Having read many Church History books, Triumph points out several things going on in the 16th Century that contradict a common theme of the Church being too corrupt or "asleep at the wheel" to deal effectively with Luther and Calvin (see for example Barbara Tuchman's account in The March to Folly). Indeed, Crocker paints a picture of the Church, along with HRE Charles V, feverishly defending Vienna against the Turks in 1529, with Protestant princes cheering for the invaders. Rather than asleep at the wheel, the Church was fighting for its survival.
For me, the most interesting part of the book was the discussion of the 19th and 20th centuries. The Pope's transistion from temporal to spiritual leadership, and the confrontation of ideologies up through today is perhaps better summed up in this book than any other I have read.
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in Church History. It is unapologetically apologetic with regard to the primacy of the Catholic Church in Christianity. Non-Catholic readers may find the authors views objectionable, but the book gives a unique point of view among this type of literature. It's well worth the time to read.
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