In an age of ‘chronological snobbery’ where the present is king and the past – well ‘just the past’ - it’s so refreshing to come across this concise compendium of twenty chapters covering twenty centuries of the Christian church. The book’s strengths are many: an introduction which explains the value of church history to the modern mind; an easy to read overview of key developments in theology and church practice through two millennia; contemporary application of historic theology and practice provided in every chapter; and a non-hagiographical assessment of these individuals whom God used to shape the formative stages of the grand narrative of the Christian Church.

But perhaps one the greatest assets of this book is the title: “In the Year of Our Lord”. In our current post-Enlightenment era when the distinctiveness of the Christian faith has been eroded in contemporary society by the secular intelligentsia, the title asserts unashamedly the centrality of Christ’s lordship over history. Christ and history cannot be separated – and this book certainly shows that to be true.

That this summary of the church’s history is written by Sinclair Ferguson is an added bonus – a theologians’ theologian who has a real appreciation for the past and whose passion to tell the story of the Lord’s work through the Lord’s often imperfect people shines through these pages. This book is a welcome addition to any personal library.

This book is available to purchase from Book Depository.

Nigel Anderson, Livingston Free Church