Includes bibliographcal reference and index.

Part I. The early church through the magisterial Reformation. A resurrection people : the New Testament era -- A persecuted people : the post-apostolic generations -- Creeds and councils : debating and defining doctrine -- Desert Fathers : early monastic life and writings -- City of God in the 'dark ages' : Benedict to Gregory the Great -- Byzantine religion : the expansion of Eastern Orthodoxy -- The reconstituted Roman Empire : Charlemagne and papal power -- Medieval theology : Anselm to Aquinas -- Beyond the cloistered walls : monasticism, mysticism, and social outreach -- Renaissance humanism and the dawn of the Reformation : Waldo to Wycliffe -- The German Reformation : Luther and colleagues -- The Swiss Reformation : Zwingli, Calvin, and company -- Part II. Sixteenth-century Anabaptism to the twenty-first century. The Anabaptists : separation of church and state -- The Catholic Reformation : doctrine defined and mission worldwide -- The English Reformation : royalty exploiting religion -- Puritans in England and America : theologians and preachers -- Sectarian movements in Europe and America : visions and voices -- The Catholic Church : centuries of struggle -- Trans-Atlantic awakenings : revivals in England and America -- An age of societies : nineteenth-century revival and social outreach -- The modern missionary movement : families in cross-cultural ministry -- Fragmentation and revival : Salvation Army to Foursquare Gospel -- Theological ferment : twentieth-century Protestants and Catholics -- Worldwide Christian outreach : the twentieth century and beyond.

Part storybook, part textbook, part historical overview, Parade of Faith presents the history of Christianity in riveting fashion. Ruth Tucker adopts the metaphor of a parade, journey, or pilgrimage to explore the history of Christianity, which began as the Messiah marched out of the pages of the Old Testament and will end one day when 'the saints go marching in' to the New Jerusalem. The book is divided into two chronological groupings: first, the advent of Christianity until the German and Swiss Reformations; second, the Anabaptist movement and Catholic Reformation until the present-day worldwide expansion of the church. Yet, ultimately the topic matter is not movements, dates, or a stream of facts, but instead people -- people who still have stories to tell other Christians. And with a little help from clues to their own contexts, they can still speak clearly today. This book is laid out systematically to showcase the biographies of such prominent figures within their historical settings. The pages are peppered with sidebars, historical 'what if' questions, explorations of relevant topics for today, personal reflections, illustrations, and lists for further reading. Parade of Faith is an excellent introduction for undergraduate students and interested lay readers. - Publisher.