While maintaining the theological nature of his study, Roger Haight's historical ecclesiology lays a sturdy foundation in a historical, sociological analysis of the beginnings and development of the Christian Church from its origin in Jesus of Nazareth to the eve of the Reformation.... This is a groundbreaking volume... Haight has served all ecclesiologists well by initiating a way of looking at ecclesiology as it develops on the ground, so to speak. He has done it with theological integrity and clear analyses. He challenges us all to understand differences as values and the most appropriate way for the incarnation to continue through human history, honoring both the human and the divine whether in the stable or the palace of the council chamber. -Catholic Studies/ http://www.CatholicBooksReview.org/, 2005
Cover Story Feature on Haight -National Catholic Reporter, 2/25/05
The esteemed Roger Haight excels in addressing where the church and theology currently find themselves. This represents his most extensive work to date in ecclesiology and is a monumental two-volume study in comparative ecclesiology, building upon the insights developed in recent years in the more general subdiscipline of comparative theology. This is a work of immense scholarship, yet it is wonderfully accessible in style and prose. It deserves to become the standard work in its field for some time to come. -Journal of American Academy of Religion, June 2006
The result is indeed an intrguing florilegium of complex autobiographical accounts that not only reflect upon stages of one's intellectual development, but are also valuable records of the cultural, social and ecclesial setting of a particular epoch of general and church history in various corners of the world... The reflections are at once personal, conversational in style, not without gentle humour and a sense of self-effacement, and yet they also reveal the deepest convictions, hard struggles and long-lasting concerns that animate one's scholarly activity. The ultimate questions that we see as underlying these reflections concern the nature of theology and the identity of the theologian. It is highly personal amd yet universally valid answers to these twin-questions that make this book particularly interesting for everyone attracted by, in the editors' words, 'this wonderful discipline'. - Louvain Studies
With the first volume of his 'ecclesiology from below,' Roger Haight has clearly again established himself as a pioneer in the creation of historical theology. Using historical study to recover as far as we can the actual experience of Christians in past centuries and then drawing on social scientific methodology to analyze this evidence, he has reflected on this 'data' theologically to distill the dynamics inherent in the development of structured Christianity. I eagerly await volume 2 that promises a truly theological tracing of Christianity's evolution from the Reformation to the present. -Bernard Cooke -- Bernard Cooke * Blurb from reviewer *
Roger Haight has made a major contribution to the area of ecclesiology. His contributions will clearly have a lasting value. This book is highly recommended for anyone interested in theology and the history of the Church. - Catholic Library World, September 2005 * Catholic Library World *
Roger Haight's massive work, Christian Community in History, is a significant achievement... Haight writes clearly, with a deep historical sense and a good understanding of theological issues -- T.P. Rausch * Scottish Journal of Theology *
Review in German in Theologische Literaturzeitung 131 (2006) * Theologische Literaturzeitung *
