Rating: 
Summary: Great Accomplishment
Review: This is the fact-filled history of the Catholic Church since its inception. How the author was able to condense 2000 years of history into less than 500 pages makes it a Great Accomplishment. I have read histories of the Catholic Church that have taken six volumes of more than 500 pages each.
The author is an Anglican convert. So he has been exposed to Protestentism and is familiar with its errors. I am sure reviews of this book will "pan" Mr. Crocker for going light on what they consider Church abuses. However, I found that the author treats these fairly - certainly from a Catholic point of view - even though we are generally exposed to the harsher sides.The author points out the "human" side of the Catholic Church and thus the tendancy for ignoble acts. However, he is quick to relieve the Spiritual Side from any guilt. If this is prejudice, then I am also prejudiced. Beginning with the early Church and its martyrs, through Constantine, the conversion of the barbarians and the acceptance of Catholicism by all of Europe, this is half the story. The Crusades, the Inquisition,The Renaissance and the Reformation are all covered right through to the present time. And still as Mr. Crocker proclaims "the Church stands, above all else, for a defining historic truth that it has faithfully carried on, expounded and evangelized." This is a wonderful read particularly if you are a Roman Catholic; a disturbing read if you are otherwise attached. The great characters that have lived within the Church during the past 2000 years are well depicted as also those who broke away and formed protest religions. Constantine, Augustine, Thomas Acquinas, Luther, Calvin, etc. are all there. Space is not wasted on complete biographies; but sufficient material is written to satisfy the casual reader.
Rating: 
Summary: corrected my misconceptions
Review: I recently "converted" to Catholicism from evangelical protestantism for theological reasons. My knowledge of church history was virtually nil, since it is virtually irrelevant to sola scriptura protestants. I was eager to read an explanation of how Christ's Church could in good conscious participate in inquisitions and crusades, and sell indulgences, etc... This book set me straight. Although errors and abuses are not overlooked, Crocker sets the context for understanding how the Church generally behaved in moderate and responsible ways -- especially compared to her enemies. I also now view with great sadness the "reformation" and establishemnt of state religions and eventual secularization of governments. Give me Christendom any day! The book is fun and engrossing (buy it!), but the language is tortuous at times (my only complaint). Consider this sentence as a worst example: "On that score Elizabeth was, in domestic matters, as opposed to the Puritans on her left -- she detested, for instance, John Knox, whose First Blast of the Trumpet Against the Monstrous Regiment of Women could not be much enjoyed by a queen -- as she was to the Catholics on her right, despite their soundness on 'the monstrous regiment of women' question." (p.269). Lord have mercy.
Rating:
Summary: Finally...
Review: After being force-fed books by ostensibly Catholic authors all through my ostensibly Catholic education that savaged the Church's history and traditions, it was indeed a welcome change to read this excellent history by Mr. Crocker. It would not be a stretch to call this a two-fisted history, written with flair and retaining an engaging wit throughout. Mr. Crocker obviously knows his stuff and staunchly defends episodes in Church history which are commonly mischaracterized and used as points of attack by the enemies of the Church. He even defends the Sack of Constantinople in 1204 by the men of the Fourth Crusade! Perhaps the greatest strength of the book is that the author is not afraid to go after Luther, Calvin and the "reformers" with hammer and tongs. For a Catholic brought up in the "eccumenical" days of the 1970s & 80s, this section contained a great deal of information that I had never heard before--and was very amusing to boot. Who knew that Luther was so obsessed with bodily functions? All in all, I heartily reccomend this book. It's a good antidote to the anti-Catholic "conventional wisdom" that exists in society today, and is an incredibly fast and enjoyable read.
Rating:
Summary: A Popular History of the Church...
Review: If you've read a high school history text book, you know only part of the story of the Catholic Church. Most simply lump Catholicism in with all other religions (while not noting its impact on western civilization) and all dutifully point out inquisitions, crusades, bad popes and their political battles. Usually, none of these incidents are put into the context of their respective times. Enter "Triumph: The Power and The Glory of the Catholic Church," a popularly written history of the faith. With all of the fervency of a convert, Crocker shows how the anti-Catholic polemicists (Protestant, Atheist or otherwise) simply subscribe to propaganda and not history. While Crocker doesn't make Popes like Alexander VI as anything more than a scoundrel, he shows how, in spite of his flaws, he carried on the Catholic tradition of supporting the arts and sciences. Is the book, as some have put it, basically written using this formula: everything Catholic = good, everything else = bad? Well, yes and no. I answer "yes" in the sense that because so many histories have been written as polemics against the Catholic Church, Crocker has to contextualize and provide the Catholic response to several different events in Church history. He doesn't settle for pat answers and actually uses documentation from sources that cannot be construed as pro-Catholic in any way. I also say "no" because of the reasons provided above and the simple fact that Crocker, while writing with a sly wit that often makes great jokes at the expense of contra-Catholic polemicists, does not descend to the level of propaganda. The book is written in a style that anyone can (and should!) read and is a wonderfully written popular response to the many people and institutions that do not look favorably on the one, holy, Catholic, and apostolic church.
