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Linda Woodhead
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Christianity: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) 2nd Edition, Kindle Edition

by Linda Woodhead (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 out of 5 stars 221 ratings
At a time when Christianity is flourishing in the Southern hemisphere but declining in much of the West, this Very Short Introduction offers an important overview of the world's largest religion.

Exploring the cultural and institutional dimensions of Christianity, and tracing its course over two millennia, Linda Woodhead provides a fresh, lively, and candid portrait of Christianity's past and present. Addressing topics including the competition for power between different forms of Christianity, the churches' use of power, and its struggles with modernity, this new edition includes up to date information on the growth and geographical spread of Eastern Christianity, reflecting the global nature of Christianity in our ever-shifting contemporary culture.

ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
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  1. ISBN-13
    978-0191511554
  2. Edition
    2nd
  3. Publisher
    OUP Oxford
  4. Publication date
    September 4, 2014
  5. Language
    English
  6. File size
    2.7 MB
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Review from previous edition: "her analysis is subtle and perceptive." --Independent on Sunday 02/01/2005

About the Author

Linda Woodhead is professor of sociology of religion at Lancaster University. Her research interests lie in the entanglements of religion, politics, and economy, both historically and in the contemporary world. Between 2007 and 2013 she directed the Religion and Society Program, the UK's largest ever research investment on religion. Her books include Religion and Change in Modern Britain, A Sociology of Religious Emotions, and The Spiritual Revolution: Why Religion is Giving Way to Spirituality.

Jennifer Van Dyck is the narrator of numerous audio books, including Monica Lewinsky's Memoir, Monica's Story, Lisa Scottoline's Think Twice, and the popular Iris Johansen novels, including Bonnie, Eve, and Blood Game, and The Lady and the Panda. Her performance in the audio book Sail won her a Listen Up Award from Publisher's Weekly. Booklist praised her performance in Jennifer Haigh's The Condition, writing that Van Dyck narrates this complex story with respect and intelligence... [Her] vocal versatility is impressive [in this] sharp, polished production."

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00MFO485C
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ OUP Oxford; 2nd edition (September 4, 2014)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 4, 2014
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2.7 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 144 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 out of 5 stars 221 ratings

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Linda Woodhead

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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
221 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book to be a good read. However, the content receives mixed feedback - while some appreciate the information about Christian belief manifestations, others find it boring and lacking depth.

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13 customers mention "Readability"11 positive2 negative

Customers find the book easy to read and understand, with one customer noting it serves as a wonderful reference.

"Great introductory book. Very Simple. It does not cover all there is to know about Christianity...." Read more

"...religion in easy terms and breaks everything down so it's easy to understand." Read more

"...The typology of Church/Biblical/Mystical Christianity is deceptively simple, evocatively complex, and worthwhile to consider...." Read more

"...belief and practice over two millennium that can be helpful to the uninitiated...." Read more

17 customers mention "Content"11 positive6 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the book's content, with some finding it provides good information about Christian belief manifestations, while others report that the information is boring and lacks depth.

"...The author demonstrates an authoritative view on the phenomenon of Christianity as a whole, including both spiritual as societal and political..." Read more

"...But it is interesting to read the author's point of view. This book is very short, and ideally should be complemented with another book." Read more

"...that was quite insightful and a unique contribution to the understanding of the Christian phenomenon. A word to readers in the United States...." Read more

