Summary (from goodreads):
All Christians’ beliefs are shaped by those who went before them. Now these giants of Christian history are presented chronologically and in a format that helps readers get to know them. In addition to a biographical sketch, readers will discover each person’s primary contributions to the Christian faith along with a brief quotation from their work. Students, history buffs, and curious readers will be fascinated as their faith is strengthened. Included are Polycarp, Justin Martyr, Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Martin Luther, John Calvin, Karl Barth, Carl F. H. Henry, and more.

 
The 40 Most Influential Christians: Who Shaped What We Believe Today by Daryl Aaron

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The premise for this book is indeed amazing, and I couldn’t be happier. I took theology in Bible College, and I can remember many of the theologians at least by name. So I was happy to get to read about some of these great men in history that I knew by name only. I appreciate the conciseness of each chapter, and I enjoyed some of the stories the author told about the person. It was good to see what contributions they had made.

My complaint is that this truly reads as a history textbook. While that may have been the author’s purpose, I struggled through some of the technical nature of the book. I felt that is was assumed that the reader was familiar with various tenets of theology. I will admit that I often felt lost and overwhelmed. If more personal stories had been shared about the theologians, I believe I would have felt more connected with the book.

In conclusion, if the author is only writing for the intellectuals of the Christian world, I would say that he accomplished his purpose. If, however, he wished to reach the more common Christian, this book would need to be much simpler and less comprehensive.

I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I was not financially compensated, and all opinions are 100 percent mine.

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