Rating:
Summary: Napoleon, read this book! . . . (if circumstances allow)
Review: Critical reviews of this book rightly point out that it's not a dry, exhaustive analysis of all issues related to the Catholic Church over 2000 years. It is not written for a handful of other professional historians tucked away in academia somewhere. The book is not an autopsy. But frankly, it's high time someone wrote a book like Crocker's. First, by any neutral criteria, the Catholic Church is the most interesting institution that has ever existed (see below) and as such it deserves a treatment like Crocker's written with the attitude that people might actually find the subject interesting. Second, it is remarkable how ignorant most of us are about the Catholic Church, even though it is clearly the most important human institution in the history of the world. Third, the vast majority of stuff one hears about the role of the Church in history is complete myth. (Tiny example I hear constantly, exploded admirably by Crocker: "The Church led those nasty crusades trying to stamp out Islam"--completely wrong. The crusades (a)came along many centuries after Islam arrived on the scene--the Muslims were left in peace for 500 years, (b) were not against Islam, but against the blood-thirsy Ottoman Empire, a bunch that slaughtered babies on bayonets before their mothers' eyes and beheaded infidels for sport (and as such was completely deserving of the crudades) (c) were not all led by the Church (indeed, e.g., the ridiculous Children's Crusade was condemned by the Church). So Crocker is right to have a somewhat polemical attitude here, as there is much to be corrected. And his lack of sympathy for certain acts and attitudes attributable to Protestantism is appropriate in the context of his historical narrative. Crocker recognizes that ideas have consequences, even religious ideas, and one cannot write history without thinking critically about ideas. He brings to life how certain Protestant institutions have strenuously endeavored to exaggerate the foibles of the Church or even create myths to justify their rejection of the Church and their own claims to authority (which can be a bit thin, depending upon the brand of Protestantism). (See, e.g., history according to the Brits: Henry VIII literally murders a whole bunch of his wives, lots of respected members of his court, thousands of Catholics, some of them, including middle-aged women, being slowly crushed alive to serve as particularly nasty examples to others who dare remain true to their beliefs . . . but it's the Pope, any Pope, that's a power-hungry despot, while the great patriot Henry is honored as the founder of the dear ol' Church of England. Talk about your revisionist history!) Crocker's account vividly portrays an amazing story that should astound anyone with a brain, no matter what they think about God, Jesus, religion or Catholicism. The Church is the most long-lived institution the world has ever known, and there is no close second. It survived the persecution of Rome, the embrace of Rome (worse), the fall of Rome, the Dark Ages, the Middle Ages, the Reformation, the Renaissance, the Enlightenment (so called), the Age of Revolution, and the Age of Totalitarianism. Almost every age was dominated by smart and powerful folks that predicted the prompt demise of the Church and worked to hasten it. Crocker's history is all the more important in light of the current role of the Church. It might shock most Americans to know that today the Catholic Church is larger and stronger today than it has ever been. (American Catholics only make up about 6% or the Church.) It is far and away the largest religious institution in the world (with no close second). It is the largest charitable institution in the world (with no close second), the largest educator of people in the world (with no close second), the largest provider of health care in the world (with no close second), the largest and most vigorous defender of human rights in the world (with no close second)--every year dozens of nuns and priests are martyred in places like Liberian, Sierra Leone, Colombia, and East Timor for standing up to government and/or rebel thugs. The Church has fostered the most fertile intellectual tradition the world has ever known-from Paul, Augustine, Aquinas, and Bonaventure, to Evelyn Waugh, Flannery O'Conner, Graham Greene, Jacques Maritain, and Etienne Gilson. Crocker is right to reflect in his narrative that this ought to astound people--if the Church were tops in only 2 of these categories, it would still be the most amazing institution around. The Church's growth, vigor, vitality and strength continue to confound those in every age who either pledge to destroy it (as did Napoleon and Hitler, for example) or confidently predict its extinction if it doesn't change with the times (i.e., lighten up and say it's okay if folks sleep around). Regardless of what one believes, that is a truely astounding story, and an immense story. Crocker has done an very admirable job of capturing most of this story in one very readable volume. It's quite a remarkable accomplishment.
