The Trouble with Christianity

Voerding demonstrates quite handily the fact that Christianity was never monolithic and what is called Christianity today is a work which has been in progress for two thousand years.Not often does a book come along which presents two thousand years of historical development in a concise and usable package. However, Philip Voerding has done just that in The Trouble with Christianity.

An amateur historian and comparative theologian, Voerding’s love for his subject is apparent. His command of the historical developments within the two millennia history of Christianity, as well as the centuries of pre-history, is incredible.

Voerding’s book is a basic primer. The format makes for easy reading, and the author has successfully condensed often complex theological positions to their essence. Muslims and non-Muslims alike can obtain a thumbnail sketch of Tertullian’s beliefs, the crux of the Arian-Athanasian controversy, a mini-history of the Crusades, and much more.

The book is divided into three main areas: the outline of history with conclusion, a discussion of Paul and the Trinity concept, and a discussion of the various Christian views of the atonement.

Voerding demonstrates quite handily the fact that Christianity was never monolithic and what is called Christianity today is a work which has been in progress for two thousand years. As such, does it truly reflect the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth? The author’s conclusion that the Jesus of Islam is the true historical Jesus is virtually forced when one honestly looks at the twists and turns and politics of Christian history.

Muslims (and many Christians, too) will find especially valuable the concise treatment of the appendices on the Trinity and the Atonement – key doctrines in all branches of Christianity.

Philip Voerding’s The Trouble with Christianity is definitely recommended reading.

The book can be purchased at the following links.

We listed them this way because the paperback is cheaper on Amazon.com, while the hardcover is cheaper on Barnes and Noble

The link for the paperback edition on Amazon.com ($10.79)

Brother Chris is a recent Muslim convert. Having been a Christian for 30 years and a former minister, he too knows the trouble with Christianity.