The joy of ’30 Key Moments in the History of Christianity’ is that it introduces a period of history most Christians know little about. Even Reformed Christians, who tend to put a premium on knowledge of church history, still often skip quickly from the Apostles to the Councils to the Reformation (probably also pausing to cover Huss and Wycliffe). Yet, as Graham so aptly points out, there are many of “Our People” (the endearing term he uses throughout) in the first millennium whose stories we ought to know. 

I do not know Carl Trueman all that well, but from what I do know of him, he is not a man who is prone to overexcitement or hyperbole. Because of that, when he does get excited about something, I am likely to pay attention. It is for that reason that I found myself intrigued by a book he recommended as “remarkable” and “that rarest of books.” He says if you read it, “you will be informed, entertained, and edified.” That was enough for me, so I did as he suggested: “Take up and read.”

 30 Key Moments in the History of Christianity by Mark W. Graham is a history of the early church—the church of the first millennium. Graham begins at the end of the Apostolic era and closes 900 years later, just around 1000 AD. He tells this history by focusing on 30 specific moments that proved especially significant. Such an approach has both limitations and benefits. In terms of limitations, “readers might well find themselves wishing for the larger historical picture and searching to fill in the gaps between and among the moments covered here.” Of course, people may also want greater depth or wish to hear about characters or events the author chose not to include. Yet Graham addresses and mitigates this limitation by providing thorough citations and a list of recommended works that will provide what his work lacks.

This approach has benefits, too. It allows the author to focus on only the key events and people, thus passing over ones that may matter, but may not be quite as interesting or important. It also allows him to keep the book’s size manageable and reader-friendly at 235 pages. It also makes it the kind of book that can be read casually, since the chapters are relatively brief and, though they follow one another chronologically, they do not necessarily follow one another thematically, so each can be read independently.

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