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

(Paperback)

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In the Protestant tradition, all individuals have direct access to God without the mediation of priests or institutions to establish boundaries. The 'dangerous idea' is that there is no authority apart from the Bible - yet the Bible is open to many diverse interpretations. The result is a colorful five hundred year history of remarkable innovation and adaptability marked by seeming incoherence and instability. At a time when Protestants will cease to be the predominant faith tradition in the United States, McGrath's landmark reassessment of the movement's core identity and future is very well timed. Organized thematically in three parts - Origination, Consolidation, and Transformation - and replete with helpful modern-day examples that explain the past, McGrath brings to life the movements and personalities that shaped history and continue to shape world events today.

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"An original and important book... the most readable introduction to the history, theology and present-day practices of Protestantism." -- Publishers Weekly

Author Bio

Alister E. McGrath is a biochemist and Christian theologian born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and currently enjoys the Title of Distinction Professor of Historical Theology granted by the University of Oxford. He is the author of several books on theology and history, including In the Beginning: The Story of the King James Bible and How it Changed a Nation, a Language, and a Culture and The Twilight of Atheism: The Rise and Fall of Disbelief in the Modern World. He lives in Oxford, England and lectures regularly in the U.S.