Roger Olson provides a great read of church history through his narrative approach to writing. He displays a strong grasp on the events that determined the movements of Christianity throughout the centuries. Knowing the events are important, but understanding the "whys?" of the events provides a deeper insight into the events themselves. Olson does a great job grasping the "whys?" of church history. His stronger points revolve around his research and thorough analysis of each era of Christianity. This is impressive considering the book is but a few pages over six hundred.
The weakness of the book springs from Olson's postmodern mindset. Like any writer, he inserts his opinions of interpretation, but these opinions are highly postmodern. This becomes especially apparent in the last chapter. Unfortunately, Olson forgot to grasp the concept that theology arises from the Scripture through logical understanding, not from man's opinions of what theology should be. Man doesn't shape theology, man discovers it.
With all that said, this is an excellent book. Short, comprehensive and easy to read. Should be read by all believers to further understand their roots.
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