Reformation - Felipe Fernndez-Armesto

This work presents an account of 500 years of controversy within the Christian Church. At the end of the 20th century, Christianity is advancing in triumph in parts of the world, is on the defensive in others, and is riven with debate about such issues as women priests, celibacy and birth control. Looking back at the Reformation, the authors see it not as a discrete historical event, but as an upswelling of a diversity of views that had been present in the Church long before the 16th century and that continues to this day. The challenges of Calvin and Luther, which caused so much bloodshed for 200 years, were part of an ever-shifting debate that still engages Christians today.;Aimed at believers and non-believers, Protestants and Catholics, and Christians of East and West, this book challenges readers to revolutionize their perceptions of each other. It draws on works of art and literature, anecdotes and ephemera and conventional historical sources, and looks at the competition for souls on the frontiers of Christendom, from 16th century Ukraine to modern New Guinea and Guatemala.