Australasia has developed strongly Christian societies. Based on research in widely scattered archives, this book not only deals with regional interactions and developments in microstates, but examines the various indigenous religious movements, which were earlier regarded as deviations from Christian orthodoxy but are now seen as significant adaptations of Christian teaching.

Covering five centuries--from the rise of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church in the 15th century and the early Portuguese missionaries right through to the Church and its key role in Africa today--this major new volume is the first complete history of the Christian Church in Africa. Written by a leading authority on Church history who has spent many years in Africa, it looks at all aspects of Christianity in Africa, including its relationship to traditional values and customs, politics, and the comparable rise of Islam in Africa during the period.

This is an innovative volume which studies the coming of reform in the sixteenth century more broadly than do traditional national narratives of religious change. It argues for an interactive and comparative understanding of this crucial dimension of British and Irish history. Through the examination of political choices, of ecclesiastical structures, and of individual religious attitudes, it seeks to explain the success or failure of Protestantism in these islands.

This book provides a full and enjoyable narrative history of the first six centuries of the Christian Church, examining how Christianity changed Ancient Greek and Roman society. Following a chronological approach, Henry Chadwick's clear exposition of important texts and theological debates in their historical context is unrivalled in detail.