers these questions with some questions of his own. For instance, why do we seal wine bottles with cork? Where did musical notation come from? How did universities get their start? And why was the world's first fully literate society not in Europe, Asia or North America? As Hill tells the story of the centuries-long entanglement between Christianity and Western culture, he shows the profound influence that Christianity has had--from what we drink to how we speak, from how we write to how we mark the seasons. Employing a rich, narrative style packed with events and people and illustrated throughout in full color, he describes the place of Christianity both in history and in the present day. What Has Christianity Ever Done for Us? is an enlightening and often humorous tour of culture and thought, the arts, the landscape, education, society, spirituality and ethics, and social justice. Here is a rich, entertaining and informative read. Features & Benefits

* Describes the influence of Christianity on Western culture

* Shows the value of preserving the influence of Christianity today

* A rich narrative packed with people and events

* Illustrated throughout in full color

* Covers the arts, education, landscape, spirituality, ethics, social justice and more

About this title

From the Publisher:

Describes the influence of Christianity on Western culture Shows the value of preserving the influence of Christianity today A rich narrative packed with people and events Illustrated throughout in full color Covers the arts, education, landscape, spirituality, ethics, social justice and more

From the Author:

IVP: Why did you decide to write What Has Christianity Ever Done for Us?

Jonathan Hill: We hear a great deal today about the harm that organized religion has done over the centuries. Incidents such as the witch trials, the condemnation of Galileo or the Crusades are mentioned as if that were enough to damn all Christians by association. . .So I thought it would be worthwhile redressing the balance a little by looking at . . . [how] the Christians got things right--and in many cases we're still benefiting today. IVP: What do you think is the general perception of Christianity today?

Hill: I think that varies very much depending on where you are and who you ask. I do think that one problem with popular conceptions of Christianity is that they often don't take into account its history. . .So another aim of this book has been to look at some little-known aspects of Christian history, and tell some interesting stories that many readers might not have heard before.

About this edition

• Publisher: IVP Academic
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0830833285
• ISBN 13: 9780830833283
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 192