Trial and Triumph: Stories from Church History

How much do you know about the history of the Church? To be honest, I don't know as much as I would like. This book aims to resolve this lack of knowledge in at least some small way by providing a short biography of 46 Christians. These men and women are chosen from throughout Christian history, divided into six general periods of time. Mr. Hannula starts with Polycarp in the Early Church , who died in the Roman arena for his Christian faith. The selection in the Middle Ages includes such famous people as Pope Gregory I, Boniface, Charlemagne, and Alfred the Great.John Wyclif, who died for translating the Scriptures into English, is included as well. There are a number of people here I'd never heard of; people like John Huss, who laid the foundations of the Reformation. The section on the Reformation includes famous men like Martin Luther, William Tyndale, and John Calvin, as well as not so famous men, such Jeanne d'Albert. The Post Reformation era includes Gustavus Adolphus, Jonathan Edwards, and two women named Margaret who died for their refusal to stand against their Protestant beliefs. In Modern Missions, the author includes David Livingstone, John Paton, and Hudson Taylor --I didn't know of any of these men before reading this book. The book ends with 6 more recent examples, including the Chinese Christians and C.S. Lewis. The author uses each story to teach small snippets of theology, and to show how Christian faith overcomes in all circumstances, good or bad. Overall, I found this book to be well written, the stories well selected, and the layout to be easy to follow and read. The book downplays some of the negatives of each of these people, but this fits within the format; the introduction should serve as just that, an introduction. With this book as background, you could do an in depth study of each of these over time, and gain a real appreciation of Church history.

Great stories. Were a wonderful addition to our homeschool mornings.

Excellent book, it walks the delicate line of being informative and encouraging really well. My walk was strengthened because of it.

This is part of our Ambleside online curriculum for my six year old. It may bring you to tears, but these stories are so necessary for ourselves and children to hear. My six year old son would want me to read the stories over and over. He’s amazed how God made these men brave for Himself. They’re absolutely written to give God glory.

Many people have a bias against history, thinking it is either boring or that it has no application and value for the modern time. As a result, many people of the past and their contributions to what we are now are never known. This book can change that. Its well written and engaging style warmly introduces the reader to many important people in Christian history, giving a brief summary of the lives of 46 Christian men and women, beginning with Polycarp down to the modern time ending with Richard Wurmbrand. We've been reading a chapter a week in our church's Wednesday night studies to a mixed crowd of adults and children. I think it says something of the author's ability to communicate when both adults and children say that have been blessed and inspired by the witness of these saints as Hannula tells their stories.

This is a very worthwhile book. My hubby and i could not put it down! Shippig and condition was terrific! The only thing is i was going to use it for my 1st grader and although the language is not difficult, it is way too graphic for them. Its truth i know but i think il wait a few years and then pick it back up when it wont scare them.

Easy to use great book great recording clear pronunciation enjoy a lot. Definitely recommended to read/listen to Hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I do.

*Got a badly used copy the first time I bought this. Thankfully, the replacement came quickly and looks brand new.* This book should be in every Christian's shelf, as these are stories from early Church history to modern times of our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ who were faithful witnesses, even in the face of persecution or death. I'm grateful for this collection of biographies to read about our church history and faith alongside my children.

The author stated in his preamble that he would be pleased if these history notes, intended for his children’s instruction, would be insightful to others. Let me put it this way - your children, Sir, are greatly blessed to have a father with this God given talent to piece together such treasures of Christian history. I thank you.

We were so blessed by reading this book together as a family on Sunday afternoons. The stories are rich and accurate and it gave our younger ones a great insight into the heroic suffering of the people of God through the ages. We highly recommend the book. May it be a blessing to each one of you. I’d like

Algo caro para la encuadernación de calidad media que ofrece Amazon, pero entiendo que se paga por el contenido. No obstante, el mismo contenido en varias partes, desgraciadamente, abandona la objetividad y da uno que otro azote a la Iglesia católica, azote que viene no por presentar un hecho objetivo, sino simplemente por una valoración que sobra y que mancha la lectura. Digo que la mancha, porque en general es una lectura buena, de ahí que le dé 4 estrellas al libro.

It came with folds and creases

While there are certainly strains of Christianity that put too much emphasis on tradition, Evangelicals typically put far too little emphasis here. In fact, most Evangelicals suffer from a general historical ignorance which stems from a self-centered chronological snobbery. In our (noble) eagerness to emphasize the authority of Scripture, we forget that Christians who have gone before us had the Scriptures as well and that God taught them things from his Word that we would do well to learn, retain, and build upon. Richard Hannula's book is an excellent place to begin teaching a new generation of Christians about our "big brothers and sisters" in the faith, on whose legacy and because of whose faithfulness in the gospel we are where we are. As a parent, this is a book filled with the kind of God-honouring and courageous heroes that I want my children emulating instead of the shallow, self-centered and Godless idolatry of celebrity worship rampant in our culture. This is a great teaching tool which is a blessing for the teacher (parent) as well.