Rating: 
Summary: Exactly what it says it is
Review: The history of the Catholic Church is quite daunting and I must say I never felt like I had a real handle on it. Bokenkotter's work gives a thorough introduction such that I now feel comfortable with the overall picture. I especially appreciate the author's dedication to social justice, which for me is one of the most important aspects of contemporary Church history.
Rating: 
Summary: A must read for any Catholic, history buff, or both.
Review: The Roman Catholic Church is the single most significant institution in history. Bokenkotter colorfully portrays the triumphs, tragedies and personalities that have guided the Church over the past two millinia in a brief, easy to read format. This book will not make anyone an expert on Catholic Church history, nor is it designed to do so. It will enhance anyone's knowledge of the most significant developments in history. Who first wrote the Bible? What made Gregory so great? What is a "Renaissance Pope?" Did Martin Luther really nail his thesis to the door of the Cathedral? How did Catholicism spread through America? What prompted the Vatican II reform movement? This book provides the basics, and it provides them clearly and cogently. To write a concise history about the Catholic Church is no small task. Bokenkotter did it, and he did it soundly.
Rating:
Summary: I've bought this book 3 times.
Review: The title of this book is not a misnomer only because of the subject matter; at slightly over five hundred pages of narrative (not counting notes and indices), however, it covers the complete history of the Catholic Church at an average rate of a quarter page per year, which is admittedly concise, the actual thickness of the volume notwithstanding. Though the narrative is necessarily thin in some spots, and sometimes maddeningly so in the exact areas I personally would wish more information, it serves as a good overview of Church history, with the added bonus of several chapters newly added to the revised edition which closely consider the current state of the Church, in light of the American pedophilia scandals and the current debates over the ordination of women, marriage of priests, birth control, and homosexuality. I have purchased three copies of this book over the years; I keep wearing them out. Hopefully the hardcover will last longer.
Rating:
Summary: the complete history of the church from Christ to modern day
Review: This book covers the history of the church from the time of Christ to the modern era (early years of Pope JPII). It is the best way I can think of to orient oneself to Catholic issues, and the history of the Roman Catholic church which has played such an important part in the history of western civilization (and world history). The book doesn't cover early Christianity as well as I would have liked, but there are other books which do this better. It is excellent on some of the medieval and modern political/theological issues which have besieged the church, and it shows how through all of this the church has managed to uphold the faith of its people up to the modern era. One cannot help but see the presence of God in all of this.
Rating: 
Summary: Needs more history and less editorializing
Review: This book is an interesting although deeply flawed look at Church history over the past 2,000 years. It is less a history than a collection of moments in time without a true feel for the flow of events. In addition, many prominent events are simply ignored or passed over with barely a mention. Let me give a few brief examples. Little is said of the collapse of the Church in North Africa where it was thriving (Saint Augustine was a bishop in Hippo) until it was replaced by Islam. The Crusades are barely discussed and their effects on relations with the peoples of the Middle East aren't discussed at all. The Thirty Years War is given a single paragraph. This is surprising because this war turned Europe from a continent of nations based on religion into a continent of nations where national loyalties were more important than religious loyalties. The loss of power of the religious leaders in Europe can be traced to that war. This is fairly typical of the book. It discusses many prominent people such as Saint Augustine and Saint Jerome in some detail but fails to put their lives into a perspective of overall Church history. The flow of the book is often interrupted by jumps ahead and then back again so sometimes it is confusing because it isn't clear as to what events have occurred and which are still to come. There is also a tendency in the book to move too fast at times and introduce characters with a sentence and then never mention them again. All that being said, the book is not a complete failure. Taken from a Catholic viewpoint, the book is an acceptable, although incomplete, introduction to Church history. The author does not try to hide the bad acts of the Church that led to the Reformation, for example, and instead points out the critical failures of the Church. His discussion of some key Protestant leaders such as Luther and Calvin will enlighten those who knew little of their lives. In fact, the book is at its best when the author ignores trying to write a history and instead gives us short biographies of key figures in Church history. The last part of the book covering the period since Vatican II was the most disappointing to me. The author abandons any attempt to write a history and instead turns the book into an editorial about the Church's failure to become "modern" in the last 40 years. Strangely, this is the longest part of the book. I'm not sure how a book claiming to be a history can discuss 1,960 years of Church history in 400 pages and then the remaining 40 years are given more than 100 pages. Overall, the book is fair as an introduction to Church history until about 1900 but a failure as an editorial on the current Church.
