Called To Be Holy In The World: An Introduction to Christian History by Timothy H. Maschke

Abstract

Reviewed by: Called To Be Holy In The World: An Introduction to Christian History by Timothy H. Maschke Phillip L. Brandt Called To Be Holy In The World: An Introduction to Christian History. By Timothy H. Maschke. Eugene: Wipf and Stock, 2016. 350pp. This book is the fourth volume in a series of textbooks written by theology faculty within the Concordia University System of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS) for their students. Each chapter covers one century of material. Major figures, movements, and events are succinctly described. The only deviation from this pattern comes in the treatment of the sixteenth century, which is divided into three chapters, allowing a more complete treatment of the Reformation. Maschke writes for undergraduates, not a body of readers noted for its passionate interest in ecclesial history. This fact forces him to make a number of concessions and adopt strategies which make his work useful in that context, but may also result in a text which is unsatisfying for those outside his intended readership. Cognizant of undergraduate reading habits, his chapters are brief, averaging just over fourteen pages. Despite this brevity, Maschke manages to treat a substantial amount of material. This necessitates a superficiality which might be considered a weakness. The book at some points reads more like an encyclopedic work which is arranged chronologically than a historical narrative. For an instructor whose lectures are providing that narrative, this work will provide a handy resource of facts and summaries for the student. For someone in another context, however, the book can become a blur of information which leaves the reader hungry for deeper treatment and contextualization of the events described. There are moments when the book surprises the reader with great detail and interesting context. The treatment of progress in agricultural techniques in the early centuries of the second millennium stands out. This is also true when he turns his attention to the nineteenth century and concentrates on the events surrounding C. F. W. Walther and the founding of the LCMS. The best defense of the book’s approach may be found in the very brief material which one finds at the beginnings and endings of chapters. Here Maschke makes an attempt to frame the material and connect the reader to what he or she has just read or is about to read. He emphasizes the mission of the church and [End Page 340] the persistent need for reform, especially in the centuries prior to Luther. Whether this effort at contextualization succeeds is open to debate. To some, this framing material will sound excessively parochial. The general reader who is looking for an accessible survey of Christian history will likely be more satisfied with The Story of Christianity, the two-volume work of Justo Gonzalez, published by HarperCollins, 2010. Phillip L. Brandt Concordia University Portland, Oregon Copyright © 2017 Johns Hopkins University Press and Lutheran Quarterly, Inc