This is a book about the various denominations and streams within the Christian faith.

Know your family

Hamilton calls them a family and compares them to our own extended family. He illustrates this by inviting us to think about what happens when we go to a family reunion. With whom do we sit? How do we choose which people to talk to? Is it just those we usually meet and are familiar with, or do we take the opportunity to mingle and learn about other members of our family that we don’t usually have anything to do with?

Hamilton considers the following traditions: Orthodoxy, Catholicism, Lutheranism, Presbyterianism, Anglicanism, Baptist, Pentecostalism, and Methodism. He contends that each has a unique and valuable perspective to offer. He is not trying to change where you are currently, or which group you belong to, and by the end he recognises that you may still want to disagree with some, but he contends that it is at least good to meet them.

Enriching our faith

The author states that “In this book we will learn about church history, theology and Christian spirituality, seeing what it is that makes each branch of our Christian family unique. The aim of this book is not to critique the various churches and traditions we will study. Neither is it to compare and contrast them. Instead, my aim is to help you learn from your brothers and sisters of other denominations so that your faith might be enriched and that we might be more authentic and effective disciples of Jesus Christ” (p12).

My aim is to help you learn from your brothers and sisters of other denominations so that your faith might be enriched.

This is not an academic study, nor is it written from the perspective of a church historian. The author is a pastor within the United Methodist Church which is why he ends with a chapter on this denomination, though without trying to persuade you that it is necessarily the best!

Learning from others

Each chapter explains how that particular denomination focuses on something we all need, and which others might be missing or lacking. He does not tackle doctrinal issues but rather practices and emphases. He asserts that no one tradition is the only true and faithful expression of Christianity, but each is an authentic expression of the Christian faith – something we might want to agree or disagree with. Whatever we think on this matter, we can all still learn something, and Hamilton’s book provides a simple but useful summary of an area we usually tend to avoid.

He asserts that no one tradition is the only true and faithful expression of Christianity, but each is an authentic expression of the Christian faith.

The author’s overall position is that the branches are never the whole tree, but he also asserts that its roots are in Judaism, and that the trunk is Jesus. Through his book, he wants us to have at least a quick chat with unfamiliar family members in the hope this will not lead to further estrangement and maybe even be a blessing and encouragement.

Simple, not simplistic

As a couple of examples, there is a very good section on Luther and how Protestantism soon split and splintered. And the author tackles Pentecostalism and the gifts of the Spirit carefully by saying this is what they believe and teach, rather than endorsing them wholesale.

The author’s overall position is that the branches are never the whole tree, but he also asserts that its roots are in Judaism, and that the trunk is Jesus.

Overall, Christianity’s Family Tree is clear and simple without being simplistic and contains plenty of detail without becoming over-historical or doctrinal. He also provides useful diagrams in the form of horizontal trees in order to see how various branches have emerged and developed over time. This is a very handy introduction to Christianity as it is today, and a straightforward explanation as to how it got here. It can be commended for these reasons.

‘Christianity’s Family Tree’ (138pp) is published by Abingdon Press and is available from Blackwell's for £9.15 (inc p&p).