Protestantism: A Very Short Introduction

Mark A. Noll, named one of America's most influential evangelicals byTime Magazine, provides a fresh and accessible history of Protestantism from the era of Martin Luther to the present day. Noll begins with the founding of Lutheran, Reformed, Anglican, and Anabaptist churches in the sixteenth-century Reformation, and considers the rise of other important Christian movements like Methodism and Pentecostalism. But rather than focusing on just the familiar European and American histories, he discusses the recent expansion of Protestant movements in Africa, China, India, and Latin America, emphasizing the on-going and rapidly expanding story of Protestants worldwide. The book highlights the contributions of well-known figures ranging from Martin Luther and John Calvin to Karl Barth, Dora Yu, Samuel Ajayi Crowther, and Pandita Ramabai, and it sheds light on why Protestant energies have flagged recently in the Western world while expanding dramatically elsewhere. Detailing the key points of Protestant commonality--including the message of Christian salvation, reliance on the Bible, and organization through personal initiative--he illuminates the reasons for Protestantism's extraordinary diversity.

Mark A. Noll is Francis A. McAnaney Professor of History at the University of Notre Dame. He was awarded a National Humanities Medal in 2006.