Timothy Paul Jones’ book, “Christian History Made Easy,” this week won a prestigious award from a major Christian retailing entity.
Jones’ 2009 work received the 2010 Christian Retailers’ Choice Award in the Christian Education category. Jones’ 2009 book, from Rose Publishing, provides a 220-page summary of the entire sweep of church history from the time of Christ through the modern day .
Gretchen Goldsmith, CEO of Rose Publishing, said she is deeply pleased to see Jones’ work honored in the broader community of Christian publishers. Jones serves as associate professor of leadership and church ministry at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
“Dr. Jones has a unique ability to communicate theological material in a way that is accessible and lay-friendly,” she said. “His blend of humor and solid historical research contributed to the appeal of ‘Christian History Made Easy.’
“He envisioned a book that would combine the best of church history for people living in the Internet age and this wonderful full-color book is the result. We at Rose Publishing congratulate Dr. Jones. We have heard from many readers who agree with the judges’ criteria, expressing the ‘impact it had …including the ability to speak to hearts and evoke emotion, open minds to new ways of thinking and encourage and affirm Christlike living.'”
Jones has authored numerous books, including “Conspiracies and the Cross,” and “Misquoting Truth: A Guide to the Fallacies of Bart Ehrman’s ‘Misquoting Jesus.’ The work for the primer on church history began many years ago, Jones said.
“This book developed very differently than any other book I have written. This book actually began more than a decade ago, when I served as the pastor of a tiny congregation in rural Missouri. This was a church of farmers and factory-workers with a few school-teachers and military personnel mixed in. I wanted them to dig deeply into theology; so, I worked to discover how I could teach them theology in a way that was enjoyable and interesting.
“What I discovered was that, when I told the stories behind theological truths, the people were fascinated and they saw the real-life relevance of theology. So, I developed a series of studies that taught theology by working through the stories of church history from the apostles to today. I photocopied the study and, as much as possible, included pictures, maps, questions, and quite a bit of humor.
“Even then, I envisioned a full-color version of the study that would look like some of the colorful slick-paged books about military vehicles that I used to devour as a child. This past year, I had the opportunity to turn that vision into a reality in the book that’s become ‘Christian History Made Easy.'”