Here is a comprehensivbe, critical portrait of Christianity from its beginnings to the present, warts and all. It is a synoptic portrait which only a master could depict. Dr. Bainton draws upon lifelong research that takes into account hundreds of monographs and that relates social, political and theological developments. Liturgical and artistic creations are also included. Especially illuminating is the comparative analysis of the different branches of Christendom, including a comparison of social, ethical, and institutional patterns - the decisive constructive accomplishments, the fanaticism, and the perversions. Here we observe an outstanding feature of the whole work: the discriminating selection of the representative, the dramatic, the symbolic detail.