For the non-specialist, Martin Marty traces
the church's quest through twenty centuries
for unity, sanctity, universality, and
authentic witness. He delves into the
disparity between the ideals of the church
and historical realty in order to provide a
brilliant, instructive, and eminently fair
statement of the history of Christianity
from its founding to the present day.
In this second edition, revised and
expanded, Marty has added an entirely new
section entitled "Postscript and Prescript"
in which he discusses the recent past and
prospects. Fresh insights and revisions
based on the most recent contemporary
developments keep this volume abreast of the
times, making it an up-to-date survey of the
history of Christianity.