A concise history of Christianity in Canada

The first survey of its kind to appear in more than two decades, A Concise History of Christianity in Canada is the work of five authors. It draws on recent advances in scholarship to trace the evolution of the major Christian denominations over five centuries, from the earliest days of European exploration to the widespread decline in participation in organized religion of the years around 1960. Organized along linguistic rather than denominational lines, it emphasizes the common experiences of the churches and the profound impact that Christianity has had on both French- and English-Canadian society and culture. Alongside the institutional development for the churches and the work of the clergy, it examines the religious outlook and practices of the laity, and how these have varied with gender, ethnic affiliation, and class; relations between denominations; missionary efforts, especially among the First Nations, and the responses to them; and the complex interactions between church and state. Including a selection of contemporary illustrations, along with six maps, this single-volume history is concise enough to serve as a student textbook, yet broad enough in its scope to be of interest to many general readers.