What to read while you're waiting for your next issue of Christian History
By Jennifer Woodruff Tait
What academic journals should you read if you want to learn more about church history--especially if you are in graduate school? Recently we were asked that very question, and thought the advice was worth sharing more widely.
The best place to start is with the aptly named Church History. It covers all eras, and its book reviews are particularly invaluable. It is published by the American Society of Church History, which is well worth joining. For grad students, the first two years of membership (including a journal subscription) are free. More here: https://www.churchhistory.org/ Fides et Historia is also excellent; it is the journal of the Conference on Faith and History, an organization which explicitly seeks to mentor Christian historians and to do rigorous scholarship from a Christian point of view. See http://www.huntington.edu/cfh/default.htm. Another good overall publication is the Journal of Ecclesiastical History. Journal of Religious History covers all religions, not just Christianity, but it has some articles on Christian history.
Beyond that, what to read depends to some degree on what era you study. Some good general journals covering different eras include Journal of Early Christian Studies, Traditio, Studies in Medieval and Renaissance History, Sixteenth Century Journal, Eighteenth Century Studies, Journal of American Culture, and Journal of Southern Religion.
And there are many denomination-specific publications. Among these are Wesley and Methodist Studies, Methodist History, Anglican and Episcopal History, Journal of Presbyterian History, Baptist History and Heritage, Brethren in Christ History and Life, Disciples History Magazine, Lutheran Quarterly, and Mennonite Quarterly Review.
By the way, if you're a Ph.D. student, it’s probably helpful to get one of the innumerable manuals on "surviving your dissertation." These contain some useful practical tips.