This was an extremely good introduction to the history of the church. Especially the early church history was written very lively, giving me a new understanding and appreciation for this period in time. The layout and structure of the book, including interesting maps and charts, made the reading very nice too.
I enjoyed the balanced treatment of this topic, neither blaming the church for all negative that ever happened, nor white-washing and excusing dark areas in history. The author mentioned very nicely the conditions of the times leading to new developments, be they negative or good.
from The Faith Connection, 7/12/98: "offers readers a journey into the past so they can see the future. Koch makes a good point: we need to see the church with new eyes so that we can advance its mission with wiser minds and hearts."
