10 Great Ideas from Church History, by Mark Shaw, is an older book. It was published by Intervarsity Press back in 1997, which makes it “older” in modern terms of books. It’s not old like a “classic,” it’s simply been around for more than 2 decades.
Which, generally, is going to get this book circulated to the bottom of the stack as “out-of-date” and “not relevant.” This would be a shame. First of all, there’s some useful history to learn here no matter whether the ideas are out-of-date or not. We need to do better learning from our history rather than dismissing it as “not relevant.”
Back on track from the historian diatribe: Shaw presents historical examples (10 of them!) of ways that God has worked in churches in the past. Each of the examples are chosen from church events beginning with the Reformation, though he does refer to earlier times at moments throughout the book.
Shaw presents a counter to the idea that our best ideas must come from current events or the waves of popular culture. Rather, his overall premise is that we can find the wisdom we need in the ways God has worked in the past, in the wisdom that those who have gone before us have uncovered.
I would suggest that he’s right in this, though we often need to see how such crucial ideas as missions and discipleship and social action work forward into today. After all, while William Wilberforce and the Clapham Sect (such as Hannah More and Granville Sharp) were effective in abolishing slavery in the British Empire, that was a unique political entity. Today, one can see the benefit of the overall principles suggested by Shaw from Wilberforce’s action, but must find an application in a different sort of democracy.
Shaw does not fail to note some of the shortcomings of his exemplars. The ten ideas brought forward are not suggested because their originators were perfect but rather because these represent timeless needs of the church.
The idea that one should look at the past as well as the present is one of value. Christianity is rooted, after all, in historical reality and the unchanging nature of Almighty God. God has provided answers in the past, and God has not spoken only to our current generation of Christians. There is much to learn from what has been before.
A student of church history and of ministry would learn a great deal by considering Shaw’s point. There is value in seeing how Christians have grown in truth, holiness, unity, and more throughout the 20 centuries Christianity has been in practice. The discussion questions are also valuable, and this would make a great group discussion starter for a group inside a church or for a group of pastors.
