Bullies and Saints Audiobook By John Dickson cover art

Bullies and Saints

An Honest Look at the Good and Evil of Christian History

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Bullies and Saints

By: John Dickson
Narrated by: John Dickson
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About this listen

Is the world better off without Christianity?

Combining narrative with keen critique of contemporary debates, author and historian John Dickson gives an honest account of 2,000 years of Christian history that helps us understand what Christianity is and what it's meant to be.

To say that the Christian Church has an "image problem" doesn't quite capture it. From the Crusades and the Inquisition to the racism and abuse present in today's Church--both in Catholic and Protestant traditions--the institution that Christ established on earth has a lot to answer for. But the Church has also had moments throughout history when it has been in tune with Jesus' teachings - from the rise of charity to the invention of hospitals.

For defenders of the faith, it's important to be able to recognize the good and bad in the church's history and be inspired to live aligned with Christ. For skeptics, this book is a thought-provoking introduction to the idea that Christianity is, despite all, an essential foundation of our civilization.

Bullies and Saints will take you on a big-picture journey from the Sermon on the Mount to the modern church:

  • Giving contextual accounts of infamous chapters of Christian history, such as the Crusades, and acknowledging their darkness.
  • Outlining the great movements of the faith and defending its heroes and saints, some of whom are not commonly recognized.
  • Examining the Church beside the teachings and life of Jesus and how it has succeeded in its mission to imitate Christ.
©2021 John Dickson (P)2021 Zondervan
Christianity Church & Church Leadership History Ministry & Evangelism Middle Ages
Balanced Historical Perspective • Honest Critical Analysis • Excellent Narration • Educational Historical Overview
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This is an awesome book. As a Christian and Church goer I really appreciated the honest discussion of the good and the bad of Christianity throughout history. Thank you John Dickson.

Refreshingly honest

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Grateful for this fantastic book. The blend of historical work and thoughtful application was right on time. Enjoy.

Honest. Humbling. Inspiring.

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I always love when an author narrates his own book and this did not disappoint. The church of Jesus suffers the more myopic it becomes. And the USA church is very myopic. I have been challenged recently to broaden my understanding of the church relative to geography and time. Dickson does a great job of letting us understand the good and bad of our history.

Christian’s should read this book!

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Keen insight saturates this scholarly reflection of the Christian heritage. Ironically only a true Christian could so meticulously mourn his faith’s flaws even as he hums the original tune of the Nazerene

A masters of reflective criticism

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The author packs a lot of history (education) in just a few hours of listening.

Covers a lot of history

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I loved reading this book. Dicksons' tone is so balanced- pleasant even. Yet it was chock full of hard truths about the church.
It's not a book that is directly trying to convince sinners to come to salvation. Rather tries to correct the imbalance in some secular circles about the role religion plays in the evil mankind has perpetrated

The author repeatedly affirms that he's not trying to play down the terrible evil done in the name of religion- he's just trying to maintain a balanced view when comparing to other gross evils of mankind.
Christians have played a major part in the ignoble pattern of man's inhumanity to man. But it's heartwarming to note that Western civilisation owes so much to Christianity. There's so much we take for granted today that came directly from the church. Hospitals, charities and even the very concept that all people are born equal.
There's the interesting bit about "moderate" atheists (not the really militant ones). They acknowledge that their moral imperative is actually based on the Christian ethos- certainly not the classical Greek or Roman worldview.
And what an ending! Yes, many one-liners are just empty soundbites - but I really liked this one!

Balanced, pragmatic and full of hard truths

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I discovered John through Cross Examined and Frank Turek. I loved this book. 100% recommend

High quality!

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10/10 regardless of if you are Christian, Atheist, Agnostic ect.. highly recommend it to all who like history.

10/10

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It’s a great book that gives you a good look over the history of Christianity. Not a boring academic lecture but has good examples that supports the good and bad of Christianity.

Great book

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Learned a lot about church history thru the ages and liked the analogy of christians as bad musicians, for an otherwise beautiful melody.

History with the warts

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