Clear-eyed Church History

This may be a niche question, but I guess I’ll see how niche this sub can get!

I’m not religious anymore, but was raised in a strongly conservative Christian environment and attended religious school.

As a result, I know A WHOLE LOT about theology and philosophy and some synods and councils and the meaning of some greek and latin words and some very basic knowledge about church leaders through history.

What I \*don’t\* know is much about the real history of the church (Catholic or Protestant) presented in an unbiased manner.

I’m not looking for atheists-castigate-christians books, but objective, well-sourced works that contextualize the social or political influence of the church or its leaders within a specific time or geographic location. This could be anything like exploring Calvin’s Geneva or the Crusades or the rise of the Jesus People or the Unification Church or ways that religious organizations fostered humanitarian efforts or how humanitarian groups can be a front for religious activity or the Moral Majority or progressive believers who fought against slavery.

As niche requests go, it’s pretty broad, and books can be about positive or negative influence, but my only MUST is that they be well sourced and as objectively written as possible. Extra points if they’re from well regarded journalists or historians.

I’m not really looking for a textbook, so if they can be accessibly written, that’s a plus. Ain’t nobody got time for more college right now.

by FaceOfDay