The apostles died, the church went apostate almost immediately except for small remnants here and there, the Reformers rediscovered the gospel but did not go nearly far enough in their reforms, and then the Baptist movement came along and started doing the real work of restoration. Such was the understanding of church history common in the independent fundamental Baptist circles in which I once ran. Like many grand narratives, this one has a problem with important little things called facts. Once you spend some time studying church history, it becomes obvious that such a neat, tidy narrative cannot even come close to accounting for everything that happened. A significant problem rises to the surface, however: Where should students of church history begin? Kevin DeYoung provides an answer with his new book, Church History for Everyone: The Story of Christianity from the Fall of Jerusalem to the Dawn of the Reformation (Volume 1).¹

Assessment

DeYoung has risen to the task of writing an introductory book on church history that is not too technical, on the one hand, but does not skip important themes and events on the other. Readers can see his pastoral heart in writing such a book. As he says, “One reason history is valuable is because the strangeness of another age can help us consider what might be strange in our own age. The world was not better when people killed each other over religion. But the myth of religious violence is that religion made people violent” (310).

His section on persecution and martyrdom (chapter 3) pulls together many different strands into a compelling story. DeYoung’s account of the early monastic life is well balanced and shows the intentions of the first Christian monks (chapter 4). Readers will find a good, nuanced discussion of Constantine’s commitments and what he accomplished for Christians during his reign (chapter 5).

For those who have never journeyed into the strange land of medieval church history, DeYoung will guide you through things you know about, like the Crusades, and things you may never have heard about, like the lay investiture controversy or the Avignon papacy. He will introduce you to Gregory the Great (AD 540–604), the pope who did not want to become pope (221). And Charlemagne, the fighting and conquering king who became the first Holy Roman Emperor (chapter 14) and came to be seen as the “ideal of Christendom” (251), whether implicitly or explicitly. The author gives a helpful summary of the Great Schism between the Western and Eastern churches (256–58), which still reverberates today. You will understand some of the tabloid-like scandals of Peter Abelard’s personal life (283–87), and, on the opposite end of the spectrum, you will be introduced to a surprising favorite of the Reformers, Bernard (chapter 16), the pious man who “contained the whole twelfth century in himself” (291). Fans of the story of Robin Hood will enjoy learning about Richard the Lionheart, the crusading and absent king of England (chapter 17). Regarding perhaps the most important medieval development for later theologians, DeYoung walks through the rediscovery of Aristotle and his far-reaching influence on theology (318–19). This rediscovery greatly influenced Thomas Aquinas, the so-called Dumb Ox, one of the greatest minds in the history of the Western church (chapter 18).

On a darker note, DeYoung writes about Pope Boniface VIII (chapter 19) and his encapsulation of the papal corruption during the late Middle Ages. This corruption led to multiple protest movements, and this volume ends fittingly with John Wycliffe and Jan Hus (chapter 20), two of the most well-known pre-Reformers who anticipated much of what shook the Western church (and the world) more than a century later. Many of the famous events featuring Martin Luther only make sense against the backdrop of the papacy, monasticism, scholasticism, and the Holy Roman Empire, so the chapters dealing with the medieval church will help many believers understand the context of the Reformation. Beyond even that, this is our family history; the church did not take a thousand-year break just to reappear during the Reformation, after all.

Despite the sheer volume of material covered in a book like this, DeYoung does a good job of summarizing and reflecting on different individuals, events, and eras. The result is a book that gives you an understanding of the broad sweep of church history without burying the reader in minutiae they would not retain or use.

The first two pages of every chapter feature an illustration and a timeline, giving helpful context to readers unfamiliar with church history. Additionally, each chapter ends with study questions, and two of them are repeated in every chapter after the introduction. This will help individual readers and study groups process what they have read and provide continuity to consider what God was doing throughout church history and how Christians were able to live faithful lives from the day of the apostles to our own day.

A few smaller things may confuse readers new to these historical epochs. For example, this book missed a chance to briefly discuss “augustus” and “caesar” in Constantine’s time (87–88). Of course, with any project like this the context is so vast that it is impossible to explain every detail, but this one seemed important for the story of Constantine. Overall, I found very few things to critique in this much-needed book. 

Recommendation

For several years various congregants have asked me if I knew of an accessible church history. This has always been a tough question, but now there seems to be a definitive answer. If the remaining volume in this series is as strong as this one, then Kevin DeYoung has done modern Reformed Christians a great service. Not only will this book be helpful for those who are unfamiliar with the broad strokes of church history, it will also be a helpful review for pastors several years out of seminary. Church History for Everyone, indeed!

Note

1. I was given a review copy by Crossway.

© Christopher Smith. All Rights Reserved.

Kevin DeYoung, Church History for Everyone: The Story of Christianity from the Fall of Jerusalem to the Dawn of the Reformation, volume 1 (Crossway, 2026).

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Post authored by:

• Christopher Smith

  

  Christopher Smith is originally from Bellevue, Nebraska. A graduate of Westminster Seminary California (M.Div 2019; MA (Historical Theology) 2020). He is associate pastor of Phoenix URC in the United Reformed Churches of North America. He is currently pursuing a ThM in systematic theology at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary.

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