Rating: 
Summary: A Good Starting Point
Review: At less than 500 pages for 2000 years of history, the word "concise" in the title is quite appropriate. The book is an easy read, seemly written at the high school level. Although the book only focuses on general themes and trends in the Church throughout time, the author provides an Annotated Bibliography at the end. Once reading the general review of a particular historical era, the reader is can use the Annotated Bibliography to find more detailed and comprehensive resourses.The book is proken into five parts: (1) The Church Triumphs Over Paganism (A.D. 30 - 600); (2) The Making of Christendom (A.D. 600 - 1300); (3) The Unmaking of Christendom (A.D. 1300 - 1650); (4) The Church in a State of Seige (A.D. 1650 - 1891); and (5) The State of Seige is Slowly Lifted (A.D. 1891 - ). This book is a good first book to read to learn the general history of Christianity and the Catholic Church. However, I would like to have seen some material on the relegious state of the world before Jesus appeared to give a good background to start in. The book just lurches in to gear with the birth of Jesus and moves from there. In addition, the author has a tendancy to gloss over the more repugnant parts of Catholic history.
Rating:
Summary: A Good Starting Point
Review: At less than 500 pages for 2000 years of history, the word "concise" in the title is quite appropriate. The book is an easy read, seemly written at the high school level. Although the book only focuses on general themes and trends in the Church throughout time, the author provides an Annotated Bibliography at the end. Once reading the general review of a particular historical era, the reader is can use the Annotated Bibliography to find more detailed and comprehensive resourses. The book is proken into five parts: (1) The Church Triumphs Over Paganism (A.D. 30 - 600); (2) The Making of Christendom (A.D. 600 - 1300); (3) The Unmaking of Christendom (A.D. 1300 - 1650); (4) The Church in a State of Seige (A.D. 1650 - 1891); and (5) The State of Seige is Slowly Lifted (A.D. 1891 - ). This book is a good first book to read to learn the general history of Christianity and the Catholic Church. However, I would like to have seen some material on the relegious state of the world before Jesus appeared to give a good background to start in. The book just lurches in to gear with the birth of Jesus and moves from there. In addition, the author has a tendancy to gloss over the more repugnant parts of Catholic history.
Rating: 
Summary: Bokenkotter's odd history
Review: Bokenkotter's history of the Church includes a curious, odd fascination with both the murderous Sandinistas of the 1980s and practitioners of the discredited liberation theology. ** Readers interested in a more balanced and accurate history should seek Alan Schreck's "Compact History of the Catholic Church" or H.W. Crocker III's "Triumph."
Rating: 
Summary: A good starting point...
Review: But certainly not the end all. Even still I'm giving it 5 stars because I think this is a wonderful way for readers new to the topic to get their first grasp on such a tremendous topic. As to some readers' concerns that the author is "liberal", well I have yet to find an historian, author, or human being who doesn't have a perspective. It is most strange to me that people should becomes so vitriolic about the fact that Thomas Bokenkotter comes from a social justice perspective. Don't worry--It's a good thing!
Rating:
Summary: A good starting point...
Review: But certainly not the end all. Even still I'm giving it 5 stars because I think this is a wonderful way for readers new to the topic to get their first grasp on such a tremendous topic. As to some readers' concerns that the author is "liberal", well I have yet to find an historian, author, or human being who doesn't have a perspective. It is most strange to me that people should becomes so vitriolic about the fact that Thomas Bokenkotter comes from a social justice perspective. Don't worry--It's a good thing!
Rating:
Summary: Great Appetizer for Students of Catholic History
Review: Considering the amazingly huge scope of this book, the author, Thomas Bokenkotter, does a commendable job in his attempt to summarize the history of the Roman Catholic Church. The book is divided into five major parts: 30-600 A.D., 600-1300 A.D., 1300-1650 A.D., 1650-1891 A.D., and 1891-Present A.D. For anyone daunted by such an expansive history, take heart; Bokenkotter's writing style makes this project an enjoyable and quick read. Furthermore, his consistent attempts to immerse the events of Catholic history in their rightful historical context leads the reader to a better understanding of Western history in general during the time period that this book covers. Perhaps the most lasting impact this book will have on me is the fact that it has inspired me to further research many areas of interest in Catholic history. To help readers with similar goals, Bokenkotter has compiled an extensive bibliography for each chapter that can be found at the end of the book. Some topics that the reader will want to research further because of their influence on Catholic decision-making and history are the following: The Development of Catholic Belief in Roman Ecclesial Primacy; Papal Infallibility; Mariology; Monastic Influences on the Church and Society in the Middle Ages; Political Influences on the Church's Theological Developments; The Church's Recent Struggles with Modernity; and The Development and Influence of Liberation Theology.
Rating: 
Summary: Long and somewhat liberalized
Review: Go for "Triumph: The Power and Glory of the Catholic Church". It's much more fun to read and not nearly so dry. Bokenkotter writes like he doesn't want to offend anyone and defends those who would damage or change the true faith.
Rating:
Summary: Liberal View of Catholic History
Review: I found this book both comprehensive and informative. The author traces the history of the Catholic Church by following the papal progression from Peter to the John Paul. As with most historical texts, the concentration is on recent history with the first 1000 years providing a foundation for these events, but not extensively explored. I liked this book because it expanded my knowledge and provided a well-developed review of liberalism in the Catholic Church. However, this book is not without the author's influence. He appears to feel redeemed with the changes set forth in Vatican II as validation of the liberalist approach to the Church. He also appears unhappy with the limits that John Paul has attempted to put on those revisions. He promotes a Catholic Church run by a democratic process similar to government. This perspective becomes clear at the end and, in reading the book, it was apparent that the author was not completely unbiased in his presentation of history. Throughout this presentation, there seemed to be a lack of faith in God as the creator. This was not disrespectful, but more agnostic in nature. This being said, I would highly recommend the book for anyone interested in learning the history of the Catholic Church. Its attractiveness to non-Catholics will be its independent scholarly presentation of history. The faithful however, will notice a mild shortcoming as it promotes a move away from papal authority towards a Church more of man than of God.
Rating:
Summary: Good Introduction
Review: I found this book to be a concise outline of the major events and influences of Catholicism. While not exhaustive, the work provides the reader with an understanding of the history of the development of the Church.
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Stuff for Religious Educators
Review: i have taught and read this book for a few years and i found it very necesary for teachers in Theology. This book has a concise and more precise presentation of the 2000-year history of the catholic church. i found it very interesting to share this to my students. He(author) has systematically presented the different paradigm shifts of the church history starting from Jesus until the eve of the 20th cent.;the Early Christians, Christianity during the Roman empire, the Dark Age of the Catholic Church, The Medieval Church, the Reformation Period, and the Enlightenment of Vatican II. He dramatically viewed each of this paradigm shifts in a very systematic way. God bless.
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