The Church: The Evolution of Catholicism

“The Church is a lucid, balanced, and readable book—a work of integration that is always reasonable, well informed, honest, and deeply hopeful.”

In The Church, renowned religious historian and Vatican expert Richard P. McBrien offers a sweeping history of the evolution of the Roman Catholic Church, its influence  and power in an ever-changing world.  From Jesus’s apostle Peter to Pope Benedict XVI, The Church is a remarkable achievement that delves deeply into the past and the future of Christianity’s largest branch—in fact, the largest religious institution in the world—exploring its politics, doctrines, and the way the Roman Catholic Church views itself.

This comprehensive history of Catholicism traces the Church’s two-thousand-year evolution, covering key moments that include:

• Ecclesiology in the New Testament: An exploration of how the early followers of Jesus understood themselves as a community and laid the foundations for the Church.
• Papal Primacy and Infallibility: A detailed historical analysis of how the roles of Peter and his successors evolved, culminating in the critical definitions of Vatican I.
• From Vatican I to Vatican II: A masterful overview of the two pivotal councils that defined the modern Catholic Church, from the declaration of papal infallibility to the sweeping reforms that followed.
• Postconciliar Ecclesiology: An insightful look at the Church after Vatican II, examining its relationship with the modern world, developments in Catholic social teaching, and its future direction.

From the struggles of the very first Christians to the challenges and scandals of today, the Catholic Church has wrestled with how to organize itself, express its beliefs, and nurture its members. The Church has grown from a handful of disciples in the first century to over one billion members in the twenty-first, resulting in profound changes that demand a theological response. In this sweeping history, renowned scholar Richard McBrien reveals the evolution of the Church's relationship to the divine, its leadership of the faithful, and its role as a global religion. The Church answers the questions raised by this extraordinary history, including:

• Where did the idea of the pope's infallibility come from?
• Why are priests celibate and women barred from the priesthood?
• What inspired the Inquisition?
• What was the position of the Catholic Church on Hitler's policies in World War II?
• What is the Church's relationship to Islam?
• How will the growth of the Church in South America, Africa, and Asia shape its future?

McBrien helps the reader understand the evolution of the Catholic Church's understanding of itself through the centuries, its leadership, and its relationship to national governments and world religions. From Jesus's apostle Peter to Pope Benedict XVI, The Church explains in layperson's terms the evolution of the Catholic Church, its power, its scope, its theology, and its influence.

With characteristic clarity, Richard McBrien artfully tells the story of how Catholic theology developed over two millennia. In tracing the insights, conflicts, and fundamentals of Catholic thought, he has provided a superb resource for readers of all traditions. - Mary C. Boys, s.n.j.m., author of Has God Only One Blessing? Judaism as a Source of Christian Self-Understanding

This is a superb book, as usual. What would we do without this great honest man and his great honest writing? - Sr. Joan Chittister

Like the author’s other great works, The Church is encyclopedic. It covers a vast range of topics. In each case, McBrien provides not only a sense of the development of tradition but also a certain breadth of opinion by important theologians, as well as a careful explication of official church teaching on the issue at hand. . . . Candidly sketches out the pastoral challenges to, and the internal tensions within, the church today. - America Magazine

This distinguished scholar and professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame, candidly sketches out the pastoral challenges to, and the internal tensions within, the church today. - America Magazine

The Church is a lucid, balanced, and readable book-a work of integration that is always reasonable, well informed, honest, and deeply hopeful. - Commonweal

In good academic fashion, McBrien organizes his material thoroughly, with frequent introductions, summaries, lists and cross-references that make this an ideal textbook. At the same time, he writes clearly and passionately on topics of general concern such as papal authority, the church’s social and political involvement, interfaith relations and the role of the laity. An ardent admirer of the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965), McBrien sets its documents and discussions at the heart of his presentation. - Publishers Weekly

Catholicism expert Richard McBrien offers the first modern history of the Roman Catholic Church. . . . Encyclopedic is scope, but accessible and written in layman’s terms. - Christian Bookseller

Catholicism expert Richard McBrien offers the first modern history of the Roman Catholic Church. Encyclopedic in scope but accessible and written in laymen’s terms... - CBA Retailers and Resources, August 2008

A work breathtaking in its scope and yet manageable in its presentation. - National Catholic Reporter

McBrien’s encyclopedic text examining Roman Catholicism is destined to be the definitive theological work on the topic. . . . [T]his superlative, splendidly written text is accessible to anyone interested in understanding the Catholic Church’s history and theology from a modern global perspective. Recommended for all libraries. - School Library Journal

As always McBrien’s work is clear, concise and comprehensive in scope. Undoubtedly this book will become a standard ecclesiological reference point for students and teachers alike. - Neil Ormerod Neil Ormerod, Professor of Theology, Director of the Institute of Theology, Philosophy and Religious Education, Australian Catholic University