"...Almost no concepts are given sufficient explanation and a reader less familiar with the teachings of Jesus would be left with almost no take away...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Francis Maes
    5.0 out of 5 stars Important guide towards understanding our culture
    Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2013
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    There is no better introduction to Christianity imaginable. The author demonstrates an authoritative view on the phenomenon of Christianity as a whole, including both spiritual as societal and political developments. This book is a crucial tool to understand the basic tensions behind contemporary western culture. It liberates the reader from the narrow views on the christian religion that dominate most of the contemporary debates about ethics and spirituality. Also the view on Christianity as a global phenomenon is of special value in our post-colonial world.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Dinahbear_bulldog
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good Resource
    Reviewed in the United States on December 11, 2010
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    Great introductory book. Very Simple. It does not cover all there is to know about Christianity. But it is interesting to read the author's point of view. This book is very short, and ideally should be complemented with another book.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • melodygoddess
    4.0 out of 5 stars Good Introduction
    Reviewed in the United States on July 3, 2011
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    For those who want a very short introduction to Christianity that is historical and objective rather than proselytizing, i.e. written by a biased Christian, than this short book could fit the bill.
    Since it is written by a woman there is even a chapter written about women in Christianity that was quite insightful and a unique contribution to the understanding of the Christian phenomenon.
    A word to readers in the United States. All the Very Short Introduction Series of books are written by those educated in the United Kingdom so the emphasis of study is often based on the experiences of the United Kingdom and Europe. Very little mention is made of the phenomena in the United States. If there is mention, then it is made in passing, for instance, the United States is lumped in with North America in references. There is no mention of the Scopes Trial which ocurred in Tennessee, or Mormonism and Jehovah's witnesses which are particularly American.
    However, Christianity is sufficiently global now that this book gives a good feel for it none the less.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Kari
    5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing book
    Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2014
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    I was required to purchase this book for a religious studies class and it was extremely helpful! It explains religion in easy terms and breaks everything down so it's easy to understand.
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  • Mark D'Alessio
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, with an original POV
    Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2017
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    Recommended! The typology of Church/Biblical/Mystical Christianity is deceptively simple, evocatively complex, and worthwhile to consider. An original point of view.
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  • Carl A. Greco
    3.0 out of 5 stars Lot of Good Information but some Odd Statements
    Reviewed in the United States on October 9, 2015
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    This is one of the stranger books about the Christian phenomenon I've read due to some of the characterizations that Woodhead makes. Some of the categories sound reasonable: "Church" Christianity, "Biblical" Christianity, "Monastic" Christianity and "Mystical" Christianity. As a Catholic, all these "forms" are nothing more than aspects of the one Faith.Overall, there's a lot of good information about manifestations of Christian belief and practice over two millennium that can be helpful to the uninitiated. Here is an example of an odd statement in my view: "The Holy Spirit is the presence of God in the World, a free floating power which 'blows where it wills' and can overwhelm and possess human beings ( as can evil spirits). This makes the Spirit a potentially dangerous and uncontrollable element for Church authorities." Read a little further and you get the point but I've never heard the Holy Spirit characterized in this way! There are a lot of statements like this that are not necessary wrong, just odd to this reviewer.
    9 people found this helpful
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  • Jacob M. Smith
    5.0 out of 5 stars This book provides an excellent overview of the Christian religion
    Reviewed in the United States on June 2, 2015
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    This book provides an excellent overview of the Christian religion. There is little doubt that Christianity is an incredibly diverse religion, yet this book is able to adequately account for these wide differences. If you would like to get introduced to this religion, its basic beliefs and rituals, and its history, this is a great starting point. And, I am actually a moderate anti-theist and an atheist.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Jill
    1.0 out of 5 stars I found this book useless as a tool to understand Christianity and it's history
    Reviewed in the United States on April 1, 2018
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    While I understand this was a very short introduction I found it to be too brief. Almost no concepts are given sufficient explanation and a reader less familiar with the teachings of Jesus would be left with almost no take away. The author seems obsessed with gender as she dedicates nearly two full pages (of 109 content pages) to the maleness of Jesus and makes maybe a dozen off hand references to maleness. Compared to the one and a half pages given to the teachings of Jesus this space dedicated to maleness seems out of proportion. This is especially true considering that the teaching of Jesus make up the essence of Christianity and this is a book on Christianity (could you write a book on Buddhism and give less time to the teaching of the Buddha than you do his maleness? Or Islam and give more time to the maleness of Mohammad than to his teachings?). If you're looking for a book to understand Christianity I would advise looking elsewhere.

    Ultimately, I found this book useless as a tool to understand Christianity and it's history. The author seems to write as a for of consciousness with no clear organization. No idea is sufficiently explained so that someone in need of an introduction would understand it. The book is more at home in a gender studies class than a religious studies class.
    7 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Viviane Gaub
    5.0 out of 5 stars Christianity: A Very Short Introduction
    Reviewed in Germany on December 25, 2013
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    Ich bin sehr, sehr zufrieden mit dem Buch und NATUERLICH auch sehr, sehr zufrieden mit eurem SUPER service
    Viviane Gaub
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  • JOSE A. GONZALEZ VIDOSA
    5.0 out of 5 stars SÍNTESIS
    Reviewed in Spain on February 6, 2024
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    Creo que es una visión sintética del Cristianismo de una gran calidad. Cómo si hubiera sido capaz de elegir cada palabra, la adecuada, para este fin. Me ha gustado mucho y su lectura es altamente recomendable
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  • Andrew Williams
    5.0 out of 5 stars A very good book
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 31, 2021
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    I've always enjoyed reading Linda Woodhead's work and this book confirms her stature as a writer. She provides a very clear and well structured introduction to the Christian faith, highlighting its key doctrines, practices, diverse forms of expression and some of the challenges that face it in the future within an increasingly secular society. The author is clearly an expert in her field and writes in a highly accessible way for a broad audience. It was an excellent book and I would recommend it very strongly to anyone wanting to know more about the Christian religion.
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  • sara
    5.0 out of 5 stars Christianity, a very short introduction
    Reviewed in Italy on October 13, 2014
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    very good little book, with all the important information in it and very interesting different focus on main themes. excellent.
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  • Pierre Shenouda
    5.0 out of 5 stars great overview of christianity
    Reviewed in Canada on February 22, 2015
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    A concise, elucidative, informative, helpful, and unbiased overview of the Christian faith, types of churches, and categories of Christians over the past 2 millennia
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