Rating: 
Summary: Could be subtitled: "The Apostles Screed"
Review: It's hard to decide how to view this book. It starts out well enough, as a lively, engaging and thought provoking discussion about the Church. But slowly the tone becomes almost toxic and by the end it seems to abandon any pretense of historical analysis or really much discussion of the Church at all, and degenerates into a a bewildering progression of rants against a bewildering variety of topics, mostly "liberalism", secularism, Protestantism, "modernism", etc etc etc. The thread that holds this together seems to be some not so vague disquiet with everything thats happened since the early 1500s, if not earlier.
I don't think I'd really call this a historical overview of the Church, except in a loose sense of the word, where the author uses some historical references and discussion as pegs to hang his exquisite tapesty of bias and polemic against the parade of horribles listed above. The assertions he makes seem at some times so ludicrous that I often found myself thinking it was deliberately done to provoke and enrage the hypothetical "modern mind" he so often mentions. If thats the case I can have fun with that. But if he truly believes a lot of this stuff, well, not being a medical person, I'm not qualified to pronounce.
Having said all that, I would certainly still recommend this book. Its interesting, a good survey of "things Catholic", not so much from an analytical view, but from an advocacy standpoint. You can agree or not, or at the end put it down just shaking your head, but its not dull and it is thought provoking.
Rating:
Summary: A bit too much assumption
Review: This book is very colorful and easy to read for an historical text. I am enjoying it, but I have a few problems with how the author is presenting some of the material. It is not a pure history book like I had hoped. The author writes the book with the assumption that the Bible is true, factual, and not to be questioned. He writes that the Church is not to be questioned. He really puts in far too many of his opinions for it to be a true History book, but it is still interesting and I am learning quite a bit about the history of the Church I had never known before. If you know nothing of the Catholic Church and are a bit short on European history this is definitely a worth while book. I just really had to 'turn off' my annoyance at his assumptions and opinions, but once I did I enjoyed it more. My suggestion is to read it objectively and to not blindly believe everything written.
Rating:
Summary: History with Passion
Review: In a time when so many Catholics write with a guilt-laden conscious it is indeed refreshing to read a history of the Church that is not full of self-remorse. Mr. Crocker's writing style is easy to read yet highly literate. His story telling is exciting and fast paced. This book almost reads as an action/adventure novel rather than a textbook. The factual basis of his writing is thoroughly annotated in the bibliography (which could pass as a book in it's own right). I sensed the emotional highs and lows of the Church as I followed her through the journey of the past two thousand years. In the end though, I would not have been so inclined to use the title "Triumph". Although he shows with great detail, reason and wit, the success of the Western World through the support and sacrifice of the Church, he equally illuminates how the Church was and continues to be reviled by her enemies in spite of the wondrous good she has done for mankind in preserving Classical Civilization. Once a beacon of light for the nations, uniting struggling states under the banner of Christ only to have those same sons of the Church rebel and break away. In the collective consciousness of man a profound example of the way to salvation, rejected by modern man as antiquated, repressive, superstitious, and out of touch with science and individual rights. Yes, Mr. Crocker glosses over some of the truly abhorrent abuses and scandals of the Church but not to the point of denying them or reducing their importance to history. He makes even more poignant the refusal of man to follow Christ instead of his own predilections. He shows the continuous thread of the wisdom of Christ's Church and her ability to predict the outcome of man's insistence on pursuit of self-interest.
Rating:
Summary: Impossible to read this and stay Protestant
Review: This book proves what every person who has studied both history and theology has learned - that any prayerful and open-minded study of the history of Christ's Church, in concert with Scripture, leads inevitably toward one conclusion. Crocker does a wonderful job of presenting a fair view of the history of Christ's Church and the often imperfect people who have been a part of it.
Rating:
Summary: Fun and for most people, good to read
Review: I didn't give the book 5 stars because it lacks a more removed and scholarly look at the history of the Catholic Church. But, then again, who really can be objective when you are dealing with a topic that raises the ire of some and the praise of others (read the other reviews to get a sampling). Crocker does achieve something very good in Triumph. He makes reading the history of the Catholic Church fun again. Most works may include more details or footnotes. Some may claim to be more critical or scholarly (but again, they bring personal biases to their works as well). Yet, I don't know if comparing Crocker's book to a 12 volume history is fair. This isn't meant to be an exhaustive or non-biased history. I don't think Crocker ever claimed such either. What it is though is a fun read written from a refreshingly faithful Catholic perspective. No, he isn't unbiased, but at least he admits it.
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