Rating:
Summary: Needs more history and less editorializing
Review: This book is an interesting although deeply flawed look at Church history over the past 2,000 years. It is less a history than a collection of moments in time without a true feel for the flow of events. In addition, many prominent events are simply ignored or passed over with barely a mention. Let me give a few brief examples. Little is said of the collapse of the Church in North Africa where it was thriving (Saint Augustine was a bishop in Hippo) until it was replaced by Islam. The Crusades are barely discussed and their effects on relations with the peoples of the Middle East aren't discussed at all. The Thirty Years War is given a single paragraph. This is surprising because this war turned Europe from a continent of nations based on religion into a continent of nations where national loyalties were more important than religious loyalties. The loss of power of the religious leaders in Europe can be traced to that war. This is fairly typical of the book. It discusses many prominent people such as Saint Augustine and Saint Jerome in some detail but fails to put their lives into a perspective of overall Church history. The flow of the book is often interrupted by jumps ahead and then back again so sometimes it is confusing because it isn't clear as to what events have occurred and which are still to come. There is also a tendency in the book to move too fast at times and introduce characters with a sentence and then never mention them again. All that being said, the book is not a complete failure. Taken from a Catholic viewpoint, the book is an acceptable, although incomplete, introduction to Church history. The author does not try to hide the bad acts of the Church that led to the Reformation, for example, and instead points out the critical failures of the Church. His discussion of some key Protestant leaders such as Luther and Calvin will enlighten those who knew little of their lives. In fact, the book is at its best when the author ignores trying to write a history and instead gives us short biographies of key figures in Church history. The last part of the book covering the period since Vatican II was the most disappointing to me. The author abandons any attempt to write a history and instead turns the book into an editorial about the Church's failure to become "modern" in the last 40 years. Strangely, this is the longest part of the book. I'm not sure how a book claiming to be a history can discuss 1,960 years of Church history in 400 pages and then the remaining 40 years are given more than 100 pages. Overall, the book is fair as an introduction to Church history until about 1900 but a failure as an editorial on the current Church.
Rating:
Summary: Leans to the Left
Review: This book shall we say "leans to the left". This bias limits its usefulness. The interpretation of the facts of history and the facts you choose almost always show the authors agenda. I suggest Shrecks Compact History of the Catholic Church instead.
Rating:
Summary: Author never heard of a liberal idea he didn't like
Review: This is a review of the new third edition, Jan 2004. From looking at reviews of the older edition, the author has kept his liberal viewpoint in the new sections. All liberal issues are good - all traditionalist views are no longer appropriate. He has added material up to 2003 including the sex scandals. Unfortunately for him as a liberal, he quotes from Archbishop Weakland who now has been discredited. He does have a good defense of Pius XII for his handling the Nazis and Jews. I didn't mind the first half of the book, in fact I enjoyed it. But I really got tired of the liberal voice always having the last say. Being a modernist, there are no absolutes, no dogmas, all is subject to change and change is good. Since the author is an elderly Pastor at a Cincinnati church, he has fallen into the Pastoral approach error that justifies all as long as it is done in a spirit of love and conscience. I can not recommend this book
Rating:
Summary: Author never heard of a liberal idea he didn't like
Review: This is a review of the new third edition, Jan 2004. From looking at reviews of the older edition, the author has kept his liberal viewpoint in the new sections. All liberal issues are good - all traditionalist views are no longer appropriate. He has added material up to 2003 including the sex scandals. Unfortunately for him as a liberal, he quotes from Archbishop Weakland who now has been discredited. He does have a good defense of Pius XII for his handling the Nazis and Jews. I didn't mind the first half of the book, in fact I enjoyed it. But I really got tired of the liberal voice always having the last say. Being a modernist, there are no absolutes, no dogmas, all is subject to change and change is good. Since the author is an elderly Pastor at a Cincinnati church, he has fallen into the Pastoral approach error that justifies all as long as it is done in a spirit of love and conscience. I can not recommend this book
Rating:
Summary: A Good Church History Book for America
Review: This is the kind of book a student of theology should not only read but also possess a copy for regular reference. It is one of the best books around that is comprehensive and thorough. Beginning from Jesus Christ and going up to 1990 with a special chapter on American Church, it is the most readable one-volume history of the Catholic Church available. It is divided into five parts corresponding to the major historic epochs in the Church. As the name suggests it is indeed a Catholic viewpoint of the events of history. Writing history in a totally impartial manner is almost an impossible task. Bokenkotter has his own views about the turning points in history which could be termed less traditional than one would anticipate. Yet nobody can deny that it whets one's appetite for more. An extensive bibliography provided at the end of the book is another strength of this new edition..
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