Heroes and Heretics

Heroes and Heretics: Pivotal Moments in 20 centuries of the church

Commendations for this book

Iain D. Campbell's 'Heroes and Heretics' is a wise, generous-spirited and breathtaking panorama of almost two thousand years of the history of the church with observations and insights in every single chapter. How important that we do not become trapped by our own past. We learn history's lessons not in order to blame others or blame ourselves for what happened long ago but to understand human nature, to appreciate God's Providence and salvation and better honour Jesus Christ as the Lord of all nations. Let's take responsibility for the present and build on the insights of those heroes who went before us. Let's also learn from the past heresies so that we don't repeat those errors.

-- Rev Geoffrey Thomas, Aberystwyth

Christians unaware of the history of Christianity are likely to be unhealthily rootless. Iain Campbell's century-by-century survey keeps its eye chiefly on developments of concern to conservative and Scottish believers. It is a very helpful tool for equipping oneself with knowledge of what God was doing in earlier eras, and hence for understanding what he is doing worldwide today.

-- Professor David Wright, Edinburgh

In an age where Christians are increasingly ignorant of their historical roots, Dr Campbell has done us a great service by achieving the near impossible: covering 2000 years of church history in twenty brief but highly informative chapters. A great place to start for anyone who wants to deepen their understanding of how the church has witnessed to Christ throughout the ages.

-- Professor Carl Trueman, Philadelphia

Review in Evangelicals Now, September 2004

How do you interest modern Christians in their heritage? Iain D. Campbell has provided an answer. He also shows that Christians need to be concerned about history. Ignorance of the past bodes ill for the future. We are all prone to repeat old mistakes and often fail to see that bright new ideas may well be ancient heresies. The substance of this book was the millennium project of Back Free Church of Scotland in the Island of Lewis where it was delivered as a series of half hour lectures.

To cover a century in half an hour is a daunting task, but Mr Campbell has managed remarkably. Many Christians have difficulty in understanding the early church and the Middle Ages but we are shown that the work of God went on and in Jesus Christ continued to be preached although at times the testimony was obscured.

Inevitably the work is selective. Iain Campbell has emphasised events in Scotland, but he was addressing a Scottish congregation and no doubt the perspective differs. Nevertheless a few points are surprising. William Tyndale is presented as a precursor of the Reformation rather than a Reformer. He has nothing to say about British evangelicalism south of the border in his chapter on the 20th century.

Nevertheless this book provides a good introduction to a great subject. A concise bibliography points the way to further reading. It is well written and is recommended.

-- Robert Oliver, London Theological Seminary.

Review in Evangelical Times, October 2004

Can 2000 years of church history be recorded within the compass of 200 pages? Dr Campbell has demonstrated that it can!

This instructive volume grew out of a series of weekly lectures delivered to the author's congregation which formed a millennium project ending in December 1999. In twenty chapters, Campbell outlines the pivotal moments in 20 centuries of the church and introduces the people involved.

The book reflects the author's knowledge and ability to deal with a much neglected subject in a gripping way. It will whet the appetite of the uninformed and instruct those who have a love of church history.

The continuity of God's work is traced through periods when there was little apparent divine activity, as well as during times of mighty spiritual revival. Even in the Dark Ages the light of the gospel was never completely extinguished.

Some centuries are obviously treated in greater detail than others. The sixteenth, for example, was dominated by men whose names are familiar - Luther, Zwingli, Calvin, Knox and Cranmer. Many heroes are introduced, such as Athanasius, who withstood the heretic Arius in the fourth century.

This book brings us recurring echoes of Christ's declaration, 'I will build my church'. Read it and it will draw you on to tackle the works suggested in 'further reading'.

-- W.H. Cherry, Lewes

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