"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.